# Schools that use unusual or archaic names for degrees **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281 "2016-06-02T03:29:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/21 "2016-06-04T14:36:12Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I do wonder if there is some oddball university where you can get a piece of paper that literally says Bachelor of History (not Bachelor of Arts in History), Master of Chemistry, or Flute Master (not Master of Fine Arts in Flute). There’s probably no Master of Flute, but there’s certainly a Master of Music in Flute Performance. I have both a BMus (we don’t say BM for, uh, clinical reasons) and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. Incidentally, the doctoral degree in applied music is generally a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts). ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/22 "2016-06-04T16:35:17Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The University of Waterloo (in Canada) has M.Math (Master of Mathematics) degrees. Heck, they have B.Math too. And their computer science program offers a B.CS degree. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/23 "2016-06-05T06:16:05Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > Oxford also has a postgraduate law degree called the Bachelor of Civil Law for people with a fist degree in the common law (as opposed to civil law, i.e., the continental European jurisdictions). This leads to the common joke at Oxford that the Bachelor of Civil Law is actually a Master of Common Law. For all practical purposes it’s an LL.M., but the name of the degree comes from a time before academic nomenclature was standardised the way it is today. My father’s degree in physics from Oxford was a D.Phil. rather than a Ph.D. I assumed this was due to some archaic name for the same sort of degree. Or is it because the name was different in the 1940’s? ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/24 "2016-06-06T21:47:30Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > My father’s degree in physics from Oxford was a D.Phil. rather than a Ph.D. I assumed this was due to some archaic name for the same sort of degree. Or is it because the name was different in the 1940’s? Nope, the PhD in Oxford is still the DPhil to this day. ---
**Author:** ![CatastrophicFailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@CatastrophicFailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatastrophicFailure)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/25 "2016-06-06T22:07:23Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Harvard also has AB but “degrees such as” probably means that you already know that. I have an _artium baccalaureus_ from an older liberal arts college in the northeast. I believe many of them still use the Latin for their degrees. A quick check of a few shows Princeton, Mt. Holyoke, Williams and Bryn Mawr all use it. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/26 "2016-06-07T18:43:30Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > Even more unusual is the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) and Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management (BBRM) degree. I’m not sure why these have a unique styling. Professional architecture degrees are either B. Arch. (Bachelor of Architecture, what I have) or M. Arch., and some related fields are set up similarly (Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, etc.). I believe there are Bachelor of Arts or Science degrees with a focus on Architecture, but that’s not a professional degree – you’d need to follow up with an M. Arch to be able to someday become a registered architect. I assume this setup is to make it very clear what is or isn’t a professional degree. ---
**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:** [June 10, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/27 "2016-06-10T03:38:17Z")
I understand that some universities have a degree titled simply “Engineer”, which floats somewhere above the master’s level but below the doctoral rank, and is very similar in that regard to eondition humorously known as A.B.D=All But Dissertation. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/28 "2016-06-10T05:05:22Z")
A number of schools offer the DA (Doctor of Arts); Carnegie Mellon even grants a DA in Mathematics. As for the term ABD being used humorously, recently I’ve seen it in job postings and on resumes. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/29 "2016-06-10T15:38:05Z")
From the OP: > [@](#): > > Harvard also has degrees such as the Scientiae Baccalaureus (SB), equivalent to a BS, and the Artium Liberalium Magister (ALM), equivalent to an MA. MIT also issues a Scientiae Baccalaureus , which they abbreviate as Sc.B. I’ve long suspected it was to get away from the term “BS”, no matter what anyone says, just Governor Dummer Academy is now “The Governor’s Academy”, despite still being officially “Governor Dummer Academy” ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/30 "2016-06-10T20:30:42Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > If you think a Bachelor in History is oddball, I give you a complete list of academic degrees in Germany which will blow your mind (Google translation, which is good enough): > > [Liste akademischer Grade (Deutschland) – Wikipedia](https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FListe_akademischer_Grade_%2528Deutschland%2529&edit-text=) > > (My oddball degree is buried somewhere in the middle). 😉 Jeez, even in English I never heard of ecotrophology–which although admitted as an Engish word, I defy you to explain to someone what you do: [Ecotrophology - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotrophology) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/31 "2016-06-10T20:34:37Z")
Upstream “AB” from Harvard was mentioned: what is this degree? I was told had my Ph.D. proposal been accepted (?not sure what the actual vestment criteria was) I could at least be walking around with some type of letters as a consolation present. Anyone know about that? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/32 "2016-06-10T22:23:47Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Upstream “AB” from Harvard was mentioned: what is this degree?.. It’s a BA. Harvard just likes to be all Latin-y and call it the “Artium Baccalaureus” (“Bachelor of Arts”). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/33 "2016-06-10T22:25:53Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > MIT also issues a Scientiae Baccalaureus , which they abbreviate as Sc.B. > > I’ve long suspected it was to get away from the term “BS”, no matter what anyone says, just Governor Dummer Academy is now “The Governor’s Academy”, despite still being officially “Governor Dummer Academy” BullShit MoreShit PiledHigherandDeeper > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Upstream “AB” from Harvard was mentioned: what is this degree? Artium Baccalaureus, which is just a fancy Latin way to say “Bachelor of Arts.” ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281/34 "2016-06-11T08:30:19Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Jeez, even in English I never heard of ecotrophology–which although admitted as an Engish word, I defy you to explain to someone what you do: [Ecotrophology - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotrophology) The only thing I know about the academic field of “ecotrophology” is that is basically nutritional science blended with some business administration, economics, social science and psychology. In the olden days, they used to describe the graduates as “university-trained housewifes”, but I guess it’s not acceptable anymore to say that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-that-use-unusual-or-archaic-names-for-degrees/756281.md?page=1)