What award did J.K. Rowling receive from Harvard University in 2008?

J.K. Rowling received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University in 2008.

Harvard awarded Rowling the honorary degree during its 2008 Commencement. She also delivered the commencement address, which became widely known for its discussion of failure and imagination. In the speech, she reflected on the value of setbacks and on using imagination to understand other people’s experiences.

An honorary degree is not the same as completing a university course in that subject. It recognizes a person’s achievements or contributions, and Rowling’s honor followed the worldwide cultural and literary impact of the Harry Potter series.

The award is sometimes misidentified as a doctorate in literature because Rowling is a novelist. Harvard’s formal honor was a Doctor of Laws. Rowling’s own university education was at Exeter, where she studied French and Classics; Harvard’s award was an honorary distinction, not a research doctorate earned through a dissertation.