Doctoral Degrees

[Realtrain]

Are the degrees offered by ULC actually...valid? What I mean is, can I officially give myself the title of Dr. once I have it? Thanks!

[Dorian Gray]

The degrees are valid and legal and you can call yourself Dr. Your Name Here. However, you may get chuckled at by those with traditional PhD, ThD, EdD, etc since they are not from a Regionally or at least Nationally (the lesser of the two) accredited school.

[Rev Douglas Trouten]

To further what Dorian has said.

The Doctoral Degrees issued by the ULC (refereed to as the Church in the rest of this post) are technically only recognized by the Church itself, and its members. Yes you can use the Dr. title, though as Dorian said those with traditional Doctorates from educational institutions such as Harvard, UCLA, Ferris State, a Seminary School (if they offer Doctorate degrees) ect... will/may look at the degrees available through the ULC as more of a novelty then an actual Degree since there was no real "schooling" required to obtain them.

Now there is one exception, the Doctor of Divinity, here in the US the D.D. is traditionally an Honorary Degree, meaning that it is issued by a University, Seminary, Church-related college, or even a Church itself.

In the case of the Church the degrees are all issued by the Church's "educational" branch, the Degrees while not accredited by a National or Regional accrediting agency are accredited (ie authorized) by the Church's accrediting agency (the "educational" branch of the Church).

Again as both Dorian and myself have said you can use the title of Dr. of (the Doctorate Degree you chose), though it wont be recognized by institutions of higher education, they are mainly for use in the Church.

While I haven't gotten any of the Degree's from the Church yet, I am looking at getting the Dr. of Divinity (Honorary) Degree, the PhD in Religion, and at least on other of the Church's Degrees, just have to figure out which one/ones I would like to do/get.

BTW welcome to the Forums and the Church RealTrain, you will find us a fairly laid back and friendly lot here. I would recommend posting a brief introductory post in the New Members section here http://ulc.net/forum/index.php/forum/12-new-members-faq/

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

The Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree is not only legal; it is court tested. Then again, there are few practical uses for any honorary degree. In other words, it is legal, but not useful. I can't imagine how it might enhance a career. It is not prestigious. But yes, you can be addressed as "Doctor." Don't do it in a medical setting. That could be big trouble.

[RevJackP]

I view it more as an advertising thing. Pretty paper on the wall to impress potential clients and make your congregation feel good. Also seems to me that somewhere I read that having a D.D. was required for ministers in some states, not sure of this.

[Dorian Gray]

No state can require anything educational requirement of any religious group to be a minister. That who church and state thing.

[panpareil]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

The Congress can't. State and local have their own restrictions. You could imagine implied meanings outside of what it explicitly says, but someone else could imagine the opposite. That is why they need to be explicitly written down in a document like say The Constitution.

Edited August 5, 2014 by panpareil

[Dorian Gray]

When a State does, it is generally challenged and found unconstitutionally.

[Rev Douglas Trouten]

I view it more as an advertising thing. Pretty paper on the wall to impress potential clients and make your congregation feel good. Also seems to me that somewhere I read that having a D.D. was required for ministers in some states, not sure of this.

I find this kind of difficult to enforce since:

1) certain Religious Denominations such as, I believe, the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses believe that any male member of the church (who has been baptized in the case of the Jehovah Witnesses) over a certain age can perform Ministerial duties for the church.

2) The Church/individual would have to make sure that the D.D.s and ordinations are all registered with the state. I don't see many religious organizations wanting to participate in something like this, to me requiring religious leaders to be registered is too close to the events leading up to WWII by the then German Government towards members of certain religions and ethnic backgrounds, it could allow unscrupulous individuals within the States government to go after (covertly more then likely) those religious groups they see as trouble makers.

Now if you are talking on a global scale then yes there might be some states (in this case state means Nation/Country) that require the religious Leaders to have a D.D. (or the equivalent to a D.D.) and to be registered. As we all know not every Country in the world has the Religious Freedoms that the USA has, some are controled by fascist governments that control almost all aspects of its citizens lives from where they work to what they worship.

