The Doctor of Laws, given the designation of LLD, is an honorary law degree and is only awarded as such in the United States and Canada. Colleges and universities who have the right to confer doctorate law degrees are normally authorized to issue the honorary Doctor of Laws degree. This degree is not to be confused with the Juris Doctor (JD) law degree, which permits graduates to sit for a bar exam and are normally accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
The Doctor of Letters, normally given the designation of D.Litt. or Litt.D., is an honorary doctorate degree normally issued to recipients who have been widely published or who have conducted a large amount of research in their respective field of study. Though it is mainly reserved for those whose works fall within the humanities field of study, those with a non-humanities background may also be recipients of the Doctor of Letters degree. One such recipient and example includes former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who received the Doctor of Letters from Air University in 2008.
The Doctor of Science, usually abbreviated Sc.D. or D.Sc., is an honorary academic degree conferred to recipients who have conducted a vast amount science-related research to be considered a credit to their particular field of science. Unlike its other honorary doctorate equivalents, the Doctor of Science seems to be perceived as possessing a stronger value due to the effort for receiving such. Reputable colleges and universities such as Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University have been known to confer the Doctor of Science degree in appropriate circumstances of achievement.
When a particular college or university does not have the authority or the accreditation to grant a doctorate degree, it may confer a master’s degree or baccalaureate degree upon recipients who have achieved noteworthy services or accomplishments to their community or to their field of study. These honorary degrees are also considered official academic degrees but may carry the designation of “honorary degree” next to the type of degree awarded to help distinguish its merits from that of a traditional academic degree.