Here we are going to talk about a selection of celebrities with PhDs, in addition to an image gallery of some blessed celebrities awarded degrees, from the heavyweight boxers to famous frogs!

Angela Merkel

The current head of government in Germany is Angela Merkel, and she is recognized within her nation. Merkel was born in East Germany; she is the first women in history to get the chancellor position and first citizen of the German Democratic Republic. Also, she is the first female leader of the largest political German party (Christian Democratic Union).

Merkel speaks Russian smoothly; she is also an expert in Physics and Mathematics. She earned her first degree from the University of Leipzig in Physics before she went to work within Central Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Science in Berlin. Here she got a doctorate degree for her research on quantum chemistry.

Brian May

Brian May is the lead guitarist for the renowned rock band Queen, is a smart guy. He was born in the UK, took his first degree in Physics and Mathematics at the Imperial College of London before pursuing a doctorate degree in astrophysics. Before May can complete the PhD, but Queen shot to renown, and he unwillingly abandoned the academic research – not before co-authoring some research papers.

It was not till 2006 that May went back to complete his PhD at Imperial College; he is now among the highly qualified celebrities’ members with PhD club, keeping to fulfil his interests in the study with Imperial Astrophysics Group.

Martin Luther King Junior

Martin Luther King Jr. was a theologian, humanitarian, a Baptist minister as well as notable civil rights activist of the 20^th century.

In 1964, King won Noble Peace Prize; he led numerous non-violent boycotts and protests to further the reason for racial equality before being slain in 1968. His death led to multiple protests and riots in the United States, along with global outrage.

Before King became a renowned activist, he studied a great deal, getting a Bachelor of Divinity and BA in sociology in Pennsylvania and Georgia before pursuing his PhD studies in the systematic theology in Massachusetts at Boston University in 1955.

Condoleezza Rice

Rice was the second African-American to be the state secretary, and also the second female to do this task. Doing her job under the Bush administration (2005 – 2009), Rice was the first female in history to be the National Security Advisor of the president.

She got a BA in politics (political science) from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in the same topic from the University of Notre Dame. After six years, doing an internship in the state department and studies in Russia, she returned to her academic research at Denver University to earn her PhD in politics.

After finishing her time in the office, Rice played her role as a professor and as a provost in California at Stanford University.

Shaquille O’Neal

Possibly an improbable addition to the celebrities list with the PhDs in Shaquille O’Neal, NBA basketball champion as well as a significant player on the pitch, O’Neal is an advanced academic. After completing his career in basketball, O’Neal returned to school in Florida to get his doctorate degree in education and leadership. While playing for the NBA, his former degrees were gained.

O’Neal states the primary motivation behind his PhD was to accomplish a goal to his mom and to make sure he could hold his own in taking with the business executives.

Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Prada is the owner of universal luxury fashion brands Miu Miu and Prada, achieving in the academic arena, getting a PhD in politics in Italy from the University of Milan. Her grandfather Mario Prada founded the company in 1913, Miuccia Prada took over the family business and made the brand what it is today through the passion and hard work for the industry. A proud feminist and revolutionist as well as a participant of the Communist Party, she had uncertainties about following the fashion industry before showing her talent as a professional designer.

In 2014, Miuccia Prada was announced as 75^th powerful female in the world by Forbes, with a net worth of 11.1 billion US dollars.

Brian Cox

The science fans may not be surprised to see this name on the celebrities list with PhDs. However, did you know the renowned English television presenter and physicist got his DPhil degree in physics at Manchester University?

Today, in filming famous BBC documentaries like Human Universe and Wonders of the Universe, Cox worked as a professor of particle physics at the Manchester University.

The other accomplishments include being named one of the Sexiest Men Alive in the People Magazine, an Irish pop-rock band from the 1990s, and becoming keyboardist for D: Ream.

James Franco

One of the numerous celebrities with degrees from different universities, Franco is well on his way to add his name to the short celebrities list with PhDs. Currently, he is studying PhD in English at Yale University, in between different film projects.

Probably renowned for his acting roles in different films like ‘This is the End’ and ‘Risk of the Planet of the Apes,’ Franco has a history of directing and writing TV shows and short films.

However, the Hollywood success of Franco has not resisted him from completing his education. In 2006, he got his undergraduate degree at UCLA in creative writing, before moving on to earn Master of Fine Arts at Columbia University, a program of filmmaking at New York University and a program of fiction-writing at CUNY (Brooklyn College).

These are the top celebrities with PhDs, I hope you may not have an idea of some of these. For more content related to PhD, visit our website.