Where did Huston Smith go to school?  I am interested in undergraduate
and graduate education and dates of degrees.  Honorary degrees are of
mild additional interest, but what I mostly want to know is what he
studied, where, and when.

Thank you,
Apteryx

apteryx --

Let me admit up front that I had never heard of Huston Smith until I
began looking into your question.   While researching the question, I
discovered that there is a great deal of fascinating material about
Dr. Smith online, and I intend to continue browsing leisurely in it
"on my own time."

However, let me first give you a prompt answer to your specific
question.  Dr. Smith graduated from Central Methodist College in
Fayette, Missouri with an A.B. degree in 1940.   He then received a
Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1945.  I have found several
sources for that information.  Here are a couple of them:

Hamline University: Philosophy Department: Faculty
http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/philosophy/Faculty.html#Huston

Central Methodist College: Press Release: Huston Smith Visit
http://www.cmc.edu/press/March%202003/Huston%20Smith%20Visit-Mar-03.htm

The total number of honorary doctorates received by Dr. Smith is
currently 12, most of them apparently received recently (he has gone
from seven to 12 in just a few years years):
Oregon State University: Huston Smith (noting seven degrees by 1997)
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/1997/February97/huston.htm

Sentient Publications: Authors: Huston Smith (noting 12 degrees by 2002-2003)
http://www.sentientpublications.com/authors/h_smith.htm


After employing several specially designed Google searches, I have not
been able to determine from what institutions these degrees were
granted (except to find that one was, not surprisingly, bestowed by
Central Methodist College).

You have also asked "what" Dr. Smith studied.  Available
autobiographical and biographical information about his youthful
interests is sparse, even as to the specifics of his graduate study
(thesis, professors, etc.), but let me offer the following as at least
relevant to that part of your question.

First, as to Central Methodist College, the best hint about his
academic, social and religious life there might be simply the
"mission" of that College, which apparently has remained consistent
throughout its 150+ year history.  Like all "mission" statements, it
is general, but it may be of some interest to you.  Here is an
excerpt, and the link following it contains some more text:

"Central Methodist College affirms its Wesleyan heritage and its
unique place as the only United Methodist-related college in Missouri.
The location of its main campus in a small, historic, rural community
provides an opportunity for students to live and to learn in a safe
setting. The college values its strong liberal arts tradition,
providing a foundation for excellent professional programs. CMC and
its outreach activities foster an environment in which a diverse
student body can develop intellectually, socially, and spiritually.
College life emphasizes honesty, integrity, civility, and a strong
sense of personal responsibility as integral elements of character and
leadership. Central Methodist College nurtures a spirit of community
and caring among students, faculty, and staff."
Central Methodist College: About CMC
http://www.cmc.edu/aboutcmc/values.htm


As I intimated above, Dr. Smith apparently has little interest in
talking about or writing his autobiography.  In fact, he has said so
explicitly in a very interesting lecture:
"As you might imagine, publishers and agents, more and more every
year, have been leaning on me to write my autobiography, and I have
flatly refused. There is nothing that lures me in that direction
whatsoever."
Theosophical Society in America: A Life in Exploring Religious Frontiers
http://www.theosophical.org/theosophy/questmagazine/julaug02/smith/

This reluctance makes it difficult to find detailed information about
his specific youthful academic interests, up to and including graduate
school.  The best hint about his Chicago experience that I have found
is in the same lecture at the Theosophical Society that I cited above.
 In that lecture, he says:

"The next frontier was science, and it led me to the University of
Chicago, where science was very prominent in the curriculum. What
impressed me was the power of science?it has changed our world beyond
all recognition. My friends and our servants in the Chinese town could
never have imagined the world we inhabit in the technological West.
Along with its technological innovations, science has also changed our
worldview. I was young, impressionable, fresh to the confusions of the
world, and I became converted to what I now call scientism, the belief
that science gives us the biggest picture?not the Bible, as I thought
in my youth?not even religion?but science. And I answered that call
with every cell of my being. That frontier stayed in place until I was
within a couple of months of completing my doctoral dissertation, when
all of a sudden, another frontier?a very different one?appeared on a
second unforgettable night."
Theosophical Society in America: A Life in Exploring Religious
Frontiers (1/3 down the page)
http://www.theosophical.org/theosophy/questmagazine/julaug02/smith/


I think that the above-linked lecture should provide you with the best
insight (that I have yet found) into Dr. Smith's philosophical
development.


Additional Information:

As you may already know, Dr. Smith was the subject of a five-part PBS
series hosted by Bill Moyers in 1996, called "The Wisdom of Faith." 
That series is available for purchase on DVD or VHS from PBS.  Here is
a link to the ordering page for the DVD version:

http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=1402988&cp&searchId=10339210632&keywords=%22Huston+smith%22+%22the+wisdom+of+faith%22&parentPage=search

It is not clear from my online research whether these lengthy
interviews of Smith by Moyers would provide you with richer detail
about his educational history.



Search Strategy:

I got the information on his undergraduate education (which is often
left out of his brief bios) with the following Google search:
"huston smith" "educated at"
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22huston+smith%22+%22educated+at%22

The following Google searches (among many that I used) were the most
useful in sifting and winnowing other information that is most
relevant to your question:

"huston smith"  central college
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22huston+smith%22+%22central+college%22

"huston smith" "university of chicago" - press [the last term to
eliminate reference to the academic publishing house]
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22huston+smith%22+%22university+of+chicago%22+-press+

"huston smith" "honorary degrees"
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22huston+smith%22+%22honorary+degrees%22


I hope that the above information is a completely satisfactory answer
to your specific question.  As I said, I am going to seek out more
information on Dr. Smith on my own, so if you think something is
lacking with regard to your specific question, please ask for
clarification before rating this answer, and I would be happy to try
to assist you further.


markj-ga

Excellent work, markj--all the more so because I fully expected this
question to be answered by someone who knew exactly who he was and
probably had several of his books on the shelf.  That's why I didn't
even bother with an identifying tag.  I've known about Huston Smith
for a good 40 years, have heard him lecture a number of times (and
have tickets to hear him again in February), and have several of his
books that he autographed in my presence.  My companion for the
upcoming lecture asked me the question about his education, and I
found that despite the quantity of information available online, I
couldn't locate anything about his own studies.  That he won't write
an autobiography is remarkable, especially since my personal
impression has always been that he enjoyed receiving a lot of
attention.  That makes me think again.  Your finds are illuminating,
and I thank you.

Oh, one more thing.  Having been very close to a college a lot like
CMC, I wouldn't draw any conclusion about the substance of his
education from CMC's mission.  Choice of institution probably had more
to do with his upbringing as the son of missionaries than with his
areas of academic interest.  As a liberal arts college it would have
course offerings in all academic fields, and they would not
necessarily come with a religious slant.  I was hoping to find out
what he majored in, but I'll settle for what you've found.

Thank you,
Apteryx