In letters for business and formal presentations, indicating a degree or professional title you have earned can define your credentials and display your rank. Although the degree etiquette can seem like self-flattery, the countless hours of studying and hard work means you deserve the distinction. By knowing the proper abbreviations for your degree or title, you can add a few important letters after your name to make you stand out from the crowd.
Displaying degree letters after your name
Assess your highest degree. If you hold multiple degrees of different ranking levels, include the highest degree level earned for the particular field. For example, a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree outranks an undergraduate Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. If you have obtained both, list the dominate degree after your name.
Write the abbreviation with the correct punctuation. For example, "Ph.D." represents the abbreviation for a Doctor of Philosophy degree, "M.B.A." represents a Masters of Business Administration degree, and so forth.
Write your first and last name, followed by a comma and the correct abbreviation. For example, a medical doctor would have the title "John Smith, M.D."
If you would like to list two degrees after your name, you can insert commas between the two degrees. For example, if John Smith has a Masters of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) and is a Registered Nurse (R.N.), his displayed name would be: John Smith, M.S.N., R.N.