Sonic the Hedgehog has a history of being a tongue-in-cheek character, and now Dr. Eggman's degree has been revealed. Sanic Hegehog appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, the Twitter page posts memes about others being “too slow” and how tall Sonic is compared to toast, and overall the fanbase continually lampoons their worse games decades after release (like Sonic the Hedgehog ’06). Sonic’s reputation is in a constant state of flux, so when the Sonic Twitter page relayed some groundbreaking lore regarding the subject of Dr. Eggman via a dating profile, it was a moment that was bound to be treated with some amount of seriousness and some amount of mockery.
Fans finally know what Dr. Eggman has his doctorate in. From the title alone, people know that Eggman has gone to college, completed undergraduate studies, and pursued higher education, but he’s also completed his coursework and become a recognized professional in his field. From start to finish, this process requires a minimum of five years and is most likely filled with theses and dissertations about a chosen field of study. This information is part of Eggman’s history, his legacy, and his college years. However, Sonic fans didn’t have insight into which area he studied, until now.
Although graduate students can get a Master of Science in robotics, Dr. Eggman (or Robotnik) could still earn a Ph.D. in the field, mostly applying a high level of philosophy to the mechanics of robotics. It’s easy to think that a degree in robotics would be Eggman’s field, given his proficiency at turning woodland animals into mechs or creating final-boss level machines like the Egg Viper, Egg Golem, and Metal Sonic. However, it was revealed that Eggman’s degree is actually a Ph.D. in Evil. Thinking about the purpose a Ph.D. serves, this may make more sense than robotics or any applied science.
Sonic’s Rival Eggman’s Ph.D. is in Evil, Not Robotics
A Ph.D. is often more theoretical than a professional doctorate, meaning that Dr. Eggman’s study was more in line with the big-picture questions of what evil is rather than the nitty-gritty of mechanical engineering and robotics. This probably means that Eggman learned high-level scheming and the philosophy of evil, probably writing his thesis about deforestation or the lore of Sonic's Chaos Emeralds. Eggman’s quest for world domination is a grassroots approach, focusing on his goals and his accomplishments, so perhaps his study was about how to create an empire of pure evil without funding or outside help.
All of this was relayed with a reveal of Eggman’s profile for an in-universe dating app that also shows that deep down, Dr. Eggman wants to be loved by someone who shares his love for world domination. It may seem like a flex to mention a Ph.D. on a dating profile, but it’s actually often recommended as it adds more truth to the image people set for themselves. Even though he may be chasing the dream of running his own world of evil, Eggman may be wishing to be surrounded by people who share his passion and intelligence and create a future with like-minded individuals.
Unfortunately for fans, even though the Sonic comics are better canon than the games, they aren't considered to be official, and so Twitter posts being canon is up for debate. A Ph.D. in evil might make more sense than it looked like at first glance, however, so maybe this is a piece of trivia that should be integrated into the main storyline. As Mania, Colors, and Generations proved, a lighter take on the Sonic the Hedgehog material often works better than overcomplicated narratives, so maybe adding a bit of levity to Dr. Eggman’s persona might give him a more appealing, cartoonish, and creative backstory.