Recipients
Honorary Degrees are conferred at the University’s annual Commencement ceremonies. A list of previous honorary degree recipients is located below.
| Recipient Name | Degree | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Reitze, David | Doctor of Science | 2024 |
| Hahn, Kathryn | Doctor of Arts | 2024 |
| Barstow, David | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2024 |
| Adams, Katrina | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2024 |
| Valdez, Luis | Doctor of Arts | 2023 |
| Schapiro, Morton | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2023 |
| Bowen, Sharon | Doctor of Laws | 2023 |
| Pritzker, J.B. | Doctor of Laws | 2023 |
| Binagwaho, Agnes | Doctor of Science | 2023 |
| Jefferson Paterson, Eva | Doctor of Laws | 2022 |
| Martin, J. Landis | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2022 |
| Olson, Judith S. | Doctor of Science | 2022 |
| Wilkerson, Isabel | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2022 |
| Burke, Tarana J. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2021 |
| Hobbs, Helen H. | Doctor of Science | 2021 |
| Martin, George R.R. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2021 |
| Shotwell, Gwynne | Doctor of Science | 2021 |
| Lear, Norman Milton | Doctor of Arts | 2020 |
| Lightfoot, Lori E. | Doctor of Laws | 2020 |
| Stubbe, JoAnne | Doctor of Science | 2020 |
| Whitesides, George M. | Doctor of Science | 2020 |
| Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2019 |
| Bunch, Lonnie | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2019 |
| Kay, Alan | Doctor of Science | 2019 |
| Osher, Bernard | Doctor of Science | 2019 |
| Ryan, Shirley | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2019 |
| Youn, Andrew | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2019 |
| Suresh, Subra | Doctor of Science | 2018 |
| Harnick, Sheldon | Doctor of Arts | 2018 |
| Osborn, William A. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2018 |
| Fleming, Renée | Doctor of Arts | 2018 |
| Abrams, Meyer Howard | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1981 |
| Ackermann, William Carl | Doctor of Science | 1970 |
| Adamkus, Valdas V. | Doctor of Laws | 1994 |
| Adams, John | Doctor of Arts | 2008 |
| Alexander, Margaret Walker | Doctor of Literature | 1974 |
| Allen, Robert E. | Doctor of Laws | 1995 |
| Alter, Robert | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2016 |
| Amundson, Neal R. | Doctor of Science | 1997 |
| Anderson, Elijah | Doctor of Science | 2006 |
| Anderson, Judith | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1953 |
| Anderson, Marian | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1959 |
| Anderson, Robert Bernard | Doctor of Laws | 1954 |
| Anderson, T. J. | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2002 |
| Anderson, Theodore Wilbur | Doctor of Science | 1989 |
| Annan, Kofi A. | Doctor of Laws | 2002 |
| Annenberg, Walter Hubert | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1988 |
| Arnold, Richard Thomas | Doctor of Science | 1979 |
| Ayala, Francisco | Doctor of Literature | 1977 |
| Ayers, Thomas G. | Doctor of Laws | 1986 |
| Babbitt, Milton Byron | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1988 |
| Bader, Alfred Robert | Doctor of Science | 1990 |
| Baker, William Oliver | Doctor of Science | 1976 |
| Bakke, E. Wight | Doctor of Laws | 1964 |
| Balanchine, George | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1967 |
| Baldwin, John W. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2007 |
| Baldwin, Roger Nash | Doctor of Laws | 1974 |
| Ball, George W. | Doctor of Laws | 1964 |
| Balluffi, Robert W. | Doctor of Science | 1999 |
| Banner, Bob | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1981 |
| Bartoletti, Bruno | Doctor of Arts | 1993 |
| Baryshnikov, Mikhail | Doctor of Arts | 2013 |
| Bateson, Gregory | Doctor of Science | 1971 |
| Baumhart, Raymond, Rev. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1993 |
| Bazelon, David Lionel | Doctor of Laws | 1974 |
| Beadle, Dr. George W. | Doctor of Science | 1952 |
| Begin, Menachem | Doctor of Laws | 1978 |
| Bell, Dr. George Kennedy | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1954 |
| Bellow, Saul | Doctor of Literature | 1962 |
| Benton, Marjorie Craig | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1983 |
| Beogner, Rev. Dr. Mark | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1954 |
