Post-nominal letters , also called post-nominal initials , post-nominal titles , designatory letters , or simply post-nominals , are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, an academic degree, accreditation, an office, a military decoration, or honour, or is a member of a religious institute or fraternity. An individual may use several different sets of post-nominal letters, but in some contexts it may be customary to limit the number of sets to one or just a few. The order in which post-nominals are listed after a name is based on rules of precedence and what is appropriate for a given situation. Post-nominal letters are one of the main types of name suffix . In contrast, pre-nominal letters precede the name rather than following it, such as addressing a physician or professor as "Dr. Smith".
38-517: The Whitworth Society was founded in 1923 by Henry Selby Hele-Shaw , then president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers . Its purposes are to promote engineering in the United Kingdom, and more specifically to support all Whitworth Scholars, the recipients of a scholarship funded by Joseph Whitworth 's scholarship scheme, which started in 1868. A Whitworth Scholar is the result of completing
76-481: A Cambridge Master of Arts. Graduates from British and Irish universities sometimes add the name of the university that awarded their degree after the post-nominals for their degree, either in parentheses or not, depending on preferred style. University names are often abbreviated and sometimes given in Latin, e.g."BA, MA (Dunelm), PhD (Ebor)"; a list of abbreviations used for university names can be found at Universities in
114-734: A person's name is dictated by standard practice, which may vary by region and context. Various University Style Guides, such as: the University of Sydney Style Guide and the Australian Government Style Manual and that of the various State Governments. Outside of any specific academic or State or Federal Government requirement, then in the following order: The Canadian government's The Canadian Style specifies that no more than two sets of post-nominal letters should normally be given, unless all are to be given either for information or for reasons of protocol, and that these should be
152-449: A post graduate research programme. The prize money is still funded by the original money provided in Trust by Joseph Whitworth. The criteria for a scholarship remains consistent with the original mandate of 1868, practical skills with aptitude for science and mathematic based academia. In 2018, the conditions for application for a scholarship are to: In 1984, as a result of consultation with
190-471: A single item, and omits membership of the armed forces. Loughborough University gives a very similar ordering, but with "Appointments (e.g MP, KC)" replacing item 3 (KC) and "Higher Education awards (in ascending order, commencing with undergraduate)" replacing items 4–6 (degrees, diplomas and certificates). This restores the Appointments section from the civil list omitted by Oxford and Nottingham, although
228-570: A successful Whitworth Scholarship. Membership of the Society is limited to Whitworth Scholars, Senior Scholars, Fellows, Exhibitioners and Prizemen. The Society is a way for making contact with all successful "Whitworths" and provides a way for making information contacts and connections from more senior members to recently successful Scholars. The Society also serves as a way to commemorate Joseph Whitworth and acknowledge his contributions to engineering education. The annual dinner and annual general meeting
266-462: Is an "award for outstanding engineers, who have excellent academic and practical skills and the qualities needed to succeed in industry, to take an engineering degree-level programme in any engineering discipline". On 18 March 1868, Joseph Whitworth wrote to then Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to fund 30 scholarships for the value of £100 for young men in the United Kingdom. This was met favourably by
304-519: Is held on the evening of 18 March (or nearest Friday to) to commemorate the date in 1868 when Joseph Whitworth wrote to Benjamin Disraeli , offering to found the Whitworth Scholarships. Traditionally the dinner has been held in London until more recent times where the meal and meeting is alternated, one-year London and one-year Manchester. There is a summer meeting held over two-days normally at
342-432: Is normal to only list those relevant to the circumstance. For example, if Jane Doe had a BS, MS, and PhD in computer science as well as an MBA, then if working in management in a retail company she would write "Jane Doe, MBA", but if working in an IT company she might write "Jane Doe, PhD", and if working in academia she could write "Jane Doe, BS, MS, MBA, PhD". The Gregg Reference Manual recommends placing periods between
380-766: Is rare on the basis that only a small number of scholarships are issued each year which has quite specific application conditions and a tough review process. A Whitworth Scholar is permitted to use the post-nominal letters , WhSch. Typically there is an awards ceremony for the successful scholars where a certificate and medal (shown opposite) are presented. In recent years forms part of the IMechE's vision awards in September/October time each year. There are recognised post-nominals which are permitted to be used after an individual's name. They are as follows. Henry Selby Hele-Shaw Henry Selby Hele-Shaw FRS (1854–1941)
418-446: Is to give all higher education qualifications, starting from undergraduate, ordered by their level rather than their title. In this style, one might list a Certificate or Diploma of Higher Education first, then foundation degrees , first degrees at bachelor level, first degrees at master level (integrated master's degrees and first degrees in medicine), postgraduate degrees at master level (including postgraduate bachelor's degrees such
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#1732844858885456-448: Is usual to list those most relevant to a person's profession first, or those most relevant to the particular circumstances. It is common to omit fellowships (except honorific fellowships) and memberships that are not relevant in a given situation. Debrett's notes that although Royal Academicians are listed after fellows of learned societies (and before members of professional bodies), they do not yield to them in precedence, "In practice
