This.
I would also veto hanging it from the rearview mirror of the car.
However, hanging it from the ceiling over the bed would be awesome. 
I have all my military medals and certificates framed in shadow boxes in the staircase. I don’t see how it’s different. To me, it’s just like putting a picture of yourself on the wall. It says “This is me, this is who I am, this is where I’ve been.” That’s what home decor is all about.
I’ve got to say I lean towards this point of view - I think it’s both a bit tacky but harmless. Let me give you an example. My flatmate changed everything with her name on it to “Dr.” when she got her PhD, and insists on bills being sent in that name, to the point of calling them in a huff to complain if they get it wrong. Is it harmless? Totally. Do I think it’s a fairly pointless endavour that is somewhere between lack of self-confidence and gloating, with a side order of a bit needy and pathetic, and throwing in a bit of seeking validation through asserting one’s own supposed superiority? Also yes.
I think what makes it tacky is the fact that, although of course she’s entitled to do this in every way, having earned the PhD, it’s not necessary to rub it in peoples’ faces at every possible opportunity. It’s a bit like being cool - if you have to say you are, you automatically aren’t. My mother, who has the only PhD in my immediate family, only uses “Dr.” when corresponding in an academic context. In personal life, she’s “Mrs.”, and certainly wouldn’t make a fuss if her phone bill was addressed to her as such.
On the other hand, I only have a lowly Master’s (yes, I already have a Howard Wolowitz wobbly-head doll as a present from my SO) so perhaps if I did the 4 years of hard grind that gets me to the point where I can wear the PhD hat, perhaps I’d feel differently. On the other other hand, I only use my MSc certificate for official purposes, and it’s currently sitting in a box under my bed. I would never have it hanging on my wall in my house. Not cool.
Incidentally, the downstairs toilet in my house has traditionally had an MRI of my head, showing off my brain in wonderful slices, so maybe I’m too weird to really comment on this.
Using doctor-doctor everything for a non-medical PHD to me reeks of insecurity. Like continuing to use your military rank after retirement. (My father was retired Air Force and my late H retired Army and neither of them ever did this).
Speaking of doctor, I had a desk nameplate sign made for one of my teachers in college that said
Hehe.
Note: Redundancy doesn’t have the additional meaning/connotation in the US that is does in the UK, namely, of being “made redundant” or laid off.
Almost certainly they do not work at a university, and probably have not been near one since they graduated. Ph.D.s are ten a penny at a university, and boasting about having one would make you look like an idiot.
The license plate is tacky, but there might be circumstances under which it would favorably impress certain people whom you want to impress. The same goes for displaying the hood, I guess.
There’s a car I see around my university (where I am a professor) with the license plate “BLCKPHD.”
No further comment.
“BLCKPHD” is rather more of a distinction, I think.
Hmmm, my being a professional picture framer inclines me to encourage everyone
to frame everything. What happens to the hood if it’s not displayed? In a bin in the attic? In a drawer? What good is that?
If I saw such a frame in a friend’s home office I wouldn’t find it pretentious. In an office setting where several colleagues also have MBAs but aren’t displaying anything other than the degree it would be out of place and might seem like an attention grab.
My boy’s Grandma made him one when he graduated fromteh high skool.
It has his Honors cords, Medals for Valor or bowling, maybe. I’m just not sure.
He’s aiming to be a G-man, so there’s probably more boxes in his future if Grandma can hang in there…
I’m inclined to vote for all three options. A hood is much more colorful and interesting than a diploma, which everyone seems to frame, or a tassel, which I think looks tacky but is often framed or displayed in some manner. I think it’s a shame that someone goes to the trouble of paying for a nice piece of regalia and then can’t even use it as a decoration. OTOH, it is calling attention to one’s own accomplishments, which will always seem pretentious to some, especially when done in an unusual way.
I’ve never managed to get a higher degree, and as a result I probably place a bit too much importance on them. (My parents are an MD and a PhD, so I feel like a little bit of a loser without so much as a Master’s.) If I saw a framed hood in someone’s house, I’d think they take a great deal of pride in themselves and their accomplishments, but I wouldn’t necessarily think less of them, and I’d look at the hood with an appropriate mix of admiration and envy.
If I ever get a hood, I’ll probably think about framing it because of this thread, but I probably won’t because I’d be too afraid of looking pretentious. But I’ll wish I could.
If her hood is anything like mine, its a fire hazard that is falling apart at the seams. Im ashamed to have graduated from my school and the less of the evidence displayed publically the better.
I can not believe that MBA wasn’t already taken!
Some opinions of mine:
- MBA is the least masterful among the masteral programs.
- You don’t see that many Phd hoods. You see only PhD bars on your professors’ togas during commencement exercises.
- You don’t see PhD stickers on cars.
- An entry in your resume and a certified copy of grades attached will do.
Its entirely possible someone’s making a joke -
Maybe the plate was originally (or currently) bought for a car that soaked up all the money that would otherwise have been used on a PHD?
I think it is a great idea. Of course being a researcher on academic costume I think it does not get as much respect as it should in the US. It would be interesting to see the results broken down as US vs. UK where academic dress is much more highly regarded.
It’s pretentious AND harmless, and no one will really care whether she proceeds or not.
I don’t think it’s pretentious, but certainly a bit tacky in an office. IMHO, the only thing that is fully tasteful in an office is relevant professional certifications.
I do think anything goes on a casual family photo wall in a hallway or family room.
At the commencements I’ve attended over the past few years, all the professors with PhD’s had hoods. And the new graduates of the PsyD or PhD program got their on stage from their adviser. Board Members with JD’s also had on their hoods. Agree on #1, 3 and 4.
It’s actually the most masterful of the masters programs.
An MBA is a 2 year masters program. A Phd is a 4-8 year doctorate program. So it’s sort of apples and oranges.