Are Academic Degrees Capitalized?

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Are Academic Degrees Capitalized?

As with most things in English, capitalization rules can be vague and usually are up to the readers/writers’ interpretation. If you are unsure if you need to capitalize someone’s degree(s), such as a bachelor’s degree, there are a few main schools of thought on this age-old issue.

Capitalization According To The Chicago Manual Of Style:

According to the Chicago Manual Of Style, degree names should be lowercase when referred to regularly. When referred to as a title, they should be uppercase, such as business cards, resumes, and biographies.

Here are a few example sentences of degree capitalization under the Chicago Manual Of Style:

Margarette Mana is a critically acclaimed botanist, Master of Sciences in Botany.
Robert is pursuing a bachelor of science in biology
Daniel just received his degree for master of science in physics
He is an world-renowned Ph.D., having won many awards in the field of astronomy.

Capitalization According to The Associated Press Stylebook:

In contrast to the Chicago Manual Of Style, the Associated Press Stylebook dictates that academic degrees should be lowercase when used in general terms. However, they should be capitalized in reference to specific degrees (such as a Bachelor of Arts or a Masters of Science).

In addition, the Associated Press Stylebook also states that the degree’s field of study should be lowercase unless it is a proper noun (such as with English or Asain studies).

Here are a few example sentences of degree capitalization according to the Associated Press Stylebook:

Marcus is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in biology
Tina is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English
Shane is planning on getting a master’s degree

More Examples:

The keynote speaker will be a Ph.D. holder in Mathematics, John Davis.
Michael is finally reaching the end of his schooling to receive his master’s in biology
Proud recipient of a master’s in Physics, Daniel Cliffe will be hosting a lecture today

Summary

There isn’t a “set” guideline on how you need to capitalize academic degrees in English. However, there are multiple schools of thought that have separate guidelines. Unless you must write to a specific guideline, it is probably best to simply pick a method and stick to it!