Academic titles in English. English Abbreviations: Degrees in North America. Academic titles and positions

Often one has to face the need to translate the names of various positions, titles, degrees, etc. in documents. In some cases, the translation is obvious, but sometimes you have to break your head, since there is no direct analogue in the language pair.

Below is a table of the most common names of various positions, titles, degrees with translation into English, as well as an indication of the accepted abbreviation for English language. It will certainly come in handy for translators in their work.

If you have your interesting options translation or other commonly used dictionary pairs, share, send us through the "Feedback" section, indicating "Positions, titles, degrees" in the subject line. We will complete this table.

Position / Degree / Rank Position / Degree / Title Reduction / Short
Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Dr. sci. (Phys.–Math.)
PhD in Economics Candidate of Economics Cand. sci. (Econ.)
Academician Academician
Professor Professor Prof.
Assistant professor Associate Professor Assoc. Prof.
Chairman chair (of …)
Director director(of...) Dir.
Deputy Director Deputy Director Dep. Dir.
Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Member, Russian Academy of Sciences
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Corresponding Member,
Russian Academy of Sciences
Chief Editor Editor-in-Chief
Deputy Chief Editor Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Executive Secretary assistant editor Asst. Ed.
Laboratory manager Head of (the) Laboratory (of ...)
Head of department Head of (the) Department (of ...)
Senior Researcher Senior Researcher
Leading Researcher Leading Researcher
Bachelor Bachelor B
Bachelor (in) Commerce Bachelor of Commerce b.com.
Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science B. Sc.
master Master M
Master of Business Administration Master of Business Administration MBA
Master of Science Master of Science M. Sc.
M.A Master of Arts MA
Chief Executive Officer (in Western
companies - an analogue of the General Director)		 Chief Executive Officer CEO
Chief Financial Officer (in Western
companies - an analogue of the Financial Director)		 Chief Financial Officer CFO
CEO General Director / Director General
Deputy General Director Deputy General Director
Head of department/department department head
Service manager Head of Service
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentially
Chairman of the State Duma
Federal Assembly		 Chairman of the State Duma
of the Federal Assembly
Judge of the Supreme Court Justice of the Supreme Court
State Advisor to the Customs Service Customs Service Councilor of State
Adviser of the Customs Service, 1st rank Customs Service Councilor of the 1st Rank
Customs Inspector Customs Service Inspector
State Counselor of Justice 2nd class State Councilor in Justice of the 2nd Class
Valid State
legal adviser		 Actual Councilor in Justice
State Councilor 1st class State Councilor of the 1st Class
Civil Service Advisor 3rd class State Service Councilor of the 3rd Class
Civil service assistant 2nd class State Service Assistant of the 2nd Class
Deputy Chairman of the Committee
State Duma for Security		 Deputy Chairman of the
State Duma's Security Committee
His/Your Excellency His/Your High Excellence
His/Your Excellency His/Your Excellence
His/Your Highness His/Your High Ancestry
His/Your Honor His/Your High Nobleness
His/Your Honor His/Your Nobleness

"9.1.2. The following is a list of common personal titles often encountered in Interperiodica texts, with their correct translation and abbreviation (if any).
Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Sciences — Doctor of Physics and Mathematics—Dr. sci. (Phys.–Math.)
Candidate of Economics Sciences—Candidate of Economics—Cand. sci. (Econ.)
Academician
Professor—Professor—Prof.
Associate Professor—Assoc. Prof.
Chairman—Chair (of …)
Director—Director (of …)—Dir.
Deputy Director—Deputy Director—Dep. Dir.
Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences—Member, Russian Academy of Sciences
Corresponding Member, Russian Academy of Sciences
Editor-in-Chief
Deputy Head. Editor—Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Executive Secretary—Assistant Editor—Asst. Ed.
Head of (the) Laboratory (of …)
Head of (the) Department (of …)
Senior Researcher—Senior Researcher
Leading Researcher—Leading Researcher"

Variants of business cards "Senior Research Fellows":

Senior Scientist (Philips)
Chief Researcher (AsahiKASEI)
Senior Principal Staff Scientist (Motorola)
Dipl. Physicist (MICRONAS)
Dipl. Chemist (MICRONAS)
Principal Scientist (Polyclad Technologies)
Sr. Scientist (TEL)
Research associate (Hiroshima univ.)

