# Master's and bachelor's degrees--why the apostrophe s?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masters-and-bachelors-degrees-why-the-apostrophe-s/433866
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 17, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masters-and-bachelors-degrees-why-the-apostrophe-s/433866 "2008-01-17T15:11:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 2

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### Author: ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masters-and-bachelors-degrees-why-the-apostrophe-s/433866/21 "2008-01-20T05:02:23Z")

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[QUOTE=robby]  
Yes.

For whatever reason, that’s a term that registered nurses seem to use. My wife is a nurse, and she uses that term all the time.

Of course, she (and other nurses) also pronounce “centimeter” as “SAHN-tuh-mee-ter.” I don’t know where nurses come up with this stuff.  
[/QUOTE]

So does my father the retired doctor. Must be a medical thing.

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### Author: ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masters-and-bachelors-degrees-why-the-apostrophe-s/433866/22 "2008-01-20T17:36:17Z")

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[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus]  
So does my father the retired doctor. Must be a medical thing.  
[/QUOTE]

I’ve never noticed this in any of the medical personnel (sometimes in training) that I know. Maybe it’s an American medical thing?

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