What is the difference between a CBE, OBE, MBE and a knighthood?
Twice a year - at new year and on the date of the King's official birthday - British honour recipients are announced in The Gazette. Here we look at the different ranks of the Order of the British Empire, as well as some of their most famous recipients.
The British honours system rewards individuals with Honours, Decorations and Medals in public recognition of their merit, service or bravery. Honours are announced and awarded twice a year by His Majesty The King, with lists consisting of knights and dames, appointments to the Order of the British Empire, and gallantry and bravery awards. Different awards are received depending on an individual's achievements.
What is the Order of the British Empire?
Perhaps the most well-known awards are classes of appointment to the Order of the British Empire . Instituted in 1917 by George V, the awards were created during World War I to reward services to the war effort by people not on the front line. However, they are now appointed to civilians as well as members of the armed forces.
They include (in order of precedence):
- GBE (Knight or Dame) - Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- KBE or DBE (Knight or Dame) - Knight Commander or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- CBE - Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- OBE - Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- MBE - Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
What is a Knight or Dame?
The two senior ranks of the Order of the British Empire are Knight or Dame Grand Cross , and Knight or Dame Commander . Both of these ranks entitle their members to use the title of Sir for men and Dame for women before their forename.
The honour is appointed to members who have made major contributions to any activity, usually at national level. Per tradition, knighthoods are often presented with a touch of a sword by the King or Queen.
There are other orders of chivalry in the British honours system which also have either or both Knight and Dame ranks, such as the Royal Victorian Order and the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. The title of Knight Bachelor can also be awarded to a male, but he will not be a member of one of the orders of chivalry (unless previously appointed to one).
Famous people who are Knights and Dames
Here are some notable people to receive a knighthood or damehood:
- Dame Julie Andrews ( Gazette issue 55710 )
- Sir David Attenborough ( Gazette issue 50154 )
- Sir Winston Churchill ( Gazette issue 39732 )
- Dame Judi Dench ( Gazette issue 51171 )
- Sir Paul McCartney ( Gazette issue 54625 )
- Dame Maggie Smith ( Gazette issue 51981 )
- Sir Alex Ferguson ( Gazette issue 55513 )
- Sir Ian McKellen ( Gazette issue 52382 )
What is a CBE?
Standing for Commander of the Order of the British Empire , CBE is the highest ranking Order of the British Empire level (excluding a knighthood/damehood), followed by OBE and then MBE.
An individual may be appointed a CBE for having a prominent role at national level, or a leading role at regional level. The honour may also be conferred for a distinguished and innovative contribution to any area.
Famous people who are CBEs
Here are some notable people to be appointed a CBE:
- Stephen Hawking CBE ( Gazette issue 48837 )
- Harold Pinter CBE ( Gazette issue 44004 )
- Hugh Laurie CBE ( Gazette issue 58196 )
- Jonny Wilkinson CBE ( Gazette issue 61256 )
- Helena Bonham Carter CBE ( Gazette issue 60009 )
What is an OBE?
Standing for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire , OBE is the second highest ranking Order of the British Empire level (excluding a knighthood/damehood), behind CBE but ahead of MBE.
An individual may be appointed an OBE for having made a major contribution at a local level, or having gained a national profile.
Famous people who are OBEs
Here are some notable people to be appointed an OBE:
- JK Rowling OBE ( Gazette issue 55879 )
- David Beckham OBE ( Gazette issue 56963 )
- Frank Lampard OBE ( Gazette issue 61256 )
- Keira Knightley OBE ( Gazette issue 62310 )
- Damon Albarn OBE ( Gazette issue 61450 )
What is an MBE?
Standing for Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire , MBE is the third highest ranking Order of the British Empire level (excluding a knighthood/damehood), behind CBE and then OBE.
An individual may be appointed an MBE for an outstanding achievement, or service to the community that has had a long-term, significant impact.
Famous people who are MBEs
Here are some notable people to be appointed an MBE:
- Adele MBE ( Gazette issue 60534 )
- Steven Gerrard MBE ( Gazette issue 58196 )
- Ed Sheeran MBE ( Gazette issue 61962 )
- Harry Kane MBE ( Gazette issue 62507 )
- Rob Brydon MBE ( Gazette issue 60534 )
Celebrate your honour with a commemorative edition
If you or a loved one have been honoured by the King or mentioned in despatches , The Gazette is available to buy as a personalised commemorative edition. Each pack contains a complete edition of The Gazette from the day the honour was published.