However, the translations of academic degrees imposed in the above-mentioned system should definitely not be used for the following reasons:
1. "Doctor of Science" in the understanding of Soviet (Russian) science is practically nowhere in the world now. Until the middle of the last century, such a degree existed in England and was designated as 'D.Sc.' (in the USA everything is simplified a bit and simply written 'DSc'), i.e., Doctor of Science (the field of science is indicated in brackets: Physics, Chemistry, etc.). When they write ‘Dr. Sci.' turns out to be some kind of incomprehensible (indistinct) thing for English-speaking people, which is not so harmless.
2. 'PhD' corresponds to 'Ph.D.' in the West ('PhD' in the USA), and not some incomprehensible to English-speaking people 'Cand. Sci.’ If the Soviet (Russian) candidate of sciences is designated ‘Cand. Sci.', it may not be very adequately perceived in the West - at best, as some kind of analogue of a 'master' ('M.Sc.' or 'MSc'). Accordingly, if the Soviet (Russian) Doctor of Science is designated as ‘Dr. Sci.', it can only be understood as 'Ph.D.' or 'PhD', i.e., 'Doctor of Philosophy' (the field of science is indicated in brackets), which is the highest scientific degree in the west (here I do not consider system of the academy of sciences). As you know, people with this degree (not necessarily a doctor) can write ‘Dr.’ in their business cards before their first name (surname).
3. We know that the ‘doctor of science’ is definitely higher than the ‘candidate of sciences’. Sciences’, but this is deliberately(!) not understood in the West. Thus, 'Cand. Sci.' and 'Dr. Sci.' DECREASE the meaning of the Soviet (Russian) scientific degrees of candidate and doctor of science.

Habilitation

Habilitation(or habilitation, habitation, from lat. habilis- capable, fit) - the procedure that follows after the award of the first degree of Ph.D.

It exists in the European continental academic system (in countries such as Germany, France, Austria), many of whose features were borrowed by the Russian and Soviet system of postgraduate education.

In a certain sense, this degree is similar in a number of parameters to the defense of a doctoral dissertation in Russia, since after passing the habilitation, the applicant is awarded the title habilitated doctor (doctor habilitatus, Dr. habil.), which gives the right to hold a professorship at the university. However, it is worth noting that the title of habilitation is not a separate academic degree, but a qualification in addition to the PhD degree, which allows one to hold the post of university professor.

In Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, after secession from the USSR, the European gradation of scientific degrees was introduced. In this regard, candidates of sciences and doctors of sciences automatically became doctors of philosophy. In order to separate former Doctors of Science from Candidates, Doctors of Science were automatically habilitated.

The education system of English-speaking countries is fundamentally different from the Russian one. Therefore, when translating scientific statuses, confusion often arises. In this article we will describe the Russian-English correspondences in this area.

One of the most important indicators of scientific qualification is degree degree. In English-speaking countries, the successful completion of a three- or four-year course of study at a higher educational institution, as a rule, leads to obtaining Bachelor's degree Bachelor's degree:
Bachelor of Science, abbr. B.Sc./B.S. (natural Sciences)
Bachelor of Arts, abbr. A.B./B.A. (humanitarian sciences)
Bachelor of Fine Arts, abbr. B.F.A. (art)
Bachelor of Business Administration, abbr. B.B.A. (control)

The bachelor's degree is often referred to in English-speaking countries first degree. For example, a scientist who has received a new specialization might say this:
I got my first degree in physics and then I switched over to the field of chemistry.

AT Russian universities, the bachelor's degree is awarded to a graduate with a four-year cycle of study (bachelor) who has passed state examinations.
Students who continue their studies after receiving the first degree ( graduate/postgraduate students) may qualify for master's degree:
Master of Science, abbr. M.S.
Master of Arts, abbr. M.A.
Master of Fine Arts, abbr. M.F.A.

To obtain this degree, the student must attend lectures and participate in research for a year or two, after which they pass a series of examinations and, as a rule, submit dissertation thesis.

