Capitalization of Academic Degrees
Perhaps you’ve wondered if and when academic degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, etc.) should be capitalized.
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) recommends writing academic degrees in lower case, except when using the degree as a title.
Examples:
Orlando is pursuing a bachelor of science in civil engineering.
He introduced Jennifer Miller, master of fine arts.
He introduced Master of Fine Arts Jennifer Miller.
However, CMS advises that academic degrees be capitalized when used in lists.
Example:
We are proud to announce our project team:
Jennifer Miller, Master of Fine Arts
Orlando Cruz, Bachelor of Science
Pierre Bettencourt, Bachelor of Arts
The Associated Press Stylebook recommends using lower case when referring to degrees in general but capitalizing when they follow a name.
Examples:
Orlando is thinking about getting a bachelor of science degree.
He introduced Orlando Cruz, Bachelor of Science.
My recommendation is to pick your resource and then be consistent.
Where there is agreement, however, is that abbreviations of academic degrees are to be capitalized. CMS recommends omitting periods unless required for tradition or consistency.
Examples: BA, BS, MA, MS, PhD
Pop Quiz
- The keynote speaker tonight will be Juris Doctor/juris doctor Michael Abercrombie.
- The keynote speaker tonight will be Michael Abercrombie, Juris Doctor/juris doctor.
- The textbook was authored by Azizah Bakar, Master of Science/master of science.
- Eleanor is finally reaching the end of her studies for her Doctorate in History/doctorate in history.
- After studying hard for so many years, I definitely feel that I’ve earned my MS/ms.
Answers
- Juris Doctor
- Juris Doctor OR juris doctor (Either choice is correct.)
- Master of Science OR master of science
If you picked Juris Doctor in No. 2, then Master of Science is correct for No. 3.
Similarly, if you picked juris doctor in No. 2, then master of science is correct for this one. - doctorate in history
- MS
Posted on Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
44 Responses to “Capitalization of Academic Degrees”
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I’m so confused; which is correct: I received a bachelor of arts in Criminal History or I received a bachelor of arts in criminal history?
I was under the assumption that I should capitalize the course title according to “The Gregg Reference Manual”
I love getting your weekly grammar quizzes –
Thanks
I agree that course or program names should be capitalized.
Wait, so are these all correct:
1) He earned a bachelor or arts in Criminal History.
2) He earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal History.
3) He earned a BA in Criminal History.
???
Yes, those are all correct except the first one should read “bachelor of arts.”
When saying Bachelors of Art degree, is the word “degree” capitalized?
According to The Chicago Manual of Style, degrees should not be capitalized at all: “Names of degrees, fellowships, and the like are lowercased when referred to generically.” Yet this is on another page:
BA Bachelor of Arts
This is confusing, isn’t it? I recommend writing bachelor of arts degree.
“Bachelor of Arts degree” would be the correct way of writing it, right?
bachelor of arts degree, not Bachelor of Arts degree
When does one use an apostrophe in writing degree names? Do I write, “Carrie earned a master’s degree?” or “Carrie earned a masters degree?” What about, “I’m working on my masters/master’s degree?” I see it both ways. Is it plural or is the degree belonging to the master or master category.
Thank you.
I found contradictory answers on the AP Style Manual site:
A. Keep the apostrophe in the plural forms: “The university offers bachelor’s degrees in ….” 2007-02-11 (Source: Ask the Editor, Singular/plural)
A. No apostrophe for simple plurals: Ph.D.s or Ph.D. degrees. (Source: Ask the Editor, Spelling)
I cannot find anything in The Chicago Manual of Style, at least not yet. Therefore, it seems that you can either use or not use the apostrophe according to your own “taste.”
If you choose to use the comma and it is plural, then wouldn’t it be, “the university offers masters’ degrees” with the apostrophe plural possessive position after the ‘s’?
The word “master’s” is an adjective describing the degree as a “degree of a master.” It is only the word degree that is plural in your sentence, not the master, therefore, I recommend master’s degrees.
I am confused about whether to capitalize specific centuries.
Fifth Century B.C. or fifth century B.C. I see it as a common noun, such as the eleventh hour. In that case, it would be written in lower case. However, I also see that it is a specific point in time, leaving me to believe that it should be capitalized. Please help. Thank you!
The Chicago Manual of Style says this:
Particular centuries are spelled out and lowercased.
the twenty-first century
the eighth and ninth centuries
from the ninth to the eleventh century
the eighteen hundreds (the nineteenth century)
What should be capitalized?
“She received her b.a. degree in art, with a concentration in painting and special studies in old masters’ reproductions” ?
There are so many options regarding capitalization with degrees. Yours is correct; however, the most common method may be as follows:
She received her BA degree in art, with a concentration in painting and special studies in Old Masters’ Reproductions.
I capitalized the last bit because of its specificity.
do we capitalize things like academic titles …like chartered accountant?
for example ….this report was written by Nicolas Jorizzo, Chartered Real Estate Broker…do i capitalize all words in my title?
You may capitalize all words in your title since it is serving the same function as when a title precedes the name as long as “the” does not appear in front of the job title (see Rule 3 on the GrammarBook.com Web site).
Example: Nicholas Jorizzo, Chartered Real Estate Broker
Chairperson Miller
Mr. Miller, the academic advisor
I just love this stuff. My idea of pleasure reading. I’m an English teacher and always wonder about this stuff. It’s so fluid.
I am so glad you enjoy it!
