How to Use Dr and PhD with a Name
In English, as in many other languages, professional titles have abbreviations. These are for writing convenience but people will sometimes annunciate them while speaking. Two of these, Dr and PhD, are very common references when talking about the specific name of a doctor.
Therefore, it means you’re referring to people and in this case, it’s a college-trained and licensed individual who practices things like medicine, psychology, science, mathematics or some other field of study. But, like with most other things in English grammar, there is a particular use of Dr and PhD.
To use “Dr” to indicate a doctor, most particularly in the fields of medicine and science, you will put it before a person’s name. You can indicate first and last name. But, if you want to be casual or informal, you can use Dr before only mentioning a first name.
Use only a last name after the “Dr to be formal or informal depending on the circumstances. This will often accompany a period (.) after the abbreviation of Dr.
Dr. Michael Yeadon
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny
Dr. Carrie is my physician.
Dr. Maloney has been a scientist for 35 years.
There are some people who receive doctorate degrees, the highest education one can receive in any given subject. While they are doctors, they aren’t medical, scientific or psychological doctors. For instance, they could have a doctorate in things like politics, journalism, economics or some other such thing.
Therefore, you say or write their name and follow it with PhD. to indicate Doctor of Philosophy. But, you can also use it to be superbly formal with a medical or scientific doctor. This means you can use both Dr and PhD in the same line. But, here, you will add a comma (,) after the last name.
Sarah Kimmons PhD
Dr. Shane Ammora, PhD
Mnemonic Device
To remember where to use Dr versus PhD, is that Dr will always come before a name and PhD will appear after. However, both can appear around the same name. Therefore, the following example is a visual for those who memorize best that way:
Dr. DOCTOR, PhD
Whenever you want to write or mention the name of someone who’s a doctor, you’ll either use Dr or PhD to indicate their title. But, Dr comes before and PhD will be after.
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Can a PhD be called Doctor? Doctoral Degree Titles
If someone holds a PhD, they are able to call themselves Doctor. The doctor title is very prestigious and often projects expertise and respect in those who decide to use it.
A person with a PhD can be called Dr. However, many people with PhD degrees choose not to use their official titles unless they are communicating in an official capacity or are working in a professional role where they use their PhD.
I reserve the use my PhD title when I am giving a talk as it provides immediate credibility whereas, I do not often use my doctor title in many other instances.
When I first got my PhD I used my doctor title a lot more than I do now. I guess, the novelty has worn off and I have decided that it is not something that defines who I am as a person and, therefore, I would only use it in an official capacity.
Should PhDs use the title “doctor” after their doctorate?
It is a personal choice for a PhD holder to use the title of “doctor”.
In many countries, it is common practice to use the title when referring to someone with a doctoral degree.
The title of doctor holds a significant level of prestige, and it generally signifies a high level of education and expertise in a particular field. Which is why it is important to use it in an official capacity.
Those who have earned a PhD have spent many years researching, writing and defending their work and have earned the right to use the title if so desired.
The title of doctor can also be used by medical professionals, and it is important to clarify the intended meaning when using the title to avoid confusion.
The decision to use the title of doctor is a personal one that should be made with an understanding of its significance and potential implications.
Even though the original use of the doctor title was for scholars, nowadays there are several different professional qualifications that can use the doctor title.
There are many honorific doctor titles, including those found in the table below.
The use of the doctor term for many healthcare-related qualifications can cause a fair bit of confusion about what qualification the person has achieved.
If you have any doubt about what degree a person holds look at the letters after their name.
If you want to know more about the doctor title check out my other article:
- How to use the PhD title and all the little doctorate “rules”
- Is a PhD a Doctor? [The full guide]
When can a PhD student be called doctor? After their dissertation?
A PhD student can be called doctor after successfully completing all the requirements of their program, including passing their dissertation defense.
More specifically, many universities only allow you to use the doctoral title after confirmation of your degree.
The University of Adelaide says that you can use it from your conferral date:
Students can be conferred on one of five dates during the year and for PhD students the conferral date will be the first available following the completion of all the academic requirements of your degree, including final thesis lodgement and the disbursement of any outstanding financial obligations to the University.
Personally, I felt comfortable using the doctor title as soon as I receive my notification letter from the University referring to me as Dr Stapleton. It was from this moment that I started using the doctor title.
There would be nothing wrong with someone using the doctor title after they have successfully defended their PhD – it just comes down to a matter of personal preference.
The title “Doctor” can still be used informally for those who hold other doctoral degrees such as a JD (Doctor of Law) or an EdD (Doctor of Education).
A PhD student can only be referred as a “Doctor” upon the completion of their doctoral program and after receiving their degree.
Why is PhD called doctor of philosophy?
A Ph.D. is called a Doctor of Philosophy because historically, philosophy was considered the foundation of all knowledge.
The word “philosophy” itself means the love of wisdom, and the pursuit of truth through reason and logic.
In medieval Europe, philosophy encompassed all forms of intellectual inquiry, including:
- mathematics,
- and history.
As universities developed and specialized in particular disciplines, the title of Doctor of Philosophy became associated with the highest level of academic achievement in any field.
This means that a Ph.D. is not limited to the study of philosophy but refers to any individual who has demonstrated the ability to conduct original research in their chosen field and make a significant contribution to advancing knowledge.
A Ph.D. signifies not only mastery of a specific subject but also the ability to think deeply and critically about complex problems. There are now many professional doctorates that include the doctor titleIn recognition of the hard work and deep thinking required to complete.
Wrapping up
Yes, PhD holders can be called Doctor.
Once you’ve completed a PhD and been conferred by your university and institution you can officially use the Dr title before your name and the PhD tag after your name.
Many doctoral degree holders only use their academic title in official settings such as academia and official duties.
Even though I was very excited about receiving my doctor title, after a couple of years the novelty wears off and I only use my official titles in the same way that someone would want to include Mr, Mrs, or Ms.
Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.
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First, you should identify what type of doctor you are addressing. Doctors of medicine and psychology, doctors of dentistry and doctors of veterinary medicine must be …
The actual title "Doctor" means "teacher" (from Latin "doceo", "I teach"). This title is more often more relevant to PhDs than MDs, so you probably have your suggested solution backwards. That said, the solution is really …
Academics rarely use the degree suffix: Because the PhD is so common among academics, we would rarely use this suffix outside of a CV. It is common for academics to use titles (e.g., Dr, Assoc Prof, Prof, etc.) in descriptions such as a signature block, staff page, etc.
It's actually exactly the opposite: "doctor" is Latin for "teacher" and the title originally had no special connection with medicine. Instead, a doctor was anyone qualified to teach at a university (in medieval Europe teaching qualifications were typically determined by the church).
The proper title for a PhD is Doctor of Philosophy. However, some teachers and professors like to be referred to without their official title. If you are not sure about how your professor, lecturer, or friend with a PhD wishes to be officially addressed you can ask them.
In the case of a PhD in law, the original mr. title is placed before the dr. title (mr. dr., see e.g. Jan Peter Balkenende). For a person having a law master's degree, but holding a PhD in another field than law the mr. title is placed after the dr. …
To use “Dr” to indicate a doctor, most particularly in the fields of medicine and science, you will put it before a person’s name. You can indicate first and last name. But, if you want to be casual or informal, you can use Dr before only …
A person with a PhD can be called Dr. However, many people with PhD degrees choose not to use their official titles unless they are communicating in an official capacity or are working in a professional role where they use their …
‘Dr. (Surname)’ is the conversational form of her name. Use it both officially and socially in a letter’s salutation as well as in oral conversation. So, for an office name plate use the official form of her name – (Full Name), Ph.D.