AT Russian universities, the master's degree is awarded to a graduate with a five- or six-year cycle of study who has completed and defended a graduation project. It should be borne in mind that the word use of the word diploma by analogy with the Russian word diploma(certificate of graduation) incorrectly and may lead to an inaccurate understanding by the interlocutor of your thought, since in English-speaking countries the completion of the course with obtaining diploma usually less honorable than getting degree. Speaking of higher education, should be used degree. For example, someone with a degree in engineering physics might say:
I have a master's degree in physics.

The next degree in English-speaking countries is PhD degree Doctor of Philosophy, abbr. PhD. It is awarded in both the natural sciences and the humanities. The word Philosophy should not confuse the Russian speaker, since initially it had a more general meaning in English “science in general”, which in this case has survived to the present day. The holder of this degree can be, for example, a mathematician:
I left England to go to the USA to be a student of advanced mathematics. In the USA I earned the degree of Master of Science and also Doctor of Philosophy.

Often referred to as a Ph.D. doctoral degree/doctor's degree/doctorate:
I studied at a college in California for my bachelor's degree and my master's degree. Then I got my doctoral degree at the University.

The applicant for this degree conducts an original Scientific research usually as part of a special curriculum Ph. D. program/studies, takes exams and presents doctoral thesis/dissertation. As a rule, a researcher starts working on a doctoral dissertation after receiving a master's degree:
I am twenty-six years old and have just completed my master's degree in science. And I'm going to begin my Ph. D. program next September in the USA.

Scholars often refer to master's degree and doctor advanced/graduate/higher degree:
After graduation from the University I received a higher degree in mathematics at Florida University.

A scientist may hold several degrees in different fields and from different educational institutions:
I have graduate degrees from the American University and the University of Miami in Florida.

It is generally accepted that the degree of Doctor of Philosophy corresponds to the Russian degree of Candidate of Sciences. The concept of the academic degree of a candidate of sciences can be expressed, for example, by the word doctorate:
I got my doctorate in economics two years ago.
Type Combinations candidate's degree/candidate of sciences or candidate of chemistry/candidate of chemical science(s) etc. may not be understood, as this is a literal translation from Russian. Their use is acceptable only with an explanation.

Not in favor of literal translation Russian phrase candidate of science as candidate of science(s) Without proper explanation, two circumstances speak.

First of all, it can be interpreted by a native English speaker as bachelor of science, master of science and thus give the impression that you work in the field of natural sciences, which may not be true.

Secondly, it should be taken into account that the word candidate is often used in Ph.D. doctoral candidate, where it indicates that the researcher is working on a doctoral thesis, i.e. I haven't received my doctorate yet. Combination doctoral candidate can be a good equivalent to the Russian concept applicant(for the degree of Doctor of Science).
Now I am an applicant for the degree of Doctor of Mathematical Sciences. – Now I am a doctoral candidate in mathematics.

Accordingly, to designate the concept graduate student along with phrases graduate/postgraduate student combination can also be used doctoral student especially when you consider that it more accurately conveys the position of a graduate student as a researcher working on a dissertation corresponding to a doctoral dissertation in English-speaking countries. The point is that combinations graduate student(Amer.) and postgraduate student(Brit.) are used to refer to students who can work in programs leading to a degree, both a Ph.D. and a master's degree. Along with the PhD degree, there are a number of honorary doctorates in English-speaking countries. honorary/higher/senior doctorates,Honor Doctor, Honor degree or Doctor honoris causa awarded for long-term and fruitful scientific activity. Among them are the degrees: Doctor of Science, abbr. D. Sc.(natural Sciences); Doctor of Letters, abbr. Lett.D.(humanitarian sciences); Doctor of Laws, abbr. L.L.D.(jurisprudence). They do not require special research or writing a dissertation and are awarded on the basis of merit to well-known scientists.

A scientist may hold several or even many honorary doctorates. Combination senior doctorate can convey the Russian concept doctorate degrees.

However, it should be understood that to obtain a doctoral degree in Russia, it is necessary to write a dissertation, as well as a monograph. When using combinations like Doctor of Science / Doctor of the Sciences / Doctor of History / Doctor of Technical science(s) for the transfer of a doctorate degree, explanations should also be given. In particular, it can be emphasized that the degree of Doctor of Science is the highest academic degree in our country, and many of its holders have the title of professor:
The Russian Doctor of Science degree is the highest research degree in this country. Many scientists having that degree are professors.

