He doesn't even have a physics degree. His science credentials are made up.
The claim you picked He doesn't even have a physics degree. His science credentials are made up.
Penn confirms it: a B.A. in physics and a B.S. in economics, awarded in 1997. The real wrinkles are the date and Stanford, not the degree.
What is true
Musk long said he graduated in 1995. Penn's records show the degrees were awarded in May 1997, after an outstanding credit issue was settled. And the Stanford PhD he "left after two days" has no enrollment record.
In 2019 the University of Pennsylvania stated in writing that Elon Musk earned a B.A. in physics and a B.S. in economics (Wharton), both awarded on May 19, 1997. Biographer Ashlee Vance verified the same dates with Penn's registrar. Penn's physics department lists him as an alumnus.
What critics get right: the date he used for years (1995) is two years early, and his account of the gap changed over time. Stanford says he was accepted to its materials science and engineering graduate program in 1995 but has no record that he enrolled. So "PhD dropout" is a stretch. "No physics degree" is simply false.
Key figures
- Penn degrees
- B.A. physics, B.S. economics
- Awarded
- May 19, 1997 (not 1995)
- Stanford
- Admitted in 1995, no enrollment record
Sources
- Does Elon Musk Have an Undergraduate Degree in Physics? Snopes
- Email from Penn confirming Elon Musk's degrees University of Pennsylvania (statement, 2019, via PlainSite)
- Elon Musk's Stanford ties raise questions about legal status The Stanford Daily
- Elon Musk denies Washington Post report that he worked illegally in the US CNN
