Honorary academic titles and honors
Honorary and Honorary PhD degrees
The honorary degree and the honorary PhD degree confer all the rights of the degree and the ordinary PhD, as they are equivalent to the titles normally obtained.
The University of Padova confers, for each academic year, no more than three honorary master's degrees or single-cycle master's degrees and no more than three honorary doctorates proposed by the departments of the University. The number of honorary degrees awarded may be exceeded only in exceptional cases.
A rather common misconception is to distinguish the expression "honoris causa" from the expression "ad honorem", considering that the former is conferred exclusively on living persons unlike the latter. In reality, there is no distinction in this regard. Probably the misunderstanding arises from the following article 331, which considers the possibility of conferring the degree as an honorary title to remember the value of students who have fallen under arms or in any case to defend the homeland, but even in this case no distinction is made between the expressions laurea honoris causa and laurea ad honorem.
The University therefore confers two different titles to people who, for works completed or for publications made, have gained a reputation for extraordinary skills in the disciplines for which they are granted: honorary degree and honorary PhD.
Among honorary academic degrees, we award honorary degrees to individuals who have made significant contributions in the field of research, art, or entrepreneurship. An honorary degree may be conferred on personalities whose scientific, cultural or social merits are of undoubted importance and are recognized in the community.
We confer an honorary PhD to personalities in possession of a master's degree, for internationally recognized scientific or cultural merits. The proposal for the title of honorary doctor or Ph.D. is usually made by the PhD Teaching Board of a Unipd department.
In addition to honorary degrees and doctorates, the University of Padova can confer the honorary title of "Honorary member of the academic body of the University of Padova - Padua Honorary Fellow" and the "Medal of the University of Padova" to personalities, external to the University, Italian or foreign, who have distinguished themselves internationally in the arts, sciences, in business, business, society, politics or culture.
In particular, the candidacy for "Honorary Member of the Academic Body of the University of Padova - Padua Honorary Fellow" can be proposed to the Academic Senate by the Rector, the Board of Directors or a department. The person who will become an honorary fellow must have carried out particular activities in favor of the University of Padova or have contributed or be able to contribute to the prestige of the University also through the performance of acts or actions that promote and spread his name, in particular abroad.
The "Medal of the University of Padova" is instead conferred by the Rector on the proposal of the Department Council and subject to the approval of the Academic Senate, to external persons who have particularly distinguished themselves in the cultural, artistic, economic, social or technical-scientific fields.
Title and medal have honorary value and have no legal value.
