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academic degrees

Academic degrees are abbreviated according to established conventions for each degree. Degrees that are abbreviated with two letters take a period after each letter, and both letters are capitalized. Some degrees are abbreviated with three or more letters. When a degree is abbreviated with three capital letters, periods are never used; when some of the letters are lowercased, periods are used according to the convention for that degree. Following are some examples of academic degrees and their abbreviations:

  • B.A. Bachelor of Arts
  • B.S. Bachelor of Science
  • BSW Bachelor of Social Work
  • DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
  • Ed.D. Doctor of Education
  • M.A. Master of Arts
  • M.Arch. Master of Architecture
  • MBA Master of Business Administration
  • MFA Master of Fine Arts
  • M.S. Master of Science
  • Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy

Set these abbreviations off with commas when they follow a person’s name:

  • Correct: Ben Chapman, Ph.D., is the director of the Safe Plates food safety extension and research program.
  • Incorrect: Ben Chapman, Ph.D. is the director of the Safe Plates food safety extension and research program.
  • Incorrect: Ben Chapman Ph.D., is the director of the Safe Plates food safety extension and research program.
  • Incorrect: Ben Chapman Ph.D. is the director of the Safe Plates food safety extension and research program.

The plural forms of the abbreviations do not use apostrophes:

  • Correct: Business students who get MBAs face better job prospects than those who don’t.
  • Incorrect: Business students who get MBA’s face better job prospects than those who don’t.

The general terms for academic degrees are as follows:

  • associate degree
  • bachelor’s degree
  • baccalaureate
  • master’s degree
  • doctoral degree
  • doctorate
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