| Bere, James Frederick | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1985 |
| Berger, Raoul | Doctor of Laws | 1988 |
| Bergrav, Bishop Eivind Jose | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1954 |
| Berlin, Isaiah | Doctor of Literature | 1981 |
| Bernard, Jessie | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1977 |
| Bernardin, Joseph Cardinal | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1983 |
| Bernstein, Leonard | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1957 |
| Berry, Edwin Carlos | Doctor of Laws | 1975 |
| Beslagic, Selim | Doctor of Laws | 2000 |
| Best, Charles Herbert | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Bienen, Henry S. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2009 |
| Billington, Ray Allen | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1971 |
| Birren, James Emmett | Doctor of Science | 1986 |
| Blair, William McCormick | Doctor of Laws | 1964 |
| Block, Joseph L. | Doctor of Laws | 1968 |
| Bloomfield, Sara J. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2014 |
| Bollay, William | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Bonbright, James Cummins | Doctor of Laws | 1956 |
| Bonica, John Joseph | Doctor of Science | 1989 |
| Braceland, Francis James | Doctor of Science | 1957 |
| Branemark, Per-Ingvar | Doctor of Science | 1990 |
| Branscomb, Bennett Harvie | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Breed, Allen K. | Doctor of Laws | 1997 |
| Breed, Johnnie Cordell | Doctor of Laws | 1997 |
| Brokaw, Thomas J. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2004 |
| Bromley, David Allan | Doctor of Science | 1991 |
| Brooks, Gwendolyn | Doctor of Literature | 1970 |
| Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne | Doctor of Science | 2009 |
| Brown, Charles Lee | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1985 |
| Brown, Raymond E. | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1995 |
| Brown, Roger William | Doctor of Science | 1983 |
| Brown, Sterling Allan | Doctor of Letters | 1973 |
| Browning, Christopher R. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2008 |
| Brugge, Joan S. | Doctor of Science | 2007 |
| Bruner, Jerome | Doctor of Science | 1965 |
| Bryan, John H. | Doctor of Laws | 1996 |
| Budiansky, Bernard | Doctor of Science | 1986 |
| Bumpers, Dale Leon | Doctor of Laws | 1982 |
| Burgess, Kenneth Farwell | Doctor of Laws | 1959 |
| Burke, Kenneth Duva | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1972 |
| Buttrick, George Arthur | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1963 |
| Bynum, Caroline Walker | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1996 |
| Cahn, John Werner | Doctor of Science | 1990 |
| Calabresi, Guido | Doctor of Laws | 2004 |
| Callaway, John D. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1995 |
| Calvin, Dr. Melvin | Doctor of Science | 1961 |
| Campbell, Donald Thomas | Doctor of Science | 1983 |
| Carlsson, Ingvar | Doctor of Laws | 1991 |
| Carter, Elliott Cook, Jr. | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1977 |
| Carter, Gwendolyn Margaret | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1977 |
| Caswell, Dr. Hollis | Doctor of Laws | 1956 |
| Catton, Bruce | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1959 |
| Cavadas, Athenagoras (Archbishop) | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1954 |
| Chamberlin, Wendy J. | Doctor of Laws | 2003 |
| Chandrasekhar, Subrahmanyan | Doctor of Science | 1963 |
| Choppin, Purnell W. | Doctor of Science | 1999 |
| Christo | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1998 |
| Chu, Ching-Wu | Doctor of Science | 1988 |
| Church, Marguerite Stitt | Doctor of Laws | 1962 |
| Cixous, Helene | Doctor of Literature | 1996 |
| Clark, Thomas Campbell | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Colbert, Stephen | Doctor of Arts | 2011 |
| Cole, Johnetta B. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1992 |
| Collins, Francis S. | Doctor of Science | 2005 |
| Comer, James P. | Doctor of Science | 1991 |
| Considine, Frank W. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1987 |
| Cook, Alice Hanson | Doctor of Science | 1987 |
| Cook, Stanton Rufus | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1985 |
| Cook, William A. | Doctor of Science | 2003 |
| Coon, Minor Jesser | Doctor of Science | 1983 |
| Cooney, Joan Ganz | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2012 |
