Woodrow Wilson was the only president with a Ph.D.
Most U.S. presidents have attained some form of higher education, and there are a number of commanders in chief with law degrees, but only one received a Ph.D.: Woodrow Wilson. After beginning his undergraduate career at Davidson College in 1873, Wilson transferred to the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and studied political philosophy and history. He next attended the University of Virginia School of Law, though he withdrew during his second year. He managed to become a lawyer anyway, but quickly grew bored and chose to pursue a Ph.D. in history and political science instead. He did so at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, completing his doctorate in 1886.
While there, he wrote a book called Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics that was published before he graduated. Wilson’s time in academia didn’t end there, however. After teaching at Bryn Mawr College and Wesleyan University, he returned to his alma mater — first as a professor, and then as the 13th president of Princeton. He served in that role from 1902 to 1910, when he launched his successful bid for governor of New Jersey, and later won the 1912 presidential election with 435 electoral votes.
