Pre-nominal letters
Encyclopedia
Pre-nominal letters are a title
which is placed before the name of a person as distinct from a post-nominal
title which is placed after the name. Examples of pre-nominal titles, for instance professional titles include: Doctor
, Captain, Eur Ing (European Engineer), Ir (Ingenieur
) and Professor
; whilst other common social titles are Mr.
, Master
, The Honorable, Ms.
, Mrs.
and Miss
. Pre-nominal letters are generally social
, but can be professional
in nature (e.g. Eur Ing).
an countries all academic degree
s were traditionally pre-nominal.
For example, pre-nominal academic degrees in German-speaking countries include: Dipl.-Ing.
(Master's degree in Engineering), Dipl.-Kfm.
(Master's degree in management), Dipl.-Phys. (Master's degree in physics), Dr.-Ing. (German doctorate
in engineering), Ing., Dr.med. (German doctorate
in Medicine) and Mag. (Austrian Master's degree (Magister) in all disciplines except engineering). In Finland, all academic degrees are pre-nominals.
Pursuant to the Bologna process
, most of these pre-nominal degrees will be replaced by post-nominal Bachelor's and Master's degrees; but people who held academic degrees before the Bologna process may continue to use the pre-nominal academic degrees. In contexts where pre-nominal academic letters are used, such degrees may be placed prenominally for consistency (for example, 'MMathPhil Marcos Cramer').
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
which is placed before the name of a person as distinct from a post-nominal
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
title which is placed after the name. Examples of pre-nominal titles, for instance professional titles include: Doctor
Doctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
, Captain, Eur Ing (European Engineer), Ir (Ingenieur
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
) and Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
; whilst other common social titles are Mr.
Mr.
Mister, usually written in its abbreviated form Mr or Mr. , is a commonly used English honorific for men under the rank of knighthood. The title derived from master, as the equivalent female titles, Mrs., Miss, and Ms, all derived from the archaic mistress...
, Master
Master (form of address)
Master is an archaic masculine title or form of address in English.- In English and Welsh society :Master was used in England for men of some rank, especially "free masters" of a trade guild and by any manual worker or servant employee to his employer , but also generally by those lower in status...
, The Honorable, Ms.
Ms.
Ms. or Ms is an English honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman. According to The Emily Post Institute, Ms...
, Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs or Mrs. is a honorific used for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title, such as Dr, Lady, or Dame. In most Commonwealth countries, a full stop is not used with the title...
and Miss
Miss
Miss is an English language honorific traditionally used only for an unmarried woman . Originating in the 17th century, it is a contraction of mistress, which was used for all women. A period is not used to signify the contraction...
. Pre-nominal letters are generally social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
, but can be professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
in nature (e.g. Eur Ing).
Academic degrees
In some Continental EuropeContinental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
an countries all academic degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
s were traditionally pre-nominal.
For example, pre-nominal academic degrees in German-speaking countries include: Dipl.-Ing.
Engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering that is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, and a few institutions in the United States....
(Master's degree in Engineering), Dipl.-Kfm.
Diplom
A Diplom is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland , Greece, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Ukraine...
(Master's degree in management), Dipl.-Phys. (Master's degree in physics), Dr.-Ing. (German doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in engineering), Ing., Dr.med. (German doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Medicine) and Mag. (Austrian Master's degree (Magister) in all disciplines except engineering). In Finland, all academic degrees are pre-nominals.
Pursuant to the Bologna process
Bologna process
The purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
, most of these pre-nominal degrees will be replaced by post-nominal Bachelor's and Master's degrees; but people who held academic degrees before the Bologna process may continue to use the pre-nominal academic degrees. In contexts where pre-nominal academic letters are used, such degrees may be placed prenominally for consistency (for example, 'MMathPhil Marcos Cramer').