| Cooper, John Allen Dicks | Doctor of Science | 1972 |
| Cotton, Frank Albert | Doctor of Science | 1981 |
| Cowan, W. Maxwell | Doctor of Science | 1995 |
| Cowley, John M. | Doctor of Science | 1995 |
| Craig, Lyman Creighton | Doctor of Science | 1973 |
| Crane, Ronald Salmon | Doctor of Literature | 1963 |
| Cronkite, Walter Leland | Doctor of Laws | 1975 |
| Crown, Henry | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1988 |
| Dailey, Ulysses Grant | Doctor of Laws | 1955 |
| Daley, Richard M. | Doctor of Laws | 2008 |
| Darley, Ward | Doctor of Laws | 1965 |
| Dart, Justin Whitlock | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1979 |
| Davidson, Cathy N. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2005 |
| Davis, Allison | Doctor of Laws | 1978 |
| Davis, Hallowell | Doctor of Science | 1962 |
| Davis, Natalie Zemon | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1983 |
| Debreu, Gerard | Doctor of Science | 1981 |
| deButts, John Dulany | Doctor of Laws | 1966 |
| DeKiewiet, C.W. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Demsetz, Harold | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1994 |
| DeMille, Agnes George | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1960 |
| Deng, Francis M. | Doctor of Laws | 1991 |
| Deutsch, Karl Wolfgang | Doctor of Laws | 1980 |
| Dickerson, Earl Burrus | Doctor of Laws | 1977 |
| Dickey, James Lafayette, III | Doctor of Literature | 1975 |
| Dike, K.O. | Doctor of Laws | 1962 |
| Dixon, Russell Alexander | Doctor of Laws | 1964 |
| Dixon, Wesley Moon | Doctor of Laws | 1965 |
| Dobzhansky, Theodosius | Doctor of Science | 1968 |
| Doctorow, E. L. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2013 |
| Donahoe, Patricia | Doctor of Science | 2004 |
| Doniger, Wendy | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1999 |
| Dorn, John Emil | Doctor of Science | 1971 |
| Dos Passos, John | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1951 |
| Dresselhaus, Mildred S. | Doctor of Science | 2003 |
| Drucker, Daniel Charles | Doctor of Science | 1985 |
| Dryden, Hugh Latimer | Doctor of Science | 1963 |
| DuBridge, Lee A. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Dummett, Clifton Orrin | Doctor of Science | 1976 |
| Duster, Troy | Doctor of Science | 2005 |
| Earls, Felton James | Doctor of Science | 1997 |
| Easterlin, Richard | Doctor of Science | 2014 |
| Edelman Marian Wright | Doctor of Laws | 1988 |
| Edens, Arthur Hollis | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Egeberg, Roger Olaf | Doctor of Laws | 1970 |
| Eisenhower, Dwight David | Doctor of Laws | 1954 |
| Elkin, Dr. Daniel C. | Doctor of Science | 1952 |
| Ellmann, Richard | Doctor of Literature | 1980 |
| Elvehjem, Conrad Arnold | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Emmott, Bill | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2008 |
| Enders, Dr. John F. | Doctor of Science | 1956 |
| Eschenbach, Christoph | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1997 |
| Esaki, Leo | Doctor of Science | 1998 |
| Evers, John | Doctor of Laws | 1967 |
| Eyring, Henry | Doctor of Science | 1953 |
| Fairbank, John King | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1978 |
| Fallows, James | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2006 |
| Farmer, Paul E. | Doctor of Science | 2012 |
| Fauci, Anthony S. | Doctor of Science | 1997 |
| Feinberg, Reuben | Doctor of Laws | 1996 |
| Field, Stanley | Doctor of Laws | 1959 |
| Finley, Murray Howard | Doctor of Laws | 1988 |
| Fisher, Geoffrey Francis | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1954 |
| Fogel, Henry | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2004 |
| Folkman, Moses Judah | Doctor of Science | 1998 |
| Folsom, Richard Gilman | Doctor of Science | 1962 |
| Foster, Henry W., Jr. | Doctor of Science | 2000 |
| Fox, Carol (Flanagan) | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1965 |
| Frank, Joseph Nathaniel | Doctor of Literature | 1998 |
| Franklin, John Hope | Doctor of Laws | 1972 |
| Freeman, Earl Lavon | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2003 |
| Freund, Lambert Ben | Doctor of Science | 2007 |
| Friedman, Thomas L. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2005 |
| Friendly, Henry Jacob | Doctor of Laws | 1973 |
| Fuller, Jack William | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1998 |
| Fuller, Lon Luvois | Doctor of Laws | 1970 |