Thank you so very much for providing this information on the internet.
Robin
You’re very welcome, Robin.
I just finished another program.
Am I now a “B.A., J.D., CPht, M.S.”….are the degrees by chronological order or ranked by level of study accomplished?
Grammatically speaking, there is no preferred order. In general, degrees are listed in the order in which they were earned which usually corresponds with increased academic level. In some cases it is customary to leave out earlier degrees, e.g., Marcus Welby, MD, and, in some cases people choose to omit lower level degrees, e.g., John Jones, PhD. It’s up to you.
Wondering if there is a specific rule for referring to a masters (apostrophe or no) – as in earned her masters in nursing. Thanks for your help.
According to the AP Stylebook, “Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, a master’s, etc., but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.”
What is the proper form for doctor’s degrees? Is their area of expertise capitalized? Please advise what should be caps in this paragraph: “He is board certified in Internal Medicine and board eligible in medical oncology. Dr. Doe practices general medical oncology and hematology, but has a particular clinical and research interest in lung cancer. Having helped establish and direct our multi-disiplinary lung cancer clinic.”
Is there a website or other form of reference materiall I can refer to in the future.
Thanks for your help.
Since this is such a specialized area, I will defer to The Chicago Manual of Style which recommends, “The following paragraphs offer only the most general guidelines. Medical writers or editors should consult the AMA Manual of Style or Scientific Style and Format.
Names of diseases, syndromes, diagnostic procedures, anatomical parts, and the like are lowercased, except for proper names forming part of the term. Acronyms and initialisms are capitalized.
The full names of institutions, groups, and companies and the names of their departments, and often the shortened forms of such names (e.g., the Art Institute), are capitalized.”
Regarding degrees, “Spelled-out terms, often capitalized in institutional settings (and on business cards and other promotional items), should be lowercased in normal prose.”
You do not indicate whether this paragraph is for an institutional setting or normal prose. If it is normal prose, only the doctor’s name and the names of any specific departments would be capitalized. If this is for an institutional setting, the specializations could also be capitalized, but not the diseases.
Very interesting read. I am still confused though in some areas. For sentences that I would appreciate help on are:
She has completed several programs that include computer analyst programmer and business adminstration.
She holds a computer technology certificate and a masters certificate in project management.
She is currently pursuing her master of business administration.
She holds a bachelor of science degree and has completed programs related to information technology management.
Since The Chicago Manual of Style recommends writing academic degrees in lower case, except when using the degree as a title, your sentences are correct without the capitalization. Also, master’s certificate should have an apostrophe and please note the spelling of administration.
Hi Jane,
Do I say: “I will pursue a Master of Science in International Politics” or “Master’s of Science…”
And, how about: “I will work towards a Master of Philisophy/Doctor of Philosophy in War Studies” OR a “Master’s of Philosophy/Doctorate of Philosophy…”? (in the British system an MPhil is upgraded to a PhD).
I’m writing applications and really need to make sure this is correct! Thanks!
Catharine
The Chicago Manual of Style says, “Names of degrees, fellowships, and the like are lowercased when referred to generically:
a master’s degree; a doctorate; a fellowship; master of business administration (MBA)” Therefore, “master of science” or “master’s degree in science” would be grammatically correct as well as “master of philosophy” or “masters in philosophy.”
So then when the discipline follows it, all remains lower case? As in, “he earned a master of science in biotechnology at the…”
What about if it is a program title, then I can capitalize, right? For example, “He was accepted into the Master of Science in Biotechnology Program.”
Thanks for your feedback. Great site!
Yes, you are correct. A specific program or course title can be capitalized. The word “program” would be lowercased.
He was accepted into the Master of Science in Biotechnology program.
Is the capitalization in this sentence correct? Even though I’ve read to not capitalize degree titles in AP style, it seems odd for them to be lowercase.
Katie studied journalism at the University of Memphis and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts with emphasis in public relations.
Degree titles are often capitalized in institutional settings (and on business cards and other promotional items); however, they should be in lower case in normal prose.
Actually I have a question is grammatically speaking using in a sentence : His “son” might come by tonight. vs. His “Son” might come by tonight. I know the later “Son” denotes Diety (Jesus the Son) but does “son”.
“His son might come by tonight” indicates you are speaking of normal human beings, not deities.
Isn’t it redundant to follow up many of these terms with “degree?” I would prefer to see “I earned a bachelor of science” to “I earned a bachelor of science degree,” but which is correct?
Bachelor of science is a phrasal adjective describing the word degree, so I do not consider it redundant. The use of “bachelor of science” without the word degree is just a shortened form. Either one is grammatically correct.
Are items in a series capitalized in a chart if those items are being emphasized?
If these “items in a series” are displayed like Rule 3 of Colons, they may be capitalized if desired.
For new hires–are their degrees capitalized in the body of the announcement? Or, if everything lowercase?
Thank you,
Our blog “Capitalization of Academic Degrees” addresses this by citing other authoritative references. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) recommends writing academic degrees in lower case, except when using the degree as a title. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends using lower case when referring to degrees in general but capitalizing when they follow a name. My recommendation is to pick your resource and then be consistent.
Juan Perez, bachelor of science OR
Juan Perez, Bachelor of Science
CMS advises that academic degrees be capitalized when used in lists
Our new marketing team includes:
Lane Bridges, Bachelor of Science
Carol Hudson, Bachelor of Arts
Juan Perez, Bachelor of Science
Justin Weber, Master of Business Administration