[attach id=437899 size="medium"]Susan Boyle receives an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow for her contribution to the music industry. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Wire [/attach]

Singer Susan Boyle has been awarded an honorary doctorate from a prestigious music and drama school.

The multi-million album selling star posed with graduating students as she picked up an award from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow.

Boyle, from Blackburn, West Lothian, has been honoured for her “distinction in the field of music” in a career that has seen her perform for the Queen and the Pope.

The 54-year-old – who found fame in 2009 on Britain’s Got Talent – said receiving the honorary doctorate was “brilliant”.

She said: “I thank the RCS for even considering me, let alone actually awarding me with this great privilege.”

RCS alumni include actors James McAvoy, David Tennant, Brian Cox and Alan Cumming.

Annie Lennox, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly and Tilda Swinton are among others previously honoured by the school.

RCS principal professor Jeffrey Sharkey said: “She was one of the fastest-selling artists to debut in the United Kingdom and the United States – that alone is a tremendous achievement.

“But she did so with a number of disadvantages – she has some learning difficulties, she comes from a challenged background – and she still managed to come through that.

“What I have been able to see first-hand, when she interacts with people, when she sings for them, is this depth of communication.

“She speaks to people and hits them in their heart, and that’s something I want every one of our graduates to be able to do.”