Penn State Altoona Degree Offerings

Click here for a listing of all degrees offered at Penn State Altoona

Proper Names and Abbreviation of Academic Degrees

If you spell out, use:

  • associate degree; baccalaureate degree, bachelor's degree; master's degree; doctoral degree, doctorate; bachelor of arts, master of science, doctor of philosophy

If you abbreviate, use:

  • degrees with periods and without spaces: B.A.; M.S.; Ph.D.; M.Mus.; M.Eng.; M.B.A.; D.Ed.; J.D.; M.D., etc.
  • Plural of B.A., M.A., Ph.D., and other abbreviations with periods: B.A.'s; M.A.'s; Ph.D.'s, etc.

Use B.A., M.A., Ph.D., and other degree abbreviations primarily in listings, such as departmental faculty rosters:

  • Alicia Kwanda, professor of physiology, B.A., Temple University; M.S., Syracuse University.

It's more readable in regular text to spell the degrees out:

  • He earned a bachelor of science degree in physics.
  • She earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry.