Does Shaquille O’Neal Have A PhD? What Field Did The Lakers Legend Earn His Doctorate In?

Does Shaquille O’Neal have a PhD and what did he study to receive his doctorate after completing 19 years in the NBA. 

Shaquille O’Neal is a man of all trades. Everything from endorsing packets of potato chips to investing in 24-Hour Fitness centers across the United States, the Los Angeles Lakers has his feet firmly dipped in all facets of life. Not to mention all the ‘side missions’ he’s been on such as appearances on WWE and being a part-time DJ. 

Along the way, ‘The Big Aristotle’ decided that he wasn’t content with being ‘just’ a 4x NBA champion, 3 Finals MVP, and 2000 regular season MVP. Towards the tail end of his career in the league, around the time he was with the Phoenix Suns, Shaq would go on to try and get a degree. 

In May of 2012, his dream of getting a degree came to fruition as he graduated from Barry University. Many people however, confuse his time at Barry with time spent in trying to get his PhD.

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Does Shaquille O’Neal have a PhD or an ED.d 

Shaquille O’Neal does not have a Phd. He did receive his Ed.d in education in 2012 from Barry University. 1,100 students were present during the ceremony to receive their degrees along with O’Neal. Shaq nearly had a 4.0 CGPA as well, putting up 3.813 over the course of 4 years. 

He received his Doctorate in Education, technically making him a doctor. His final project delved into the nuances of how business leaders used humor in a work environment. This is actually something very fitting for the jolly giant considering just how much he jokes around all of the time. 

This doctorate of his came through several online courses as due to his NBA career, he couldn’t attend classes physically.

This isn’t the first time Shaquille O’Neal has received a degree. 

Just as he received his doctorate in education through the use of online courses, he once got himself a Master’s in Business through the same medium. This however, was from the University of Phoenix. There was discourse online about the quality of a Master’s from UoP but a degree is a degree at the end of the day. 

Shaq should be commended for staying the course when it came to his education despite earning hundreds of millions from playing basketball.

He would also graduate from LSU, his alma mater, in 2000, eight years after he had been drafted by the Orlando Magic and left LSU following a 3-year stint with their collegiate program. He would miss a game between the Lakers and Grizzlies to attend his graduation ceremony.

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