How odd. Is the inclusion something individuals request, or is the distinction thrust upon them?

UK passports may include titles of nobility as these are considered part of the individual's identity.

Professional titles are among those recorded (only on request) as observations within the document, not in the personal information section. The observation will be something on the lines of the holder of this passport is Professor Oliver2002 etc.

Whether the UK Passport Office accept lower academic titles as professional ones I don't know.