494-514: The Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1922. In 1923 Hele-Shaw founded the Whitworth Society and was the Society's first President. The Whitworth Society still exists and provides an informal contact between all ages of Whitworth Scholar and a means to promote engineering in the UK. The aim of the society is to bring closer those who have benefited from Sir Joseph Whitworth 's generosity. He
532-466: The Government at the time as minuted on 27 March 1868 by the council. After the adoption of this by Government, Whitworth presented a memorandum setting out the requirements of the awards which included examinations in mathematics, mechanics, physics, and chemistry, including metallurgy and in the following handicrafts: Smith's Work, turning, filing, fitting, pattern making and moulding. Whitworth's intent
570-601: The Oxford BCL), and doctorates. In this style, postgraduate certificates and diplomas could be shown either before postgraduate degrees at master's level (as in the table given by Loughborough University) or before first degrees at master's level (reflecting their position in the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies ). Strictly speaking, both the Debrett's and Ministry of Justice lists only allow for
608-405: The UK there is, according to Debrett's , no defined order of precedence for placing designatory letters for fellowships of learned societies and memberships of professional bodies within their respective groups. Debrett's suggests that "In practice, where one society is indisputably of greater importance than another the letters are usually placed in that order. Alternatively, the fellowship of
646-552: The UK, it is usual to list only doctorates, degrees in medicine, and degrees in divinity. In particular, when a person has letters indicating Crown honours or decorations, only the principal degree would normally be given. The University of Oxford Style Guide advises writers: "Remember that you do not need to list all awards, degrees, memberships etc held by an individual – only those items relevant to your writing." In an academic context, or in formal lists, all degrees may be listed in ascending order of academic status, which may not be
684-497: The United Kingdom#Post-nominal abbreviations . Where the same degree has been granted by more than one university, this can be shown by placing the names or abbreviations in a single bracket after the degree name, e.g. " Sir Edward Elgar , Mus.D. (Oxon., Cantab., Dunelm. et Yale, U.S.A.), LL.D. (Leeds, Aberdeen, and W. University, Pennsylvania.)". Honorary degrees , if shown, can be indicated either by "Hon" before
722-580: The Whitworth Society, the administration of the Awards and Scholarship programmes was transferred from the Department of Education & Science (at the time) to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers . Today, the scholarship programme lasts for the duration of an individual's academic studies, typically 3–4 years of full-time degree studies. During this time, the individuals are termed "award holders". If
760-498: The beginning of July. The event is largely informal and ordinarily arranged by the President of the Society. A record of all scholars is kept by the Society, until recent years, this was in hardback form (see image) presented when an individual was elected a scholar. In recent times, the register is kept electronically and provided by USB flash drive as part of the awards ceremony. A Whitworth Scholarship, named after Joseph Whitworth,
798-551: The case of a BA from Oxford, Cambridge or Dublin who proceeds to be an MA of those universities (which is taken without further study), the MA replaces the BA and thus only the MA should be listed. Oxford has said that there is no risk of confusion between their MA and "earned" MAs as the Oxford MA is denoted "MA (Oxon)" rather than simply MA. However, Debrett's has advised using just "MA" to describe
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#1732844858885836-475: The continued monitoring of progress and overall academic achievement is deemed satisfactory, the award holder becomes a Whitworth Scholar. This occasion is commemorated at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Vision Awards ceremony ordinarily carried out in the September/October period of each year. A Whitworth Scholar is the accolade given to those who have successfully completed a Whitworth Scholarship. It
874-605: The eldest son of Henry Shaw (1825 – 1880), a lawyer who went bankrupt, and his wife Marion Selby Hele (1834 – 1891), daughter of the Reverend Henry Selby Hele, vicar of Grays Thurrock and grandson of the Reverend George Horne . He was first articled at the age of 17 to Messrs Rouch and Leaker, at the Mardyke Engineering Works, Bristol and served an engineering apprenticeship until 1876. Hele-Shaw
912-431: The inclusion of degrees, not non-degree academic awards. For someone with a substantive doctorate, it is usual either to give "Dr" as the title (without a stop per normal British usage) or to list their degrees post-nominally, e.g. "Dr John Smith" or "John Smith, PhD" but not "Dr John Smith, PhD". Postnominals may be used with other titles, e.g. "Mr John Smith, PhD", "Sir John Smith, PhD", or "The Rev John Smith, PhD". In
950-499: The junior society may be omitted. If such precedence cannot be determined, the letters may be placed in order of conferment. Where this is not known, they may be placed in alphabetical order." Earlier guidance that "Strictly speaking, they should be arranged according to date of foundation or incorporation of the societies concerned" has now been removed. Only postnominals indicating honorific fellowships (e.g., FRS , FBA , FREng ) are normally used socially. For professional bodies it
