Dougherty has received recognitions and awards from BMI, PARMA Recordings, the PRS for Music Society, the American Composers Forum, the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the Institute for European Studies. William graduated with a Bachelor’s in Music Composition from Temple University in Philadelphia. As a Marshall Scholar, William earned his Master’s from the Royal College of Music in London after which he completed supplementary studies under the guidance of Georg Friedrich Haas at the Musik Akademie der Stadt Basel. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of the Musical Arts at Columbia University in New York City.