| Fung, Yuan-Cheng B. | Doctor of Science | 2004 |
| Furchgott, Robert Francis | Doctor of Science | 1998 |
| Gaffney, Matthew Page | Doctor of Laws | 1951 |
| Galvin, Robert W. | Doctor of Science | 1992 |
| Gephardt, Richard A. | Doctor of Laws | 1992 |
| Geschwind, Norman | Doctor of Science | 1981 |
| Geyer, Georgie Anne | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1993 |
| Gilliam, Sam | Doctor of Arts | 1990 |
| Ginsburg, Ruth Bader | Doctor of Laws | 1998 |
| Goldberg, Arthur J. | Doctor of Laws | 1963 |
| Goldovsky, Boris | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1972 |
| Goudsmit, Samuel Abraham | Doctor of Science | 1975 |
| Graff, Everett D. | Doctor of Laws | 1959 |
| Graham, Donald M. | Doctor of Laws | 1970 |
| Gray, Harry Barkus | Doctor of Science | 1984 |
| Gray, John Delbert | Doctor of Laws | 1972 |
| Green, Leon | Doctor of Laws | 1971 |
| Greenberg, Joseph H. | Doctor of Science | 1982 |
| Grene, David | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1983 |
| Griswold, Erwin Nathaniel | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Gurley, Fred G. | Doctor of Laws | 1957 |
| Haas, Mary Rosamond | Doctor of Literature | 1975 |
| Habermas, Jurgen | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1990 |
| Haensel, Vladimir | Doctor of Science | 1957 |
| Hamburg, Beatrix A. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1994 |
| Haraszti, Miklos | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1998 |
| Harlan, John Marshall | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Harnwell, Gaylord P. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Harris, Barry D. | Doctor of Arts | 1996 |
| Harris, Cyril Manton | Doctor of Science | 1989 |
| Harris, Rufus C. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Harsanyi, John Charles | Doctor of Science | 1989 |
| Hastings, John S. | Doctor of Laws | 1961 |
| Hatcher, Harlan | Doctor of Laws | 1956 |
| Hayes, Helen | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1969 |
| Heineman, Ben Walter | Doctor of Laws | 1967 |
| Hempel, Carl Gustav | Doctor of Literature | 1975 |
| Henderson, Loy W. | Doctor of Laws | 1953 |
| Herter, Christian Archibald | Doctor of Laws | 1957 |
| Hesburgh, Theodore M. | Doctor of Laws | 1963 |
| Hicks, John D. | Doctor of Laws | 1956 |
| Hilgard, Ernest Ropiequet | Doctor of Science | 1987 |
| Hillenbrand, Harold | Doctor of Science | 1974 |
| Hinsey, Joseph Clarence | Doctor of Science | 1951 |
| Hirsch, Peter B. | Doctor of Science | 1982 |
| Hoffman, Julius Jennings | Doctor of Laws | 1955 |
| Hoffmann, Roald | Doctor of Science | 1996 |
| Hollomon, John Herbert | Doctor of Science | 1967 |
| Holmes, John | Doctor of Laws | 1954 |
| Holonyak, Nick Jr. | Doctor of Science | 1992 |
| Hooks, Benjamin Lawson | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1980 |
| Hope, Bob | Doctor of Laws | 1966 |
| Hopkins, Michael J. | Doctor of Science | 2013 |
| Hotz, Rudolph | Doctor of Science | 1971 |
| Hounsfield, Godfrey Newbold | Doctor of Science | 1979 |
| Hovde, Frederick Lawson | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Hughes, Thomas J. R. | Doctor of Science | 2010 |
| Hughes, Thomas P. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2001 |
| Hunt, Lynn A. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2006 |
| Hunt, Reed Oliver | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1974 |
| Hunt, Richard | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1984 |
| Hurwicz, Leonid | Doctor of Science | 1980 |
| Hutchinson, George Evelyn | Doctor of Science | 1978 |
| Hutchinson, John W. | Doctor of Science | 2002 |
| Ingersoll, Robert Stephen | Doctor of Laws | 1975 |
| Isselbacher, Kurt J. | Doctor of Science | 2001 |
| Jackson, Shirley Ann | Doctor of Science | 2004 |
| James, F. Cyril | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Jeanne-Claude | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1998 |
| Jefferson, Howard B. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Jenner, Albert Ernest, Jr. | Doctor of Laws | 1975 |
| Joachim, Harold | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1981 |
| Johnson, Charles Richard | Doctor of Arts | 1994 |
| Johnson, John Harold | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1974 |
| Johnson, Robert W. | Doctor of Laws | 1952 |
| Johnson, Thor | Doctor of Music | 1953 |
| Johnston, Harold | Doctor of Science | 1998 |
