⚠️This fact has been debunked
Ray Kroc (McDonald's founder) never attended college and dropped out of high school at 15. The 'Bachelor of Hamburgerology' is a real certificate from McDonald's Hamburger University (established 1961), but it's a corporate training program, not an accredited academic degree, and Kroc himself never earned one.
McDonald's operates 'Hamburger University,' which awards graduates a certificate called a Bachelor of Hamburgerology after completing intensive restaurant management training.
Did McDonald's Founder Have a Hamburgerology Degree?
The internet loves this quirky claim: Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, had a Bachelor's degree in Hamburgerology. It sounds perfectly absurd—like something between a joke and a capitalist fever dream. But is it true?
The short answer: No. Ray Kroc never went to college. In fact, he dropped out of high school at 15 to become a Red Cross ambulance driver during World War I. His education came from the school of hard knocks, not hamburger-focused academia.
But Wait—Hamburger University Is Real
Here's where the myth gets interesting: Hamburger University actually exists, and it really does award a "Bachelor of Hamburgerology."
Founded by Kroc himself in 1961—the same year he bought out the original McDonald brothers—Hamburger University started in the basement of an Elk Grove Village, Illinois restaurant. Today, it's a sprawling corporate training facility that graduates over 5,000 students annually. More than 275,000 people have earned their hamburgerology credentials since its inception.
The program isn't about flipping burgers, though. Students spend two weeks learning leadership, operations, business growth, and customer service through simulations and management training. Some colleges even accept up to 23 transfer credits from the program.
Why the Confusion?
The myth likely stems from mixing two facts: Kroc founded McDonald's, and McDonald's created Hamburger University. But Kroc never attended his own institution. By the time it opened in 1961, he was 59 years old and busy building a fast-food empire—not attending classes in hamburger management.
The high school dropout became a milkshake mixer salesman before transforming a small burger joint into a global phenomenon. His degree was in street smarts and relentless salesmanship, not hamburgerology.
The Real Graduates
Who actually earns these degrees? McDonald's franchise owners, managers, and mid-level employees attend Hamburger University to standardize operations across thousands of locations worldwide. The campus has expanded to seven locations globally, including facilities in London, Tokyo, and Shanghai.
The diploma itself has become a cultural curiosity—part corporate credential, part conversation piece. It's technically a certificate, not an accredited bachelor's degree, but the name has staying power. In a way, it's the perfect symbol of McDonald's approach: taking something ordinary and branding it into something memorable.
So no, Ray Kroc didn't have a degree in Hamburgerology. But he did create the institution that would award them—which is arguably more impressive than earning one yourself.