Formatting of Academic Degrees and Programs
Academic Degrees
Capitalize when the full name of the degree is used followed by its acronym. Second mention can use acronym only; do not include periods.
- Bachelor of Science (BS)
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
- Master of Social Work (MSW)
Do not capitalize general references; include an apostrophe “s”
- bachelor’s degree
- master’s degree
Academic Programs, Minors, and Courses
Do not capitalize references to academic programs, minors, or concentrations in editorial running text, such as Simmons news articles, web content, or Simmons Magazine, except for proper nouns such as languages and geographic locations
- Sarah Simmons majored in biology at Simmons.
- Sarah Simmons majored in East Asian studies at Simmons.
Capitalize the proper names of academic programs, minors, or concentrations in marketing materials, such as program webpages, catalogs, and newsletters, in order to identify these as formal programs.
- Our Political Science program offers outstanding...
Capitalize course titles and include quotation marks
- “Modern Europe II: 1890–Present”
Abbreviations for graduate degrees
Please note that for many graduate degrees, the abbreviation will just be MS or MA, e.g., for a “Master of Science in Library and Information Science” the degree abbreviation would be “MS”. If the degree with its subject area is not included, e.g., a Master of Science in Nutrition, then it is likely considered an MS, MA, or PhD and the subject area is not included in the degree name or the abbreviation.
- EdS = Education Specialist
- MA = Master of Arts
- MAT = Master of Arts in Teaching
- MBA = Master of Business Administration
- MFA = Master of Fine Arts
- MHA = Master in Health Administration
- MPH = Master of Public Health
- MPP = Master in Public Policy
- MS = Master of Science
- MSEd = Master of Science in Education
- MSN = Master of Science in Nursing
- MSW = Master of Social Work
- DNP = Doctor of Nursing Practice
- DPT = Doctor of Physical Therapy
- DSW = Doctor of Social Work
- PhD = Doctor of Philosophy