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Is it correct to express PhD in brackets "(PhD)" as suffix to express the ongoing degree?

Aaron Hall
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ben
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  • Welcome to Academia SE! Could you add a little more context to your question? – user3209815 Mar 26 '15 at 10:33
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    Possible duplicate of http://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8984/what-should-a-proper-email-signature-look-like-for-graduate-students – StrongBad Mar 26 '15 at 10:37
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    Do you mean as part of your name like: "John Smith, (PhD)"? If so, the answer is no. You can't list a degree that you have not yet earned. – mako Mar 26 '15 at 10:39
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    "John Smith (PhD student)" would be accurate, but you really don't want to do that. – JeffE Mar 26 '15 at 11:54
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    Everyone (including me) is assuming that by "ongoing degree" you mean "a degree I have not obtained yet, though I plan to obtain it." If you mean something different you should clarify. – Josh Mar 26 '15 at 12:48
  • Why would you want to indicate an advanced degree? Are you hoping that it will impress people? Are you trying to find a side job while doing your PhD? – Superbest Mar 26 '15 at 16:59
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    Where do you want to use such abbreviation? In your visit card? In the signature of your mails and email? – enthu Mar 26 '15 at 17:34
  • Why would you use this? Speaking with people with much higher achievements then Phd I have not seen things like John Doe (investor who has a lot of money) or Jane Roe (lead researcher from a huge company who manages hundreds of phds). If somebody would like to know who you are they would be able to find out without someone pushing it in their face. – Salvador Dali Mar 27 '15 at 09:05
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    As per the previous threads on this, it depends very strongly on the country you're in and the countries you're interacting with. The US has one format, continental Europe has another, etc. – smci Mar 27 '15 at 10:56
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    Unless the degree has been conferred, it is not acceptable to include its designation in any manner at Oxford. This includes BA's which will in future become MA's. – Fr. Jeff Hulet Jan 15 '18 at 18:42

6 Answers6

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No, you cannot use a title or degree that you haven't earned yet.

Pieter Naaijkens
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    well, he can do whatever he wants. call himself the Queen of England, if he wants to. i don't think anyone will be arrested for that. – robert bristow-johnson Mar 26 '15 at 14:21
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    In some countries (my experience is in The Netherlands) a number of such titles such as dr. (PhD) in this case and their international variants are protected by law, and using them without proper rights will land you in jail. – Jakob Buis Mar 26 '15 at 15:06
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    Yes, the same is true in Germany, and people did get into trouble for not applying the law properly. Even in cases where people did have a PhD of a reputable university (see e.g. http://htor.inf.ethz.ch/blog/index.php/2008/11/06/you-can-also-call-me-dr-in-germany/). The law has been changed now, but you still cannot call yourself dr. without the appropriate degree from an accredited university. – Pieter Naaijkens Mar 26 '15 at 15:22
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    @JakobBuis Is it that harsh a crime that you will be thrown in jail? I thought maybe a fine or something lesser. – Cobertos Mar 26 '15 at 15:52
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    Even if it's not illegal per se (like in the US), do not expect others to react kindly to using a degree title you haven't earned. – cpast Mar 26 '15 at 18:03
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    @cpast And, even in the U.S., stating or implying that you have a degree that you don't have could probably constitute fraud in some contexts, which is indeed a crime. While it's unlikely that you'd be prosecuted in most cases, it would certainly be considered dishonest. – reirab Mar 26 '15 at 19:30
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    Speakers of some languages (think Chinese) tend to thoroughly shorten things in colloquial speech. Thus the equivalent of "PhD student" in that language is easily shortened to something that might be translated back to English as PhD. I've heard Chinese speakers say (in English) "he is a PhD" when they meant "he is a PhD student". This might explain where the OP's question is coming from ... – Szabolcs Mar 27 '15 at 01:40
  • @Coburn it is illegal, but there is no punishment, at least not by a court. You can ofcourse loose your job if you lied about your degree in an aplication procedure, or experience similar unpleasant consequences. – Maarten Buis Mar 27 '15 at 10:37
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    @Coburn: In Germany, it seems to depend on the circumstances: The respective statement from German penal code says: "The unauthorized use of (...) national or foreign (...) academic degress (...) will be punished with up to a year of imprisonment or a fine." – O. R. Mapper Mar 27 '15 at 11:29
  • According to who and by what authority? Your answer needs sources. –  Mar 27 '15 at 18:20
  • It's also not a very good answer. What a bunch of nonsense that it has 50 upvotes. –  Mar 27 '15 at 18:26
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    @fredsbend Lest I be mistaken, common knowledge needs no citation, even in formal academic papers. I suppose most academics agree this qualifies as common knowledge. – jpmc26 Mar 27 '15 at 22:36
  • @jpmc26 This doesn't even answer the question. The OP asked if there was a title he can use that designates that he is a PhD student or candidate. It's a crap answer, mostly because it does not answer that question, and also it leaves the impression that there is not, when in fact there is, as I have seen personally and other answers have noted. That's the problem I have with it. –  Mar 28 '15 at 00:56
  • @Coburn I've rechecked and you're right. Apparently it is indeed just a fine. I would've sworn it was worse, but I guess I'm just influenced by the public outcry that usually follows. – Jakob Buis Mar 30 '15 at 08:07
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Perhaps you may have seen someone express their student status in such a way, which may work informally depending on the context (perhaps a listing of students, which may have included undergrads and masters level students, and could thus differentiate). E.g.:

