See also: List of artists and entertainers with advanced degrees.
This is a list of athletes with advanced degrees (PhDs and other degrees at that academic level). Honorary degrees are excluded.
Athlete | Degree | Field | Institution | Known for |
---|---|---|---|---|
PhD | MIAT College of Technology[1] | Racecar driver and champion of the 1930 Indianapolis 500 | ||
Genetics | University of Arizona[2] | Major League Baseball pitcher | ||
Sports and Exercise Psychology | Purdue University | National Football League punter, triathlon professor at Utah State University | ||
Law | King's College London[3] | British former rower and current Chair of UK Sport. Summer Olympics gold and silver medallist as well World champion. | ||
Veterinary Medicine | University of Glasgow[4] | British Marathon Runner who competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games | ||
Biology | Illinois Institute of Technology | Major League Baseball player | ||
Sports psychology | United States International University[5] [6] [7] | Major League Baseball pitcher | ||
Cognitive neuroscience and Psychology | Paris Descartes University[8] | French street skateboarder competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics | ||
Chemical Engineering | Washington University in St. Louis | NFL quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals and Denver Broncos | ||
Applied mathematics[9] | Polytechnic University of Catalonia | 2020 Olympic champion in the women's individual cycling road race | ||
Sports science[10] | Kyiv University | World champion boxer and Ukrainian politician | ||
Sports science[11] | Kyiv University[12] | World champion heavyweight boxer | ||
EdD | Education | George Washington University[13] | Major League Baseball player | |
PhD | Neuroscience | University of British Columbia | French Canadian gymnast represented at the 2000 Olympic Games. | |
Chemistry | Columbia University[14] | Major League Baseball player, Dartmouth College professor, New Hampshire legislator | ||
Kinesiology or exercise physiology[15] [16] | Michigan State University | Cy Young Award-winning Major League Baseball pitcher | ||
Sports history | Queen's University at Kingston[17] | National Hockey League player | ||
EdD | Education | Barry University[18] [19] | National Basketball Association player | |
PhD | Geotechnical engineering | ETH Zurich[20] | World Champion and Olympic medal-winning cyclist and triathlete | |
Rice University[21] | National Football League quarterback | |||
Urban studies | Saint Louis University[22] | Major League Baseball player | ||
Botany | University of Wisconsin–Madison[23] | Major League Baseball catcher; Brown University professor and Athletic Director | ||
Sports science | University of Tsukuba[24] | Japanese high jumper | ||
University of Taipei | 2020 Summer Olympic medal-winning badminton player and three-time Asian badminton champion | |||
Applied mathematics | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | National Football League guard and center | ||
Land Economy | University of Cambridge[25] | Chinese table tennis player, who won eighteen world championships including four Olympic championships, and regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of this sport | ||
Moscow State University[26] | Tennis player | |||
Electrical engineering | University of Artois[27] | World champion and Olympic medalist, Burkinabé triple and long jumper | ||
Educational psychology | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | College football player, hall of fame coach, and former politician. |
In many countries, the first medical degree is the MBBS (with MD being reserved for higher doctorates), yet holders of this degree are addressed as "doctor" while practising.
Athlete | Degree | Field | Institution | Known for |
---|---|---|---|---|
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine[28] | Major League Baseball player | |
MD | Medicine | College of Philadelphia Department of Medicine[29] | Major League Baseball player, professor at Jefferson Medical College | |
DDS | Dental surgery | Ohio State University College of Dentistry[30] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |
MD | Medicine | Baltimore Medical College[31] | ||
Medicine, Neurology | Exeter College, Oxford | Olympic middle-distance runner, first person to break the 4 minute mile | ||
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine[32] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |
MD | Medicine | Tulane University School of Medicine[33] | Major League Baseball third baseman and president of the American League | |
DDS | Dental surgery | Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery[34] | Major League Baseball player, Mohawk activist | |
DPT | Physical therapy | University of Colorado School of Medicine[35] | National Football League safety | |
DDS | Dental surgery | Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery[36] | Major League Baseball catcher, possible inventor of the catcher's mitt, namesake of Bushong, Kansas[37] | |
University of Tennessee College of Dentistry[38] | National Football League player and Heisman Trophy winner | |||
DMD | Dental medicine | Tufts University School of Dental Medicine[39] | Major League Baseball catcher | |
MD | Medicine[40] | Professional racing cyclist | ||
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine | Major League Baseball player | |
University of Tennessee College of Dentistry[41] | National Basketball Association All-Star | |||
MD | Medicine | University of British Columbia [42] [43] | Canadian backstroke swimmer at the 1992 Summer Olympics | |
MDCM | McGill University Faculty of Medicine[44] | National Football League guard, Super Bowl champion | ||
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine[45] | Major League Baseball infielder | |
DO | Medicine | Ohio University Heritage School of Medicine[46] | National Football League defensive end | |
MD | Baltimore Medical College | Major League Baseball player whose life story was featured in the 1989 film Field of Dreams | ||
MD | University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry[47] | National Hockey League player | ||
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine[48] | Major League Baseball player | |||
Zucker School of Medicine[49] | ||||
Stanford University School of Medicine[50] | American long track speed skater and five-time gold medalist at the Winter Olympics. Regarded as most successful Winter Olympian and one of 50 greatest athletes of the 20th century. | |||
Rush Medical College | Major League Baseball player[51] | |||
DDS | Dental surgery | Ohio State University College of Dentistry | National Football League player and Heisman Trophy winner | |
MD | Medicine | University of Mississippi Medical Center[52] | National Football League wide receiver | |
