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With university fees set to rise by 7.5 per cent by 2021, could there be a cheaper, easier path to donning a mortar board and academic gown staring you in the face?
Shane Warne, both Dannii and Kylie Minogue, and even Kermit the Frog have been awarded honorary doctorates.
On May 3, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Adelaide where she studied law.
The ceremony was used by students to protest the Federal Government's planned fee hikes and funding cuts for universities.
Real doctors upset
Darren Saunders, a senior lecturer in medicine at the University of NSW, told ABC Radio Perth that honorary degrees could be controversial and caused consternation among academics who spent years working towards their qualifications.
"With Julie Bishop I don't think many people would have a problem with that," Dr Saunders said.
"In this case the university is recognising one of their own and their achievements on the world stage.
"But a lot of people with actual PhDs do get upset [by honorary doctorates].
"Universities are supposed to be providing recognition of merit when it comes to awarding degrees, so some people think that it blurs the lines."
Just a publicity stunt?
"Honorary degrees are usually given as a form of recognition," Dr Saunders explained.
"They originally started as a form of mutual patronage where a university could recognise somebody's contribution to the community and in return that person supported the university's efforts.
"In some cases that support was financial; in others just through their connections and through their work. That still happens today."
But when it comes to instant doctorates for celebrities, universities could stray into dangerous territory and risk their reputations, Dr Saunders said.
"Former Libyan dictator Moamar Gaddafi had a number of honorary doctorates, Mike Tyson has a few, Kermit the Frog has got one."
Both Dannii Minogue and Warne received honorary doctorates from Solent University in the UK.
"I think in that case they are really playing the celebrity publicity game and trying to get attention for their university, which is a very different thing to recognising achievement," Dr Saunders said.
Kylie Minogue's award was more serious, Dr Saunders said — Anglia Ruskin University in Essex, east of London, gave her an honorary doctorate in health sciences for her work in promoting breast cancer awareness.
Don't call yourself doctor
While the university may bestow a paper degree and invite the recipient to accept it onstage wearing a cap and gown, actually using the title of doctor was strongly discouraged.
"It's considered pretty poor form to go and call yourself doctor once you have received an honorary doctorate," Dr Saunders said.
"There aren't many examples of people doing that."
'Professor' Clive Palmer and 'Dr' Tim Minchin
When people disregard these etiquette rules however, things can become awkward.
Queensland businessman Clive Palmer called himself professor on his business cards after Deakin University and later Bond University made him an honorary adjunct professor.
While Bond University stipulated that the title should only be used in relation to matters relevant to the university, it was left in an awkward position when Mr Palmer began to call himself professor in all his correspondence.
There was little the institution could do and it led to complaints from academic staff at the university.
Other awards, like the honorary doctorate to given to comedian and composer Tim Minchin by his alma mater, the University of Western Australia, can generate a wealth of positive publicity for both the institution and recipient when they speak at the ceremony.
"Who could question Tim's achievements and service to the arts?" Dr Saunders said
"In that case I don't think people have a problem with it."
Minchin's acceptance speech has been viewed more than 2.5 million times online.
"It's often a quid pro quo; the university invites someone to give a speech, that person gets some recognition and at the same time they garner some publicity out of it."
Topics: university-and-further-education, popular-culture, internet-culture, arts-and-entertainment, human-interest, perth-6000
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