Do I capitalize professor in AP Style?
Asked by: Emery Maggio | Last update: December 24, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (13 votes)
AP views the term professor as an occupation and therefore lowercase before a name. AP style does call for the capitalization of Professor Emeritus as a conferred title before a name.
Should professor be capitalized?
Academic titles are capitalized when they immediately precede a personal name and lowercased when following a name. Examples: Associate Professor John Doe; Jane Smith, assistant professor.
Are professions capitalized in AP style?
Never capitalize job descriptions -- shortstop, police officer, attorney and so on. former President George H.W. Bush Paul Schneider, deputy secretary of Homeland Security, Sen. Boxer posed hard questions for Rice.
What gets capitalized in AP style?
Capitalize principal words in the names of books, movies, plays, poems, operas, songs, radio and TV programs, works of art, etc. Additionally, capitalize prepositions of four or more letters (above, after, down, inside, over, with, etc.) and conjunctions of four or more letters (because, while, since, though, etc.).
How do you write PhD in AP style?
Refer to the AP Stylebook. In text, use bachelor's degree or bachelor's rather than B.A. or B.S.; master's degree or master's rather than M.A. or M.S.; doctoral degree or doctorate rather than Ph. D. or Ed.
AP Style: Capitalizing Formal Titles
Is professor capitalized in AP style?
AP views the term professor as an occupation and therefore lowercase before a name. AP style does call for the capitalization of Professor Emeritus as a conferred title before a name.
How do you write a PhD in capital letters?
In formal writing, "PhD" should be written with the letters capitalized and without periods. It stands for "Doctor of Philosophy," which is a doctoral degree awarded by universities in many countries. So, the proper way to write it is "PhD."
Is CEO capitalized in AP style?
Capitalize proper nouns but not titles by themselves, hence President and CEO John Doe or John Doe, president and CEO. This isn't an AP rule nor a grammar rule, but I'd also suggest picking one title or the other. There is no crystal clear distinction between those two titles.
Is supervisor capitalized AP style?
Never capitalize a job title that stands alone. If it isn't followed by a proper name, it's lower case.
Is the university capitalized AP style?
The word “university” is not capitalized when used by itself.
How to write vice president in AP Style?
We avoid the informal term veep except in direct quotes, and instead write out vice president or vice presidential candidate. VP is acceptable in headlines.
Do you Capitalise a profession?
A general capitalization rule is to capitalize job titles when they come directly in front of a name, but not when they're used elsewhere in a sentence.
Is doctorate capitalized?
Academic degrees are capitalized only when the full name of the degree is used, such as Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science. General references, such as bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree, are not capitalized.
How do you write professor correctly?
If you're not sure what their proper title is, using “Professor” followed by their last name is almost always a safe bet.
Is dear professor capitalized?
So properly capitalized salutations might look like these: Dear Professor, etc. Greetings Mr. Smith and Father Johnson, etc.
Is professor of Biology capitalized?
Example: He studies biology and math, but his minor is music. Capitalize a job title if it immediately precedes a name. Do not capitalize titles that follow names or stand alone. Examples: John Smith, professor in biology; the chancellor of the university Placing the title after the name, lower case, is preferred.
Is professor capitalized in AP?
Professor is not a formal title. It's a job name, and you do not capitalize names of jobs.
What should be capitalized in AP Style?
In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. If that sounds like a lot to remember, think of it this way instead: as a general rule of thumb, any word that's three letters or less should not be capitalized.
How to write PhD in AP Style?
Abbreviations for degrees, such as Ph. D. or M.S., should only be used after a full name and set off by commas. Avoid abbreviating degrees in general references. Instead, write out “bachelor's degree” or “master's degree” unless mentioning the specific degree.
Do you capitalize chairman in AP style?
Chairman, chairwoman: Capitalize as a formal title before a name; do not capitalize as a casual position. Do not use chairperson, chair or co-chair unless it is the organization's formal title for an office.
Why are job titles not capitalized?
Capitalizing Job Titles
In general, titles that come before names are capitalized, and titles that come after names are lowercase. The thing you have to figure out is whether the word is part of an official title (in which case it is capitalized) or just describing someone's role (in which case it is lowercase).
Is superintendent capitalized AP style?
The AP style guide provides clear rules for how to format titles. In general, you should use lowercase letters unless the title is a proper noun. The titles of people should be capitalized, as well as the names of groups and written works.
How do you write a professors name with a PhD?
- Written: “Dear Dr. \[Last Name],”
- Verbal: “Dr. \[Last Name]” or “Professor \[Last Name]” if they hold a professorship.
Can you put BS after your name?
Spelling out and abbreviating academic degrees
Lowercase the name of the academic program (e.g. Bachelor of Arts in psychology) Spell, space and abbreviate like this: Bachelor of Arts / B.A. Bachelor of Music / B.M. Bachelor of Science / B.S.
Is faculty capitalized?
Capitalize the full name of the faculty or department; capitalize when it's clear the reference is to a faculty or department rather than a field or discipline; lowercase the partial or informal version. Do not capitalize faculties, schools, departments, or offices when referring to more than one.