| Jones, Howard Mumford | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1966 |
| Julian, Percy Lavon | Doctor of Science | 1951 |
| Kabat, Elvin A. | Doctor of Science | 1994 |
| Kahn, Alfred Edward | Doctor of Laws | 1982 |
| Kakutani, Shizuo | Doctor of Science | 1980 |
| Kandel, Eric Richard | Doctor of Science | 1991 |
| Katz, Elihu | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2013 |
| Katzir, Ephraim | Doctor of Science | 1978 |
| Kavli, Fred | Doctor of Science | 2009 |
| Keeney, Barnaby Conrad | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Keller, Joseph Bishop | Doctor of Science | 1988 |
| Kemper, James Scott | Doctor of Laws | 1963 |
| Kennan, Georg Frost | Doctor of Laws | 1957 |
| Kennedy, David M. | Doctor of Laws | 1969 |
| Keppel, Francis | Doctor of Laws | 1965 |
| Kerner, Otto | Doctor of Laws | 1961 |
| Kerr, Jean | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1962 |
| Kerr, Walter F. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1962 |
| Kestnbaum, Meyer | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Khan, Fazlur Rahman | Doctor of Science | 1973 |
| Kimpton, Lawrence A. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| King, Billie Jean | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2017 |
| Kinzel, Augustus | Doctor of Science | 1969 |
| Kirk, Grayson | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Klutznick, Philip M. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1984 |
| Knight, Frank Hyman | Doctor of Laws | 1951 |
| Knowles, Hugh Shaler | Doctor of Science | 1982 |
| Koop, Charles Everett | Doctor of Science | 1990 |
| Koopmans, Tjalling Charles | Doctor of Science | 1975 |
| Krainik, Ardis | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1984 |
| Krock, Arthur | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1967 |
| Krutch, Joseph Wood | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1957 |
| Kushner, Tony | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1998 |
| Lamb, Brian P. | Doctor of Laws | 2000 |
| Lambertsen, Christian James | Doctor of Science | 1977 |
| Lang, Paul Henry | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1960 |
| Langer, Robert Samuel | Doctor of Science | 2006 |
| Langham, Michael | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1973 |
| Lansing, Sherry | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1995 |
| Lavey, Martha | Doctor of Arts | 2010 |
| Leachman, Cloris | Doctor of Arts | 2014 |
| Lederer, Eppie (Ann Landers) | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1994 |
| Lee, Rensselaer W. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1971 |
| Lehman, Lotte | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1956 |
| Leland, Simeon Elbridge | Doctor of Laws | 1966 |
| Lerner, Abba Ptachya | Doctor of Science | 1978 |
| Lerner, Richard A. | Doctor of Science | 2002 |
| Levine, James | Doctor of Arts | 1992 |
| Levine, Rachmiel | Doctor of Science | 1986 |
| Lewis, Bernard | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2003 |
| Lewis, David Levering | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2010 |
| Lewis, William Arthur | Doctor of Literature | 1979 |
| Lienchardt, Ronald Godfrey | Doctor of Literature | 1984 |
| Lifton, Richard P. | Doctor of Science | 2016 |
| Link, Arthur Stanley | Doctor of Literature | 1984 |
| Liskov, Barbara H. | Doctor of Science | 2011 |
| Lohr, Lenox R. | Doctor of Laws | 1962 |
| Longmire, William Polk, Jr. | Doctor of Science | 1976 |
| Louis-Dreyfus Hall, Julia | Doctor of Arts | 2007 |
| Luccock, Halford Edward | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1951 |
| Lumbard, Joseph Edward, Jr. | Doctor of Laws | 1969 |
| Lutoslawski, Witold | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1974 |
| Lyon, Leverett | Doctor of Laws | 1951 |
| Maccoby, Eleanor E. | Doctor of Science | 2003 |
| Magoun, Horace Winchell | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Marcus, Rudolph Arthur | Doctor of Science | 2000 |
| Marland, Sidney Percy | Doctor of Laws | 1971 |
| Marsalis, Wynton | Doctor of Arts | 2009 |
| Marschak, Jacob | Doctor of Science | 1977 |
| Mason, Lowell Blake | Doctor of Laws | 1954 |
| Massey, Raymond | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1959 |
| Massey, Walter E. | Doctor of Science | 1999 |
| McBain, Houghston Maynard | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| McCain, John S., III | Doctor of Laws | 2005 |
