Could you please advice what the appropriate verb to get a degree? Please see the following sentence that will be written on a certificate of doctoral conferment.
This is to certify that above named person has completed all requirements and "receive" or "earn" a degree from XXX university.
"Earn," and "receive" both sound appropriate.
"Earn" sounds more emotional and deserving. It also seems to have an intangible property, in the way that the degree is earned perpetually, regardless of the actual peice of paper.
"Receive" sounds more clinical, observational or factual. This seems to hint more at acquiring the peice of paper.
"Earn" sounds better to me as, "receive," could be that you bought your way to a degree (perhaps with your parents donating a lot of money to the school) or maybe you were given an honourary degree that you did not work for by going through university.
Good luck.
At the time of issuing the certificate, received would be inappropriate, use earn.
By completing all requirements you would have "earned" the degree.
After receiving the certificate to that effect, you would have "received" the degree.
So the degree certificate cannot say "received" but only "earned."
Makes sense I suppose.