988-901: The letters of post-nominals (e.g., B.S. , Ph.D. ); however, The Chicago Manual of Style recommends writing degrees without periods (e.g., BS , PhD ). If post-nominals are given, the full name should be used, without Dr., Mr., Ms., Mrs., or Miss. Other prefixes (e.g., Professor ) may be used. In contrast to the style for academic qualifications, medical qualifications are listed in descending order, i.e.: doctorates, master's degrees, bachelor's degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and qualifying diplomas. Letters indicating doctorates, master's degrees and fellowships of royal colleges are always given, while bachelor's degrees, memberships and qualifying diplomas are only shown for people with no higher qualifications. In all but formal lists, only three medical qualifications are normally given. Where someone holds qualifications in multiple fields, they are normally given in
1026-662: The order: medicine, surgery (except for MRCS, which is considered a qualifying diploma), obstetrics, gynaecology and other specialities. These are followed by qualifying diplomas and other diplomas. The academic style guides do not have a separate section for medical qualifications, so if following one of these guides, medical degrees should be listed with other degrees, medical diplomas with other diplomas, and fellowships and memberships of royal colleges with other fellowships and memberships of professional bodies. In Africa , learned societies and professional bodies use designatory letters for their members and fellowships. For example: In
1064-500: The ordering of styles and titles for British citizens, including the Ministry of Justice, Debrett's and A & C Black 's Titles and Forms of Address ; these are generally in close agreement, with the exception of the position of MP, etc., in the listing: In addition, British citizens who have received honours from Commonwealth countries are usually given permission from the King to use
1102-613: The other differences remain. Nottingham Trent University gives essentially the same ordering as Oxford and Nottingham, but without specifying the order in which degrees should be given. Nottingham Trent, Oxford and Loughborough recommend degree abbreviations be given in mixed case without stops between the letters (e.g. BA, not B.A.; PhD, not Ph.D.), as does Cambridge . Imperial College London , however, uses all small caps for post-nominals (e.g. phd , not PhD). Where all degrees are shown, as in university calendars, most universities will give these in ascending order. However, advice on
1140-455: The post-nominals for the degree or "hc" (for honoris causa ) after the post-nominals, e.g. "Professor Evelyn Algernon Valentine Ebsworth CBE, PhD, MA, ScD, DCL hc , FRSC, FRSE " (emphasis added); "Professor Stephen Hawking Hon.ScD , CH, CBE, FRS" (emphasis added). The Oxford University Calendar Style Guide recommends not giving honorary degrees in post-nominals. In academia and research, all degrees may be listed. In general, however, it
1178-423: The postnominals for that honour. The Oxford University Style Guide and the University of Nottingham Style Guide give the alternative ordering: This differs from the civil ordering in that it omits appointments except for KC, includes diplomas and certificates in addition to degrees, merges medical qualifications, fellowships of learned societies, royal academicians, and membership of professional bodies into
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1216-471: The precise ordering varies: In the United States, standard protocol is to list post-nominal letters in the following order: Active duty services personnel do not use any post-nominals other than, if applicable, Staff Corps affiliation (Navy only) followed by a comma and then their branch of service. Names are bracketed by the appropriate pre-nominal and post-nominal, e.g. LCDR John Q Public, MC, USN. In
1254-512: The same as the order in which they were obtained (although see notes on medical qualifications, below). The Oxford style is to list qualifications by their title starting with bachelor's degrees, then master's degrees, then doctorates. Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas are listed after doctorates, but before professional qualifications, with a similar ordering being used by other universities. In this style, foundation degrees and other sub-bachelor qualifications are not shown. An alternative style
1292-482: The two highest of different types. The types and the order in which they are given are: Going back to the mid 17th century, today's classical European fraternities such as the German Student Corps have used post-nominal symbols and letters to allow their members to indicate their fraternity membership and honorary positions held in their signature. In the United Kingdom various sources have issued guidance on
1330-524: Was also elected a Whitworth Scholar . In 1880 he became the first Professor of Engineering at University College, Bristol , but left four years later to became the first person to hold the Harrison Chair of Engineering at Liverpool University College . He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1899 for his work on the flow of liquid between parallel glass plates, and served as President of
1368-448: Was an English mechanical and automobile engineer. He was the inventor of the variable-pitch propeller , which contributed to British success in the Battle of Britain in 1940, and he experimented with flows through thin cells. Flows through such configurations are named in his honour ( Hele-Shaw flows ). He was also a co-founder of Victaulic . Born on 29 July 1854 at Billericay , he was
1406-800: Was awarded the Franklin Institute 's Certificate of Merit in 1933. He died on 30 January 1941 at Ross-on-Wye . In 1902 Hele-Shaw was invited to deliver the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture Locomotion ;: On the Earth, Through the Water, in the Air . Post-nominal letters Different awards and post-nominal letters are in use in the English-speaking countries. The order in which post-nominal letters are listed after
1444-399: Was to support those individuals with practical skills, training, typically those who today have completed an apprenticeship who had the desire to continue onto further, higher education, university degree courses. The Scholarships continue over 150-years after inception of the idea. In 2018 the prize money awarded is up to £5,450 per annum for an undergraduate programme and £8,250 per annum for
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