Use an apostrophe in bachelors degree and masters degree, but theres no apostrophe when referring to an associate degree. She holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science. Its mobile optimized so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Journalists overwhelmingly use ap formatting, and other professionals, including attorneys and teachers, may opt to use ap style. The basics ap style study guide compiled using the associated press stylebook j202j218 spring 2009 academic degrees. Lowercase a degree when its spelled out following a persons name. The forms bachelors degree, bachelors, masters degree and.
If mention of a degree is necessary to establish someones credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and use instead a phrase such as. In text, use bachelors degree or bachelors rather than b. Ap is in agreement with cmos that the field of study be written in lower case except when it contains a. Below, we highlight certain exceptions or ap style rules that we want to particularly note. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. As a writer following the associated press stylebook, however, i capitalize according to the rules and not peoples egos.
However, there are dozens of other types of masters degrees to choose from, and many specialized degrees have their own abbreviations that include the field of study in the name, like the m. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. I have two bachelors degrees and one masters degree. Entries address questions that may commonly arise when writing about the university, such as building and place names.
The associated press stylebook dictates the rules of ap style, which is used by writers in many professions. Rules for capitalizing academic degrees in ap style bka. Doctorate or doctoral degree can be used in place of ph. Ba, bs, bachelor of arts, bachelor of science ma, ms, master of arts, master of science edd, phd, doctor of education, doctor of philosophy mba, master of business administration do not add the word degree after an abbreviation of the degree or after the full name of the degree. The academic title master of arts can be abbreviated as ma or m. The area of study is generally lowercase, unless the area is part of the official degree title. Capitalize and do not use possessive in bachelor of arts or master of science. Uconn style guide 2019 exceptions to, and reminders of oftused or confusing ap style, which is our style so if its not here, see ap style for use in uconn today, uconn magazine, uconn health journal academic degrees abbreviations for academic degrees should not include periods exceptions. Andrews university uses the style of no punctuation in academic degree. Put quotation marks around the titles of books, movies, plays, etc. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Ap stylebook does not capitalize the terms masters degree or bachelors degree.
Karen holds a bachelors degree in english literature, with a concentration in african, asian and caribbean studies, from the university of sussex in england. Common ap stylebook uses academic degrees bachelor of science degree, bachelors degree. I enrolled in a masters degree in arts and science. Use an apostrophe in bachelors degree, masters, etc. Ap covers a lot, so well look at some of the most important parts of using ap style. Students who plan to receive two bachelors degrees from purchase college must jane doe has a bachelors degree in philosophy. It contains exceptions to the associated press stylebook, as well as other academic style formats, such as mla and apa guides and the chicago manual of style. Apply the following guidelines to the titles of books, computer games, movies. Did you know that unc asheville follows associated press style online in most instances. The associated press stylebook ap recommends no capitals when referring to degrees in general terms bachelors, masters, doctorate, associate degree but always capitalizing specific degrees bachelor of arts, master of science.
Because your hometowners are comprised of text from both a template and spreadsheet, you will want to make sure both abide by the. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. Capitalization of academic degrees grammar and punctuation. Academic degrees the phrases bachelors degree and masters degree, when not referencing a specific degree, are written as they are. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Style rules examples academic degrees use an apostrophe and spell out academic degrees use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name.
The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Associated press style, or ap style, is a grammar usage and style guide developed specifically for journalists and. Every time a client asks me how to write a bio, or wants me to write a bio on their behalf, i find myself looking up how to handle discussion of their academic degrees in my trusty little associated press a. She also has a masters degree in international journalism from city university of london. Use the apostrophe and lowercase when using descriptive terms. She has a bachelors degree in english literature from the university of california, berkeley, a masters degree in modern literature from. You can purchase essays which are wellplanned and properly proofread by the professionals from the uk, the us, canada and australia who arrange every paper according to the level of education high school, college, university, undergraduate, masters, phd, length, number of words, pages and demanded formats apa, mla, harvard, chicago. Here you will find a summary of some ap guidelines that relate directly to hometown news. You dont get masters degree by attending school on the first day. This style guide gives specific information about old dominion universitys preferences for copy, treatment of titles and degrees, campus descriptions and buildings.
Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print books guidance. This means when to use a capital letter at the beginning of a word. Ap style terms for academic degrees gatehouse newsroom. For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here. Ap spells academic departments and programs in lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives or when the department name is part of the official and formal name preceded by the university or college. Top 10 ap style guide 2016edits university blog service. A masters degree program in publishing can prepare you to work in book, magazine, newspaper and webbased publishing. The associated press stylebook ap recommends no capitals when referring to degrees in general terms bachelors, masters, doctorate, associate degree but always capitalizing specific degrees bachelor of arts, master of science, whether or not they directly precede or follow a. Abril mulato is a fact check editor based in mexico city. Use an apostrophe in bachelors degree, a masters, etc. Academic degrees editorial style guide purchase college. Abbreviations abbreviate junior or senior after a name, but dont use a comma. The following list of common uses and the az index include highlights of ap style and provide policies for consistently representing appalachian in your communications.
Ap style states that you should use an apostrophe in bachelors degree and masters degree. However, there is no apostrophe in an associate degree no possessive. Graduate division programs are housed within ucsfs four schools and ucsf global health sciences. We also lowercase masters when used generically as in my son is working on a masters degree. Associated press style guide hometown newsmaker guide. Stylebook lists are more indepth, heres basically what i need to know in the form of examples to ensure i follow a.
Bachelor of arts, bachelors in psychology master of science, masters in journalism. The associated press stylebook ap recommends no capitals when referring to degrees in general terms bachelors, masters, doctorate, associate degree but always capitalizing specific degrees bachelor of arts, master of science, whether or not they directly precede or follow a name. There are clear guidelines for capitalizing academic degrees in ap style. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. On our blog, we follow the chicago manual of style 16th ed. Associated press style guide all press releases should abide by associated press style guidelines. The following formal names of specific degrees should always be capitalized in ap style. When you need to do this, the ap stylebook prefers you to write out the title of a degree in a.
Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. Thats why weve selected these 500 apstyle questions and answers that cover all topics found on this exam. Master of arts, master of science, master of business administration. The consortium network 20 member schools 950plus current students 10,000plus alumni 90plus corporate partners. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. Title capitalization rules require that you capitalize each word when quoting the specific name of the masters degree such as master of science. Note that when you pluralize the phrase as a whole, only degree gets the plural s. Consult the ap style guide for international cities that also can stand alone. A bachelors degree or bachelors can be used, but not capitalized. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. Use an apostrophe in bachelors or masters degree, but no apostrophe in bachelor of arts, master of arts, or master of business administration note capitalization of formal degree names. Often enough, terms like master of arts and master of sciences are abbreviated, and the rules on how to do it vary from one university and style guide to another.
Ap style is used by journalists and is the preferred style for news releases and other information sent to the media. Use apostrophes when the degrees are spelled out bachelors degree, masters degree. Uis writing style guide university of illinois springfield. Capitalize bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, master of science, etc. There is no apostrophe in bachelor of arts or master of science. Use an apostrophe in bachelors degree and masters degree. The manual can be purchased alone or with an optional cdrom that presents two additional fulllength practice tests with automatic scoring and fully explained answers. The preferred style is not to use periods to abbreviate master of business administration. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. There are a few things to keep straight when writing bachelors degree in ap style. The goal of the wsu writing style guide is to provide help on that which is not addressed in ap style and that which is an exception to ap. There is a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science.
Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. The associated press provides several guidelines for referring to academic and numerical degrees in print. For many students, getting to sell back their textbooks is almost as exciting as having the semester come to an end. In cases of conflict, the university of tampa style guide supersedes the ap stylebook and ap supersedes websters. Susan smith earned her masters degree in biology at new york university.
The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new. In general, we default to associated press style when writing and editing. Rules for capitalizing academic degrees in ap style bka content. Rules for capitalizing academic degrees in ap style. Follow ap style in the use of apostrophe and capitalization. The guidelines are based on the associated press ap stylebook, websters new world dictionary, and local usage. Bachelor of arts in history, master of public health, bachelor of music, master of fine arts. The chance that you will become a master in something after the first attempt is neither here nor there. As a writer following the associated press stylebook, however, i capitalize. When use of the abbreviation is required, use periods within. In temperatures, use figures and write out the word degrees. Editorial style at asbury university typically follows associated press conventions as detailed in the latest edition of the associated press stylebook. Writing style guide university communications toolbox.
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