[Steve Chatwin]

Thank you very much for sharing.  http://livecustomwriting.com/blog/main-difference-between-online-and-traditional-education You might actually like it. This is a blog written by professional writers. Just in case you were looking for some to accomplish your papers. 

[Rev Ed]

I'd make the suggestion that when used within the Church, like on the forum here, it's okay to call yourself Doctor.  Otherwise, use the initials after your name if you want to use them else where.  For example, I'll use the D.U.L. after my name if I use the title - D.U.L. stands for 'Doctor of Universal Life', one of the degrees available from the ULC.

[Manuel]

So I can present  my degrees obtained at ULC to my pastor.

[RevBogovac]

On 9/28/2019 at 1:08 AM, Manuel said:

So I can present  my degrees obtained at ULC to my pastor.

 

 

Yes, you can... but why would you do so? What is your goal/purpose...?

 

 

[Key]

On 9/27/2019 at 4:08 PM, Manuel said:

So I can present  my degrees obtained at ULC to my pastor.

Your "pastor"? As RevBogovac asked, "why"?

If you intend to share your degrees with a leader of another church, they are under no obligation to recognize them unless issued by that church. Practically the only degrees universally accepted by groups and individuals as having validity are those obtained by accredited traditional learning institutions, even though court challenges have deemed honorary degrees to be just as valid with the understanding they can not be used except as intended. Meaning a true medical degree can allow practice of medicine.

You wouldn't want an honorary doctor performing surgery on you, would you?

At the same token, churches often accept honorary degrees for duties within their ranks as they were bestowed per faith and/or accomplishments within the organization. Other churches may not know the reasons or how obtained, so question for themselves.

[RevTrucker1970]

But can a person legally put Dr. or Rev. using a Doctorate degree on government issued identification such as a drivers license or identification card without being placed in legal jeopardy?!

[Key]

5 hours ago, RevTrucker1970 said:

But can a person legally put Dr. or Rev. using a Doctorate degree on government issued identification such as a drivers license or identification card without being placed in legal jeopardy?!

I am no lawyer, but here is my opinion. (Not a lawyer.  You really should best place this question to one.)

Reverend, yes.

Doctor is another bit of a quagmire. It is generally better to not place upon driver's license or identification cards unless one is a legal licensed medical practitioner, usually accredited as such. Which excludes honorary degrees.

Upon other legal documents, it may be deemed fine, as long as the title is also followed by a couple of letters designating it as honorary. I forget how it is supposed to go as I don't use my titles at all, myself.

I think something like Dr. Soandso, PhD. a.h. (I'm probably wrong on those letters. But am sure another here will correct me. 😉)

You should, however, consult with a lawyer familiar with the laws in your area to be sure.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Key

[mark 45]

to save you some time,no state allows the use of"doctorate"or "doctor"on their government issued id.some states,it is illegal to use the term doctor unless you are an md,do,dds,ect.

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by mark 45
mistake on my part

[Amalga9]

On 7/24/2014 at 12:32 AM, Realtrain said:

Are the degrees offered by ULC actually...valid? What I mean is, can I officially give myself the title of Dr. once I have it? Thanks!

 

On 7/24/2014 at 9:40 AM, Dorian Gray said:

The degrees are valid and legal and you can call yourself Dr. Your Name Here. However, you may get chuckled at by those with traditional PhD, ThD, EdD, etc since they are not from a Regionally or at least Nationally (the lesser of the two) accredited school.

 

Be careful not to get confused. Taking a Doctor course at the seminary does not make you a Doctor. To achieve a ULC Doctorate you must have completed and passed 15 Seminary courses (as explained by Amy Long on YouTube).

 

Bachelor-5 courses

(Chaplin- 8 specific courses)

Master-10 courses

Doctor-15 courses

[mark 45]

keep in mind that the title"doctor"is restricted in some states,to those who are md's,do's,dds,that type of thing.so be very careful what you decide to use.in writing,the term ad Honorius is used for degrees like the ulc issues.