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine | Major League Baseball pitcher | |
Harvard Dental School | Major League Baseball pitcher[53] | |||
MD | Medicine | Yale Medical School | ||
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Dentistry[54] | Major League Baseball player | |
MD | Medicine | Queen's University at Kingston[55] | French Canadian gymnast represented at the 2000 Olympic Games. | |
DMD | Dental medicine | Tufts University School of Dental Medicine[56] | Cy Young Award-winning Major League Baseball pitcher | |
DPT | Physical therapy | Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions[57] | National Football League player | |
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Maryland School of Dentistry[58] | Major League Baseball outfielder | |
DMD | Dental medicine | Tufts University School of Dental Medicine[59] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |
MD | Medicine | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine | ||
DMD | Dental medicine | Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry[60] | National Basketball Association player | |
MD | Medicine, neurosurgery | Pritzker School of Medicine[61] | National Football League player, missionary, father of Milt McColl | |
Medicine | Stanford University School of Medicine[62] [63] | National Football League player, son of Bill McColl | ||
Medicine | Aarhus University[64] | National Women's Soccer League and Denmark Women's National Football Team player | ||
DMD | Dental medicine | Tufts University School of Dental Medicine[65] | National Basketball Association player | |
DVM | Veterinary medicine | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine[66] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |
MD | Medicine | Meharry Medical College[67] [68] | Negro National League baseball player | |
Stritch School of Medicine[69] | Major League Baseball player | |||
University of Vermont College of Medicine[70] | ||||
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health[71] [72] | ||||
Florida State University College of Medicine[73] [74] | National Football League safety, Rhodes Scholar | |||
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine | Major League Baseball pitcher | |||
Tufts University School of Medicine[75] | Olympic rower | |||
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania Dental School[76] | Major League Baseball player | |
MD | Medicine | University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine[77] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine | ||
MD | Medicine | Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons | Olympic swimmer | |
DDS | Dental surgery | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine | Major League Baseball pitcher | |
Georgetown University School of Dentistry[78] | ||||
DMD | Dental medicine | Tufts University School of Dental Medicine[79] [80] | ||
MD | Medicine | University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine | Canadian Olympic ice hockey gold medal player and team captain, considered among the greatest female ice hockey players of all time, then a physician | |
In some countries, the Juris Doctor is the standard professional degree required to practice law, although the holder is usually not addressed as "doctor".
Athlete | Degree | Field | Institution | Known for |
---|---|---|---|---|
JD | Law | USC Gould School of Law[81] [82] | National Football League quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner | |
Rutgers Law School[83] [84] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |||
William & Mary Law School[85] | ||||
Suffolk University Law School[86] | National Football League linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer | |||
George Washington University Law School[87] | National Football League cornerback and kick returner | |||
Duquesne University School of Law[88] | Major League Baseball player and 1969 World Series MVP | |||
University of Cincinnati School of Law[89] | Sportscaster and former National Football League wide receiver | |||
University of Florida College of Law[90] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |||
South Texas College of Law[91] | National Football League wide receiver | |||
Harvard Law School[92] | National Basketball Association player | |||
Washington University School of Law[93] | Major League Baseball catcher | |||
UC Berkeley School of Law[94] | National Football League wide receiver, Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association | |||
Florida State University College of Law | Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame manager[95] | |||
University of Miami School of Law[96] | Major League Baseball pitcher | |||
Georgetown University Law Center[97] | National Football League player and executive | |||
University at Buffalo Law School[98] | National Hockey League player and executive | |||
University of Minnesota Law School[99] | National Football League player, member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court | |||
Yale Law School[100] | National Football League player who became a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |||
Duquesne University School of Law[101] | National Football League player, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania judge | |||
J. Reuben Clark Law School[102] | National Football League quarterback, member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame | |||
Person | Degree | Field | Institution | Known for | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nadine Apetz | PhD | Neuroscience | University Hospital Cologne | German amateur boxer | Studying as of 2016[103] | |
Pau Gasol | MD | Medicine | Professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague | Dropped out[104] | ||
Hadia Hosny | PhD | Pharmacology | Cairo University | Egyptian Olympic badminton player | Studying as of 2015[105] | |
Hui Ruoqi | PhD | Physical education | Nanjing Normal University | Chinese volleyball player | Studying as of 2017[106] | |
Pál Schmitt | PhD | Physical education | Semmelweis University | Hungarian Olympic fencer and politician | Revoked[107] | |
Louise Shanahan | PhD | Quantum physics | Cambridge University | Irish Olympic athlete | Studying as of 2019[108] | |
Chris Spence | EdD | Education | University of Toronto | Canadian Football League player | Revoked[109] [110] [111] | |
Shao Ting | PhD | Education | Beijing Normal University | Chinese basketball player for the Beijing Great Wall and the Chinese national team | Studying as of 2019[112] | |
Veronica Toro Arana | MD | Medicine | Stanford University School of Medicine | Puerto Rican Olympic rower | Studying as of 2016[113] | |
Sun Yang | PhD | Kinesiology | Shanghai University of Sport | Chinese Olympic and world-record-holding competitive swimmer. | Studying as of 2018[114] |