Celebrities with Advanced Degrees Quiz

Answer: Brian May

May co-founded Queen in 1971, and the band has gone on to become one of the highest-selling rock groups of all time. He is also a physicist with a PhD from Imperial College London. After Queen became successful, he didn't focus so much on physics for the next 30 years, but he started focusing on it in the 2000s.

After he got his PhD, he was appointed Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University. He has an asteroid named after him, and, in 2014 he co-founded Asteroid Day so people could learn more about them.

Answer: Dexter Holland

Dexter Holland co-founded the Offspring in 1984, and the band achieved worldwide fame with their 1994 album "Smash," which at the time was the highest-selling album ever released on an independent label. After that, they started releasing albums on major labels. They spent the next few decades headlining shows in venues that seat over 10,000 people.

Holland also wrote a paper about HIV which was published in 2013. He earned his PhD from USC in 2017, which he has used to further his research on HIV.

Answer: Greg Graffin

Greg Graffin co-founded Bad Religion in 1980. They became one of the most influential punk rock bands of all time, influencing bands like the Offspring and Rise Against, as well as influencing individual musicians like Eddie Vedder and Bradley Nowell.

In 2003, Graffin earned a PhD in zoology from Cornell University. He later taught biology at UCLA.

Answer: James Lilja

Lilja co-founded the Offspring in 1984. He co-wrote a fan favorite called "Beheaded," which appeared on the Offspring's first album. He left the Offspring in 1987 to pursue his medical career. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1993.

He then became a gynecologist. In 2018, when he was sued for medical malpractice, he saved the life of one of the jurors. This led to his acquittal.

Answer: Bill Bruford

Bruford co-founded one of the first progressive rock bands, Yes. He played on Yes's first three albums, which are all certified platinum or better in the United States. He left Yes in 1973 to join King Crimson. He later left them to join Genesis. He left them to form his own band with bears his last name. That band broke up in 1980. He re-joined Yes in 1991, but left again in 1992.

He got his PhD in music in 2016. His turned his PhD dissertation into a book called "Uncharted: Creativity and the Expert Drummer" (2018).

Answer: Jackie Fuchs

The Runaways were a rock band comprised entirely of teenage girls in the 1970s. They weren't very successful. However, some of them found success after the Runaways disbanded. Joan Jett and Lita Ford had successful solo careers. Jackie Fuchs went to Harvard and got a law degree.

She became a lawyer for entertainers (actors, writers, musicians, etc.). She also appeared on "Jeopardy!" and won over $87,000.

Answer: Alexander Borodin

Borodin was a musical composer in the 19th century. He was famous for works like "In The Steppes of Central Asia" and "Prince Igor." He got a medical degree at Medical-Surgical Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, and founded The School of Medicine for Women in St. Petersburg.

Answer: Wagner Lamounier

Lamounier co-founded Sepultura, who have sold over 20 million albums worldwide. He played with them for 15 years. In 1999, he left the band to pursue his academic career. He then earned a PhD in economics at the Federal University of Vicosa in Brazil.

Answer: Milo Aukerman

Aukerman became the lead singer of the Descendants in 1980. They have gone on to influence bands like the Offspring, Green Day, and Blink 182. He earned a PhD in biology from UCSD, and has been involved in research projects and teaching.

Answer: Michael Bishop

Bishop plays the bass guitar. He co-founded GWAR in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, and played with them for over 40 years. He got his PhD from the University of Virginia in 2012 and then he became a professor there, where he teaches undergraduate courses in American music history. Other bands that he has played with include The Guilty, Kepone, and American Grizzly.