SGA Special Committee of Students named Student
-----------------------------------------------
Student Smith (PhD)
Student Garcia (MS)
Student Nahasapeemapetilon (MA)
...

And note that these examples are only appropriate in contexts where you need to communicate your state of educational attainment. Perhaps a resume, name tag at networking event, or something of that nature. It's not really appropriate socially (note the disdain in the comments), or outside of such a context.

Even in a context where you are clearly understood to be a student, it's best not just trail off with (PhD). Fully disclose your current state of education:

E.g:

Student Smith (Ph.D. expected 2020)

If you passed your comps, but did not dissertate, some may frown on this, but sometimes used to indicate one has completed all work necessary for graduation except the dissertation (and even when all hope is abandoned of ever completing):

Student Smith (ABD)

or if completion is shortly expected, 

Student Smith (Ph.D. candidate)
Aaron Hall
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    I think the third option's classy. I'd go for that. – Hal Mar 26 '15 at 17:48
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    On a resume/CV, for instance, it's relatively common (at least here in the U.S.) for an active student to list in their education Degree Name, Expected Graduation: Month Year. This communicates that you're working on it and how far along you are while also removing any ambiguity that could make someone think you're being dishonest and claiming to already have the degree. – reirab Mar 26 '15 at 19:29
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    In my own institution and others a "Ph.D. student" is not necessarily a candidate. There are requirements to be met, such as coursework or comprehensive exams, before one is accepted into candidacy. – Bob Brown Mar 26 '15 at 20:56
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    ABD is a bit tongue in cheek. –  Mar 26 '15 at 23:27
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    I wouldn't call any of those options classy. None are dishonest or misleading, which is good, but none seem either elegant or advisable. – mako Mar 27 '15 at 01:17
  • @BenjaminMakoHill I don't think any of us can comment on the advisability and appropriateness yet, since the OP has not provided any context. – JNS Mar 27 '15 at 09:48
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    @JamalS: I don't think that any of the options described in this answer are either advisable or appropriate in almost any context of general professional communication. – mako Mar 27 '15 at 10:03
  • @BobBrown: Indeed, depending on the university, there can be differences, and this question serves as a useful resource for further info on that topic. – O. R. Mapper Mar 27 '15 at 19:26
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You may say you are a PhD candidate as a suffix after you finish your field exams (usually after the third year in the US.)

VicariousAT
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  • I record medical/scientific conferences and I see this a lot. I think I've seen (PhD) before, but certainly not as common as this. Related: PhD candidate vs PhD student There seems to be a nuanced difference between a student and a candidate. –  Mar 27 '15 at 18:21
  • @fredsbend: I think the more suitable summary of that question you linked to is that in some institutions, there is a clear-cut and significant difference between PhD candidates and PhD students, whereas in other institutions, the two terms are totally synonymous and interchangeable. (And people from non-English speaking places with different education systems sometimes choose one over the other because they feel it represents their status better.) – O. R. Mapper Mar 27 '15 at 19:28
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In Brazil, it is common to see people writing "doutorando" (for PhD) and "mestrando" (for Masters) to indicate that they are in the middle of the course of their degrees. The translation for these terms would be something almost like "PhDeing" and "Meing" (none of those sound well). But this practice is not considered right, because the person has not finished anything.

Also, I agree that as a PhD student you don't really want to do that, as you have not already earned your degree. Keep up with your studies, and soon you will be able to add "PhD" with no other doubts!

Matheus Danella
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At my university in the USA, we award the M.Phil degree to doctoral students who have completed their coursework and exams. When they submit their prospectus, their title changes to "doctoral candidate."

So they could write either:

  1. Jane Doe, BA, M.Phil
  2. Jane Doe, doctoral candidate

Some also use the colloquial ABD (all but dissertation) but as their advisor, I discourage this for formal settings such as their CV or on their business cards:

  1. Jane Doe, BA, ABD
RoboKaren
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A Phd Student is a research Scholar . I propose he can write .

Phd(Sch).. Where SCh is a suffix , same is recommended in a smaller font.

Siddarth
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