Birthday and New Year honours lists (1940 to 2024)
Footballers who have received UK honours
Find out more
Nominate someone for an honour or award (Gov)
Types of honours and awards (Gov)
The Queen and Honours (Royal)
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Publication updated
4 January 2024
What Is a Doctorate Degree?
A doctorate is usually the most advanced degree someone can get in an academic discipline, higher education experts say.
What Is a Doctorate?
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It's unwise to apply to a doctoral program if you don't have a clear idea of how you might use a doctorate in your career.
In many academic disciplines, the most advanced degree one can earn is a doctorate. Doctorate degree-holders are typically regarded as authorities in their fields, and many note that a major reason for pursuing a doctorate is to increase professional credibility.
"If someone wants to be respected as an expert in their chosen field, and also wants to have a wider array of options in research, writing, publishing, teaching, administration, management, and/or private practice, a doctorate is most definitely worth considering," Don Martin, who has a Ph.D. in higher education administration , wrote in an email.
A doctoral degree is a graduate-level credential typically granted after multiple years of graduate school, with the time-to-degree varying depending on the type of doctoral program, experts say.
Earning a doctorate usually requires at least four years of effort and may entail eight years, depending on the complexity of a program's graduation requirements. It also typically requires a dissertation, a lengthy academic paper based on original research that must be vetted and approved by a panel of professors and later successfully defended before them for the doctorate to be granted.
Some jobs require a doctorate, such as certain college professor positions, says Eric Endlich, founder of Top College Consultants, an admissions consulting firm that helps neurodivergent students navigate undergraduate and graduate school admissions.
Endlich earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree, commonly known as a Ph.D., from Boston University in Massachusetts. He focused on psychology and notes that a doctoral degree is generally required to be a licensed psychologist.
"Since a Ph.D. is a research-focused degree, it can be advantageous to those seeking high-level research positions in scientific fields such as astrophysics or biotechnology," he says.
How Long it Takes to Get a Doctorate Degree
Martin, founder and CEO of Grad School Road Map, an organization that helps grad school applicants navigate the admissions process, says obtaining a doctorate is often a lengthy endeavor.
"Typically it can take between four and six years to complete any doctoral program," he says. "If comprehensive examinations and a dissertation are part of the graduation requirements, it may take a year or two longer. There is no standard amount of time – some students take seven to 10 years to finish."
Endlich says doctoral degree hopefuls should be aware that completing a dissertation may take a long time, especially if unexpected hurdles arise.
"My dissertation, for example, involved recruiting college students to complete questionnaires, and it took much longer than I anticipated to recruit enough subjects for my study," he says.
The standards for a dissertation, which include the proposal and research, are rigorous and usually involve a review and approval by a faculty committee, says Hala Madanat, vice president for research and innovation at San Diego State University in California.
"As part of dissertation requirements, some programs will require publication of the research in high-impact peer-reviewed journals," Madanat wrote in an email.
Types of Doctoral Degree Programs
According to professors and administrators of doctoral programs, there are two types of doctorates.
Doctor of Philosophy
A doctor of philosophy degree is designed to prepare people for research careers at a university or in industry, and teach students how to discover new knowledge within their academic discipline. Ph.D. degrees are offered in a wide range of academic subjects, including highly technical fields like biology , physics, math and engineering; social sciences like sociology and economics; and humanities disciplines like philosophy.
A Ph.D. is the most common degree type among tenure-track college and university faculty, who are typically expected to have a doctorate. But academia is not the only path for someone who pursues a Ph.D. It's common for individuals with biology doctorates to work as researchers in the pharmaceutical industry, and many government expert positions also require a Ph.D.
Professional or clinical doctorates
These are designed to give people the practical skills necessary to be influential leaders within a specific industry or employment setting, such as business, psychology , education or nursing . Examples of professional doctoral degrees include a Doctor of Business Administration degree, typically known as a DBA; a Doctor of Education degree, or Ed.D.; and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, or DNP.
A law degree, known as a juris doctor or J.D., as well as a Doctor of Medicine degree, or M.D., are also considered professional doctorates.
How to Get a Doctorate
Getting a doctorate is challenging. It ordinarily requires a series of rigorous classes in a field of study and then passage of a qualification exam in order to begin work on a dissertation, which is the final project.
Dissertations are difficult to write, says David Harpool, vice president of graduate and online programs at Newberry College in South Carolina. Some research indicates that only about half of doctoral students go on to finish their degree, and a main reason is that many never finish and successfully defend their dissertation
"Many of them are in programs that permit them to earn a master’s on the way to a doctorate," Harpool, who earned a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University in Missouri and a J.D. from the University of Missouri , wrote in an email. "The transition from mastering a discipline to creating new knowledge (or at least applying new knowledge in a different way), is difficult, even for outstanding students."
