Celebrities with PhDs

Condoleezza Rice was the second African-American to become secretary of state, and also the second female to do this job. Serving under the Bush administration (2005-2009), Rice was also the first woman in history to become the president’s National Security Advisor.

Rice has a BA in political science (politics) from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in the same subject from the University of Notre Dame. Six years later, following an internship in the state department and studies in Russia, she went back to study at the University of Denver to gain her PhD in political science.

Since finishing her time in office, Rice has served as provost and as a professor at Stanford University in California.

Perhaps an unlikely addition to the list of celebrities with PhDs is NBA basketball champion Shaquille O’Neal; well known as a big player on the pitch, O’Neal is also an advanced academic. After finishing his professional basketball career, O’Neal went back to school in Florida to earn his doctorate degree in leadership and education. His prior degrees were gained while playing for the NBA.

O’Neal says the main motivation behind his PhD studies was to fulfill a promise to his mother and to ensure he could hold his own in conversation with business executives.

The owner of global luxury fashion brands Prada and Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada is also high-achieving in the academic arena, holding a PhD in political science from the University of Milan in Italy.

Having taken over the family business from grandfather Mario Prada, who founded the company in 1913, Miuccia Prada made the brand what it is today through hard work and passion for the industry. A member of the Communist Party during her youth and a proud revolutionist and feminist, she initially had doubts about entering the fashion industry, before realizing her talent as a designer.

In 2014, Miuccia Prada was listed as the 75^th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of US$11.1 billion.

Image source: Vogue

Ok, so science fans are unlikely to be surprised to see Brian Cox on a list of celebrities with PhDs. But did you know the famous English physicist and television presenter gained his DPhil (Doctor of Philosophy) in high-energy particle physics at the University of Manchester?

Nowadays, in between filming popular BBC documentaries such as Wonders of the Universe and Human Universe, Cox is employed as a professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester.

Other interesting achievements include becoming keyboardist for D:Ream, an Irish pop-rock band from the 1990s, and being named one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive (see, science is sexy!) in 2009.

One of many celebrities with degrees from multiple universities, James Franco is also well on his way to adding his name to the somewhat shorter list of celebrities with PhDs. He is currently studying towards a PhD in English at Yale University, in between various film projects.

Perhaps best-known for his acting roles in films such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes and This is the End, Franco also has a history of writing and directing short films and TV shows.

Franco’s Hollywood success, however. has not stopped him from pursuing his education. In 2006 he completed his undergraduate degree in creative writing at UCLA, before moving on to undertake an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) at Columbia University, a filmmaking program at New York University and a fiction-writing program at Brooklyn College (CUNY).