| McDonald, Rt. Rev. William J. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| McDougal, Myres Smith | Doctor of Laws | 1966 |
| McGaw, Foster Glendale | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1973 |
| McGovern, George Stanley | Doctor of Laws | 1967 |
| McGowan, Carl | Doctor of Laws | 1976 |
| McKeachie, Wilbert James | Doctor of Science | 1973 |
| McLanahan, Sara S. | Doctor of Science | 2016 |
| McNair, Malcolm P. | Doctor of Laws | 1962 |
| McNeill, William Hardy | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1986 |
| McQuarrie, Irvine | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Meigs, Joe Vincent | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Meselson, Matthew Stanley | Doctor of Science | 2003 |
| Meyers, Seth | Doctor of Arts | 2016 |
| Michael, Lloyd | Doctor of Laws | 1953 |
| Mies, Ludwig Van Der Rohe | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1963 |
| Mikva, Abner Joseph | Doctor of Laws | 1991 |
| Miller, Bernice Johannesen | Doctor of Laws | 1974 |
| Mindlin, Raymond David | Doctor of Science | 1975 |
| Minow, Martha L. | Doctor of Laws | 2012 |
| Minow, Newton | Doctor of Laws | 1965 |
| Mintz, Beatrice | Doctor of Science | 1982 |
| Moe, Henry Allen | Doctor of Laws | 1961 |
| Morrill, James Lewis | Doctor of Laws | 1952 |
| Morris, Stevland AKA Stevie Wonder | Doctor of Arts | 2014 |
| Morrisett, Lloyd N. | Doctor of Laws | 1975 |
| Morrow, Richard Martin | Doctor of Science | 1989 |
| Morton, Lorraine H. | Doctor of Laws | 2008 |
| Moses, Robert P. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1996 |
| Mosonyi, Emil Francis | Doctor of Science | 1982 |
| Mountcastle, Vernon Benjamin, Jr. | Doctor of Science | 1985 |
| Muti, Riccardo | Doctor of Arts | 2014 |
| Muto, Takeshi | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1956 |
| Nabrit, James Madison | Doctor of Laws | 1966 |
| Nader, Ralph | Doctor of Laws | 1970 |
| Nagle, Raymond J. | Doctor of Science | 1963 |
| Nambu, Yoichiro | Doctor of Science | 1987 |
| Neal, Patricia | Doctor of Arts | 1994 |
| Netsch, Walter Andrew | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1980 |
| Newsom, Carroll V. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Nishizuka, Yasutomi | Doctor of Science | 1994 |
| Nix, William D. | Doctor of Science | 2012 |
| Noble, Charles Casper | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1957 |
| Norman, Jessye | Doctor of Arts | 2011 |
| Norstad, General Lauris | Doctor of Laws | 1963 |
| Northcott, Henry Clifford | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1952 |
| Notestein, Frank | Doctor of Science | 1953 |
| O'Brien, Morrough Parker | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Oakley, Francis Christopher | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1990 |
| Oates, Joyce Carol | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2000 |
| Obama, Barack | Doctor of Laws | 2006 |
| Oldberg, Eric | Doctor of Laws | 1991 |
| Osborn, Elburt Franklin | Doctor of Science | 1972 |
| Oxnam, Garfield Bromley | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1954 |
| Papp, Joseph | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1972 |
| Pargellis, Stanley | Doctor of Laws | 1956 |
| Parker, Judge John Johnson | Doctor of Laws | 1956 |
| Paz, Alberto Gainza | Doctor of Journalism | 1951 |
| Pearce, Harry J. | Doctor of Laws | 1998 |
| Percy, Charles Harting | Doctor of Laws | 1967 |
| Perkins, James A. | Doctor of Laws | 1964 |
| Peterson, Oscar Emmanuel | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1983 |
| Peterson, Peter G. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1980 |
| Pick, Albert, Jr. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1976 |
| Pierce, Bessie Louise | Doctor of Letters | 1954 |
| Pierce, John Robinson | Doctor of Science | 1961 |
| Pinsky, Robert | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2000 |
| Porter, John E. | Doctor of Laws | 1999 |
| Posner, Richard | Doctor of Laws | 2001 |
| Potter, Audrey | Doctor of Science | 1953 |
| Pottle, Frederick Albert | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1967 |
| Pride, Armistead A. | Doctor of Humane Lettes | 1976 |
| Prochnow, Herbert V. | Doctor of Fine Laws | 1963 |
| Pusey, Nathan M. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Radcliffe, Lord Cyril J. | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Rahula, Walpola Sri | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1985 |
