Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott receive honorary doctorate degrees

American singers, Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliott have been honoured with doctor of music degrees by Berklee College of Music, Massachusetts.

The honours were accorded them for their achievements and influences in music. Also honoured with a doctorate was Grammy award-winning composer, Alex Lacamoire.

Excited Timberlake and Elliott took to Instagram to express their joy at becoming doctors.

“CREATE YOUR OWN LANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sincerely Dr. MISSY ELLIOTT,” Elliot captioned a dancing video.

“Thank you for this Honorary Doctorate Degree I am SO HUMBLED,” she said.

The 38-year-old songwriter, Timberlake wrote,“No Dream is too big!!! Keep chasing!!! Trust me… I’m a DOCTOR!!

“But, for real… THANK YOU to @BerkleeCollege for this incredible honor—I’m very humbled and grateful.”

In 2002, Elliott won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for “Get Ur Freak On”.

She received five Grammy nominations in 2005, which included one for Best Rap Album for The Cookbook(2005).

The 47-year-old is set to become the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June.

In 2007 and 2013, Timberlake was recognized by TIME as “one of the 100 most influential people in the world”.

The Grammy award-winning singer in his speech to the graduating class said: “You’re defined by what you define failure as. It’s not a thing if it leads you to your success. It’s all part of the journey.

“I hope that in the years to come, two things will happen: One, I will represent you in the way that you most hope for. And two, I look around and see this graduating class. Meet me at the studio. I want to see you all!”