Many rock stars have honorary college degrees from prestigious universities. But how many musicians actually earned their degrees? Surprisingly, quite a few, and in some unexpected fields!
One notable rock star is Brian May, the guitarist of Queen, who celebrates his birthday today (July 19). He holds a PhD in astrophysics, earned in 2007. Each member of Queen has a college degree: Freddie Mercury studied graphic art and design, John Deacon has a degree in electronics, and Roger Taylor earned a bachelor’s in biology.
Dexter Holland, the frontman of The Offspring, earned a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Southern California in 2017. His thesis focused on HIV-1 genomes and their impact on viral infection.
Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of Weezer, took over 20 years to complete his English degree at Harvard, finally graduating in 2006. Tom Morello graduated from Harvard in 1986 with a Bachelor’s in social studies.
Greg Graffin, the frontman of Bad Religion, has an impressive academic background. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCLA and later received a PhD in science from Cornell University. He even teaches science courses at both schools.
James Williamson, known for his work with The Stooges, earned a degree in electrical engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in 1982. He later became a VP at Sony and helped develop Blu-ray technology.
Jim Morrison graduated from UCLA in 1965 with a Bachelor’s degree in film before forming The Doors. Jeff Schroeder, the former guitarist for Smashing Pumpkins, holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD in Comparative Literature at UCLA.
Lou Reed earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Syracuse University in 1964, while Sterling Morrison received a PhD in medieval literature from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986.