| Raiffa, Howard | Doctor of Science | 1996 |
| Rammelkamp, Charles Henry, Jr. | Doctor of Science | 1975 |
| Randall, Clarence Belden | Doctor of Laws | 1955 |
| Randall, Tony | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2002 |
| Ranney, Austin | Doctor of Laws | 1995 |
| Rao, C. N. R. | Doctor of Science | 2008 |
| Rathmann, George B. | Doctor of Science | 2002 |
| Ratner, Sarah | Doctor of Science | 1982 |
| Ravdin, Isidor Schwaner | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Ray, Grodon Norton | Doctor of Literature | 1974 |
| Redford, Robert | Doctor of Arts | 1996 |
| Redmond, James Francis | Doctor of Laws | 1969 |
| Reed, Marshall Russell | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1953 |
| Reese, Gustave | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1976 |
| Reiner, Fritz | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1959 |
| Ribble, Frederick D.G. | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Rice, James R. | Doctor of Science | 1996 |
| Richards, Lloyd G. | Doctor of Arts | 1995 |
| Richart, Frank E., Jr. | Doctor of Science | 1987 |
| Robertson, Nan | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1992 |
| Rogers, Carl Ransom | Doctor of Science | 1978 |
| Rorem, Ned | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1977 |
| Rorty, Richard | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1992 |
| Rometty, Virginia | Doctor of Science | 2015 |
| Rosenberg, Nathan | Doctor of Science | 2006 |
| Rossi, Alice S. | Doctor of Science | 1984 |
| Rothschild, Miriam Louisa | Doctor of Science | 1986 |
| Rubbia, Carlo | Doctor of Science | 1985 |
| Rubin, Donald B. | Doctor of Science | 2017 |
| Rubloff, Arthur | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1983 |
| Ryan, Patrick G. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2009 |
| Sadat, Leila N. | Doctor of Laws | 2017 |
| Sarett, Lewis Hastings | Doctor of Science | 1972 |
| Satcher, David | Doctor of Science | 2010 |
| Schabas, William A. | Doctor of Laws | 2011 |
| Scarry, Elaine | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2010 |
| Schachman, Howard Kapnek | Doctor of Science | 1974 |
| Schaefer, Walter Vincent | Doctor of Laws | 1953 |
| Scharrer, Berta Vogel | Doctor of Science | 1977 |
| Schroeder, Werner William | Doctor of Laws | 1957 |
| Schuman, William H. | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1963 |
| Scott, Anne Firor | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1989 |
| Scott, Mrs. Walter Dill | Doctor of Laws | 1952 |
| Scott, Nathan Alexander, Jr. | Doctor of Literature | 1982 |
| Seaborg, Glen Theodore | Doctor of Science | 1954 |
| Searle, John Gideon | Doctor of Laws | 1970 |
| Seitz, Frederick | Doctor of Science | 1965 |
| Sellars, Peter | Doctor of Arts | 1992 |
| Sessions, Roger | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1954 |
| Shannon, Claude Elwood | Doctor of Science | 1970 |
| Shechtman, Daniel | Doctor of Science | 2015 |
| Shepley, Ethan A.H. | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Short, Emile Francis | Doctor of Laws | 2005 |
| Shostakovich, Dmitry Dmitryevich | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1973 |
| Shultz, George Pratt | Doctor of Laws | 1986 |
| Simmons, Ernest J. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1968 |
| Simon, Jack Aaron | Doctor of Science | 1981 |
| Simon, Paul | Doctor of Laws | 1983 |
| Simon, Seymour F. | Doctor of Laws | 1987 |
| Simmons, Ruth J. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2016 |
| Singer, J. David | Doctor of Laws | 1983 |
| Sinsheimer, Robert Louis | Doctor of Science | 1976 |
| Siskind, Aaron | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1980 |
| Skocpol, Theda | Doctor of Laws | 2002 |
| Sloimsky, Nicholas | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1980 |
| Smith, Anna Deavere | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1997 |
| Smith, Hermon Dunlap | Doctor of Laws | 1971 |
| Smith, Margaret Chase | Doctor of Laws | 1971 |
| Snyder, Solomon Halbert | Doctor of Science | 1981 |
| Solomon, Susan | Doctor of Science | 2006 |
| Somorjai, Gabor A. | Doctor of Science | 2010 |
| Sonneborn, Tracy Morton | Doctor of Science | 1975 |
| Spacek, Leonard Paul | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1978 |
| Spencer, Margaret Beale | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2015 |
| Spiegelman, Sol | Doctor of Science | 1966 |
