Question for an English teacher, or student.

1

Should the abbreviation for a degree have periods, or no? Example: Masters of Business Administration, MBA or M.B.A.?

2

When I googled it, none of the sites had periods.
But there are people here who would know. I don’t think any of them are online right now. If I see them, I’ll have them come over.

3

No periods, BUT…it’s Master, not Masters. If you’re referring to a master’s degree, there’s an apostrophe, but not capped.

4

Thanks for the help! I’m sure I’ll come up with a few more today, or tomorrow.

5

How about a Bachelor of Science? BS? B.S.? Juris Doctor? J.D. JD?

Sorry for the redudent questions, but these are posted both ways all over the internet…

6

Degrees should always be abbreviated when they follow a name.

Form the plurals and possessives of abbreviated degrees by adding ’s:
B.A.’s
M.B.A.’s
Ph.D.’s

Do not capitalize academic degrees when they are spelled out.
Wrong:He earned his Master of Business Administration in 1994.
Right:He earned his master of business administration in 1994.

Master and bachelor take the ’s only when used in place of master of or bachelor of.
Wrong: master’s of fine arts
Right:master of fine arts
Right: master’s in sculpture

Bachelor’s and master’s never need to take the plural possessive. When writing of more than one degree, consider adding degrees for greater clarity.
Tricky: At the end of her studies, she’ll have master’s in a total of five fields.
Better: At the end of her studies, she’ll have master’s degrees in a total of five fields.

Do not combine courtesy titles and academic degrees.
Wrong: Mr. John Smith, Ph.D.
Right: John Smith, Ph.D.
Wrong: Dr. Mary Jones, Ph.D.
Right: Mary Jones, Ph.D.

People who hold the J.D., or juris doctor, are not called “Dr.” Those who hold the terminal degree in that field—the doctor of juridical science, or J.S.D.—are.

When listing Samford University faculty members, cite only the highest degree attained, plus any relevant professional designation. Common professional designations such as RN and CPA require no periods.
Jane Smith, Ph.D., RN
Mary Jones, M.Acc., CPA