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How to abbreviate Master and Doctor

We have seen a huge variety of abbreviations for master and doctor. Academic titles are awarded to postgraduates who have completed master's and doctoral courses, respectively.

The abbreviation of the academic titles of master and doctor in Brazil is a controversial issue. There is disagreement in the scientific community itself as to how to indicate abbreviations.

But, why know how to make the correct form of the abbreviation of master and doctor? It is of interest to those who have the titles so that they can identify themselves correctly and who will consult a publication, a scientific article, a curriculum, etc. be able to identify the author's postgraduate level, if not implied.

We have prepared this post so that you can better understand how the abbreviation for master and doctor is made and what variants are found for them. Follow us and learn more about how to do word reductions correctly.

Different abbreviations for master and doctor

In a lot of correspondence, official documents, opinions, approval sheets for monographs, dissertations and theses, among others, we find abbreviations for master as: “Me.”, “Ms.”, “MSc.”, “Me” Me and Dr. Dr or Dr. for doctor.

Who regulates the abbreviation of titles in Brazil is the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) through the Orthographic Vocabulary of the Portuguese Language (VOLP). VOLP is the official guide that presents all the words found in the Portuguese language, determines their gender, spelling and pronunciation.

According to the most recurrent abbreviations section of VOLP, the correct abbreviation for those who complete the master's or doctorate is:

• Me – master
• Ma. - Teacher
• Dr – Doctor
• Drs. - Doctors
• dr - doctor
• Doctors – Doctors

Also according to VOLP the forms: Ms. and MS. correspond to Manuscript abbreviations. You wouldn't want to have the handwriting indication in front of your name, would you?

Also MSc formats. or ScM. are not correct because they are the reduced forms of Master of Science or Scientiae Magister, which translated would be the equivalent of Master of Science and are used to indicate the master's degree for different areas of knowledge in English-speaking countries.

Another reduction that causes some confusion is the PhD. Many confuse this designation with the title of a postdoctoral fellow. But a postdoctoral degree is not a course and does not offer a title. This expression is the abbreviation or reduced form of Philosophiae Doctor used by doctors of all areas of knowledge, in English.

As the Portuguese language is alive and involved in a dynamic process, in which it is always adapting to the forms of communication, abbreviations, like other words, are not static.

In the beginning, the PhD was applied only to doctors in the area of ​​philosophy. However, from medieval times to the present time, the term began to be used widely in the sciences and humanities.

Differences in the abbreviations master and doctor

The controversy in the use of the abbreviations master and doctor arises when a group of scientists claims that the VOLP does not update the acronyms and only maintains those that already exist, but does not legislate on them, that is, it does not regulate their application by law.

There is also a group that uses the argument that the English language is the universal language of science, and therefore the abbreviations master and doctor should follow the format adopted by these countries.

A current of researchers also believes that the professional who completes the master's course is focused on the area of ​​teaching and research, therefore, the two titles should be used: Master Professor – prof. Me. and Master Teacher – prof. Me., varying only in gender the “teacher” and leaving the title “Master” invariable. In the title for “Doctor”, in this line of thought, the masculine would be “Prof. Dr.” and in the feminine “Profa. Dr.”

Other abbreviations used in academia

In addition to the abbreviations master and doctor that we saw before, some other more specific abbreviations are also used by certain areas of training. We brought some examples indicating its origins. Some are agreed by the class, others indicate training in other countries and still others are designated by the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Shall we check?

DBA – Doctor in Business Administration – doctorate carried out abroad Dr.M. – Doctor of Medicine – according to the Brazilian Academy of Letters

Dr. hc – Doctor Honoris Causa – honoris causa (meaning because of honor) – Title of Honor granted by universities to eminent people, without having passed any course.

ID or JD- Iuris / Iurum Doctor or Juris / Jurum Doctor - Doctor of Laws - according to the Brazilian Academy of Letters

LD - Free Teaching

Litt.D. – Litterarum Doctor – Doctor of Letters – according to the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

MD – Medicinae Doctor – Doctor of Medicine – according to the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

MA – Master of Arts – Master in Arts held abroad
MEng – Master in Engineering – held both in Brazil and abroad

MMath – Master in Mathematics – Master of Mathematics – carried out abroad

MPhys – Master in Physics – Master of Physics – held abroad Mus.D. – Musicae Doctor – Doctor of Music (Brazilian Academy of Letters)

Postdoc – Postdoctor – Not a title. It serves to indicate the professional who carried out a postdoctoral

SD Scientiae Doctor – Doctor of Science – according to the Brazilian Academy of Letters

STD – Sacrae Theologiae Doctor – Doctor in Theology – according to the Brazilian Academy of Letters

Tecg.o - Technologist

Tecg. - Technology

Difference between abbreviation, abbreviation and acronym

Vocabulary abbreviation – is the reduction of a word to a point, but that does not compromise its sense or meaning. The abbreviation of some words only exists in the spoken form, while others are already listed in dictionaries as proper words.

Examples:
● Telephone – handset
● Motorcycle – motorcycle
● Yeah – yeah
● Cinema – cinema
● Extraordinary – extra

Abbreviation – is the representation of a word by its syllables or letters followed by the abbreviation period.

There are some rules for making abbreviations. Shall we meet some?

1. It is more appropriate for the abbreviation to end with a consonant. Example: meter – m.
2. Write the first syllable of the word, followed by the first letter of the second syllable. Example: Brazilian – bras.
3. If there is a graphic accent, it must be kept. Example: numeral – num. number – num.
4. In some special cases, a vowel is used to designate a feminine or masculine gender. Example: sir – Mr. lady – Mrs.
5. Some words are abbreviated by contraction, that is, by suppressing letters in the middle of the word. Example: apartment - apt. Bachelor – bel.
6. If the second syllable starts with two consonants, both are part of the abbreviation. Example: observation – obs.
7. There are cases of abbreviations that do not follow specific rules, but that are accepted, including internationally recognized. Example: Limited - Ltd.
   Save Our Soul = Save Our Soul, a cry for help – SOS

Acronym – It is the word formed by the gathering of the (most important) initials of the names of companies, bodies, institutions, locations, among many others and that serves to represent them.

There are rules for using acronyms. Let's see some:

1. a) All letters must be written in capital letters if the acronym has up to three letters or if each letter has its own meaning; Example: UN– United Nations, IML – Legal Medical Institute, BNDES – National Bank for Economic and Social Development
2. b) If the acronym consists of more than three letters, only the initial will be written in capital letters Example: Detran– State Traffic Department, Embrapa – Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
3. c) There is no period of abbreviation between the letters of the abbreviation or the final period of the abbreviation; Examples: IOF– Tax on Financial Transactions, ABNT – Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, Bovespa – São Paulo Stock Exchange
4. d) The acronyms obey the norm of gender, that is, they can indicate feminine or masculine: just observe the gender of the first word; Examples: the NGO– the Non-Governmental Organization, the Masp – the São Paulo Museum of Art

Understanding better how they are composed and how abbreviations and acronyms are used, start or continue writing your TCC. To format and leave everything in ABNT standards, you can count on Fastformat.