Learn about how M.D.-Ph.D. programs
There is a often a "huge shift in culture" at doctoral programs compared to undergraduate or master's level programs, says Angela Warfield, who earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa.
Doctoral professors and students have more of a collaborative relationship where they function as colleagues, she says. And there's pressure on each student to produce "significant and original research."
Many full-time doctoral students work for the school as researchers or teaching assistants throughout their program, so time management is crucial to avoid burnout. However, the dissertation "is by far the biggest battle," she says. The goal is to avoid an "ABD," she says, meaning "all but dissertation."
"In my writing group, we had two motivational slogans: 'ABD is not a degree,' and 'a good dissertation is a done dissertation,'" Warfield, now the principal consultant and founder of admissions consulting firm Compass Academics, wrote in an email.
How Are Doctorate Admissions Decisions Made?
Admissions standards for doctoral programs vary depending on the type of doctorate, experts say.
The quality of a candidate's research is a distinguishing factor in admissions decisions, Madanat says. Meanwhile, leaders of clinical and professional doctorate programs say that the quality of a prospective student's work experience matters most.
Doctoral programs typically expect students to have a strong undergraduate transcript , excellent letters of recommendation and, in some cases, high scores on the Graduate Record Examination , or GRE, Endlich says.
"The size of the programs may be relatively small, and universities need to be sure that applicants will be able to handle the demands of their programs," he says.
Because professional doctorates often require students to come up with effective solutions to systemic problems, eligibility for these doctorates is often restricted to applicants with extensive first-hand work experience with these problems, according to recipients of professional doctorates.
In contrast, it's common for Ph.D. students to begin their programs immediately after receiving an undergraduate degree. The admissions criteria at Ph.D. programs emphasize undergraduate grades, standardized test scores and research projects , and these programs don't necessarily require work experience.
Admissions decisions may also depend on available funding, says Madanat, who works with doctoral students to provide funding, workshops and faculty support to help their research.
Who Is a Good Fit for a Doctoral Program?
Doctoral degree hopefuls "should be interested in making a deep impact on their field, open-minded, eager to learn, curious, adaptable and self-motivated," Madanat says. "Doctoral programs are best suited for those whose goals are to transform and change the fields they are studying and want to make a difference in the way the world is."
Someone who loves to study a subject in great depth, can work alone or in teams, is highly motivated and wants to develop research skills may be a good candidate for a doctoral program, Endlich says.
Because of the tremendous effort and time investment involved in earning a doctorate, experts say it's foolish to apply to a doctoral program if it's unclear how you might use a doctorate in your career.
"The students are being trained with depth of knowledge in the discipline to prepare them for critical thinking beyond the current state of the field," Madanat says. "Students should consider the reasons that they are pursuing a doctoral degree and whether or not it aligns with their future professional goals, their family circumstances and finances."
Rachel D. Miller, a licensed marriage and family therapist who completed a Ph.D. degree in couples and family therapy at Adler University in Illinois in 2023, says pursuing a doctorate required her to make significant personal sacrifices because she had to take on large student loans and she needed to devote a lot of time and energy to her program. Miller says balancing work, home life and health issues with the demands of a Ph.D. program was difficult.
For some students, the financial component may be hard to overlook, Warfield notes.
"Student debt is no joke, and students pursuing graduate work are likely only compounding undergraduate debt," she says. "They need to really consider the payoff potential of the time and money sacrifice."
To offset costs, some programs are fully funded, waiving tuition and fees and providing an annual stipend. Some offer health insurance and other benefits. Students can also earn money by teaching at the university or through fellowships, but those adding more to their plate should possess strong time management skills, experts say.
"Graduate school, and higher education in general, can be brutal on your physical and mental health," Miller wrote in an email.
But Miller says the time and effort invested in her doctoral program paid off by allowing her to conduct meaningful research into the best way to provide therapy to children affected by high-conflict divorce and domestic violence. She now owns a therapy practice in Chicago.
Miller urges prospective doctoral students to reflect on whether getting a doctorate is necessary for them to achieve their dream job. "Really know yourself. Know your purpose for pursuing it, because that's what's going to help carry you through."
Searching for a grad school? Access our complete rankings of Best Graduate Schools.
30 Fully Funded Ph.D. Programs
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