McMaster’s Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees invites community members to nominate candidates for honorary degrees.

Recipients will address the 2025 graduating class during the spring or fall convocation ceremony in which their honorary degree is conferred. 

Nominations are accepted throughout the year for consideration by the Committee. However, to ensure a nomination is considered for a specific set of convocation dates, it must be submitted by the second Monday in September (for the following spring ceremonies) or by the second Monday in January (for the following fall ceremonies). 

There are three general categories of individuals upon whom the university confers honorary degrees: 

a) individuals who are distinguished scholars or who have made outstanding contributions to the creative or performing arts; 

b) individuals who have distinguished reputations in the area of public service at the national or international levels or who have had long and distinguished careers in professions such as law or as educators, for example; and 

c) individuals who have made significant and noteworthy contributions to McMaster University and/or the local community. 

Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination. While there is no requirement for a nominator to have a direct connection to the university, these groups may have a vested interest in identifying individuals who reflect the criteria outlined above.

Members of the university community are encouraged to partner with an academic department where appropriate. 

Interested nominators are encouraged to: 

• Review the instructions, the Nomination Form, and the list of honorary degree recipients (1892 – present) 

• Contact the University Secretariat for advice before preparing a thorough nomination package 

• Consult McMaster University’s guidelines for the awarding of honorary degrees 

For consideration of the Spring 2025 ceremonies, nominations should be submitted electronically by the second Monday in September. 

For the Fall 2025 ceremonies consideration, nominations should be submitted electronically by the second Monday in January. 

All nominations should be submitted electronically to honorary.degrees@mcmaster.ca.