| Spofford, Charles M. | Doctor of Laws | 1959 |
| Sprecher, Robert Arthur | Doctor of Laws | 1981 |
| St. Laurent, Louis Stephen | Doctor of Laws | 1951 |
| Stahr, Elvis Jacob | Doctor of Laws | 1968 |
| Stanley, H. Eugene | Doctor of Science | 2009 |
| Stans, Maurice Hubert | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Starzl, Thomas Earl | Doctor of Science | 1982 |
| Steele, Claude M. | Doctor of Science | 2010 |
| Sterling, J.E. Wallace | Doctor of Laws | 1958 |
| Stevens, John Pual | Doctor of Laws | 1977 |
| Stever, Horton Guyford | Doctor of Science | 1966 |
| Stewart, William Huffman | Doctor of Science | 1967 |
| Stigler, George Joseph | Doctor of Science | 1979 |
| Stiglitz, Joseph Eugene | Doctor of Laws | 2000 |
| Stokey, Nancy L. | Doctor of Science | 2005 |
| Storms, Harrison Allen, Jr. | Doctor of Science | 1960 |
| Strotz, Robert Henry | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1985 |
| Stuart, Robert Douglas | Doctor of Laws | 1955 |
| Stumm, Werner | Doctor of Science | 1989 |
| Sudler, Louis Courtenay | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1973 |
| Tallchief, Maria | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1982 |
| Tatum, Edward Lawrite | Doctor of Science | 1971 |
| Taube, Henry | Doctor of Science | 1990 |
| Taussig, Helen Brooke | Doctor of Science | 1951 |
| Tead, Ordway | Doctor of Laws | 1952 |
| Tenenbaum, Michael | Doctor of Science | 1974 |
| Terkel, Louis "Studs | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2001 |
| Thomas, Benjamin Platt | Doctor of Letters | 1953 |
| Thompson, James Robert | Doctor of Laws | 1979 |
| Thompson, Lonnie G. | Doctor of Science | 2009 |
| Thorndike, Lynn | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1955 |
| Thornton, Henry Moser | Doctor of Laws | 1975 |
| Tillett, William S. | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Tonegawa, Susumu | Doctor of Science | 1987 |
| Towner, Lawrence William | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1965 |
| Tracy, Louise Treadwell (Mrs. Spencer) |
Doctor of Science | 1951 |
| Trienens, Howard J. | Doctor of Laws | 1995 |
| Trilling, Lionel | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1964 |
| Turow, Scott | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2001 |
| Tyler, Ralph Winfred | Doctor of Laws | 1972 |
| Vance, Cyrus Roberts | Doctor of Laws | 1993 |
| Vaughan, Sarah | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1978 |
| Volcker, Paul A. | Doctor of Laws | 2004 |
| Von Karman, Theodore | Doctor of Science | 1956 |
| Walker, Harold Blake | Doctor of Sacred Theology | 1970 |
| Waller, Judith Gary | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1955 |
| Wallis, Hal Brent | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1979 |
| Warren, Earl | Doctor of Laws | 1960 |
| Warren, Shields | Doctor of Science | 1959 |
| Weber, Arnold R. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1995 |
| Weeks, Edward A. | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1961 |
| Weese, Harry Mohr | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1979 |
| Weinberg, Robert A. | Doctor of Science | 1984 |
| White, Lynn Townsend, Jr. | Doctor of Literature | 1983 |
| Widnall, Sheila E. | Doctor of Science | 2008 |
| Wiesner, Jerome Bert | Doctor of Science | 1966 |
| Wild, Payson Sibley | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1973 |
| Wilkins, Roy | Doctor of Laws | 1972 |
| Wille, Lois | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1990 |
| Willis, Benjamin Coppage | Doctor of Laws | 1955 |
| Wills, Garry | Doctor of Humane Letters | 2017 |
| Wilson, Fred | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2007 |
| Wilson, Orlando Winfield | Doctor of Laws | 1965 |
| Wilson, William Julius | Doctor of Laws | 1993 |
| Wirtz, W. Willard | Doctor of Laws | 1966 |
| Wonder, Stevie (see Morris, Stevland) | Doctor of Arts | 2014 |
| Wood, Harland Goff | Doctor of Science | 1972 |
| Wood, James N. | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2005 |
| Wood, Robert E. | Doctor of Laws | 1965 |
| Woodward, Comer Vann | Doctor of Humane Letters | 1977 |
| Yang, Wei | Doctor of Science | 2017 |
| Young, Whitney Moore, Jr. | Doctor of Laws (posthumous award) |
1971 |
| Zacharias, Jerrold Reinach | Doctor of Humane Science | 1973 |
| Zare, Richard Neil | Doctor of Science | 1993 |
| Zienkiewicz, O.C. | Doctor of Science | 1984 |
| Zwiener, Kenneth Vernon | Doctor of Humane Laws | 1976 |