Except research degrees English-speaking countries also have professional doctorates, which are assigned to specialists of certain qualifications in a number of areas:
Doctor of Medicine, abbr. M.D. (the medicine)
Juris Doctor, abbr. J.D. (jurisprudence).

In English-speaking countries, the holder of a professional degree necessarily has a qualification that meets the requirements put forward for specialists of this plan by the relevant professional association. For example, obtaining a Juris Doctor degree in the United States typically requires first completing a bachelor's degree and then successfully completing a three-year law school; for a Doctor of Medicine degree - a bachelor's degree and complete a four-year medical school and internship. Thus, it can be said that professional degrees in English-speaking countries correspond to Russian diplomas of doctors and lawyers, although they take longer to obtain and cannot be used as equivalents to Russian degrees of candidates and doctors of medical and legal sciences. Holders of these degrees must take this circumstance into account and, if necessary, give, for example, the following explanation:
I have a degree which we call Doctor of Medical Science degree. It is our senior research doctoral degree in this field.

Word " chair", often used in Russian translations to mean "department", has no such meaning, but means a managerial ("head") or professorial position at the university.

Here is the Macmillan dictionary definition: "CHAIR - the position or job of being a professor in a university - He held the Chair of Botany at Cambridge for 30 years" - Which can be translated: "He was the chief botanist at Cambridge for 30 years ").

Another example where it says that "chair" is a title ("title"): "University Research Chairs: The University of Waterloo owes much of its reputation and stature to the quality of its professors and their scholarly accomplishments. University of Waterloo recognizes exceptional achievement and pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge through the designation "University Research Chair" - a title which may be held for up to seven years, with the possibility of a re-nomination. title will receive either a teaching reduction of one course per year or an annual stipend of $10,000, which will be allocated to the Department/School if teaching reduction is chosen. other major research chair is awarded."

The following example shows that the position of "Department Chair" roughly corresponds to the position of the head of the department: "What a Department Chair Can-and Can" t-Do: The responsibilities and limits of power for heads of college departments vary greatly. Every department at a college has one: a chair who, typically, is a faculty member in that department, assigned by the dean to manage the department."

The duties of the "Department Chair" (head of department) are described on the website of the University of Wisconsin: "Department Chair Role and Responsibilities: The chair is responsible for facilitating the operation of a department, the fundamental academic unit within the university. Description of the chair" s roles and responsibilities must be understood in the overall context of responsibility and accountability. ... The chair facilitates the management of the department. To carry out this responsibility, the chair oversees, directly or indirectly, the daily progress towards achieving teaching, research, and service goals as set out in the department's plan. With the Chair's leadership and facilitation, faculty members provide students the educational opportunity necessary to be prepared for meaningful personal and professional lives. To this end, the chair plays an important role in providing the dean/provost, through the budget and planning process, with class schedules, program plans and estimates of resources needed to carry out department functions."

Thus, all the above examples prove that "chair" in the context of higher education refers to the position or title of a person and cannot be translated into Russian as a "department".

Higher education abroad, no doubt, is considered prestigious and opens up brilliant career prospects. What do you need to know if you are considering studying in North America? First of all, speaking of North America, as a rule, we mean universities, institutes and colleges in the USA and Canada. According to the data of the three leading world university rankings, namely: World University Rankings from QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking) and the National Ranking of US Universities, US educational institutions occupy the first positions, and Canadian educational institutions are among the twenty best universities in the world. Impressive, isn't it?

When watching foreign films and series, you may have noticed that the main characters refer to a person as a "doctor", although the person has nothing to do with medicine. This is due to the degree that a person received in a higher educational institution. I propose to watch an excerpt from the series "The Big Bang Theory" (" The Big Bang Theory”), which shows this moment.

So, 4 people have a Ph.D. degree, one has a master's degree, so he is "Mr. Wolowitz." Let's look at these degrees and compare them with the Russian education system for greater clarity and understanding.

Academic degrees in Russia

As we all know, in 2003 Russia joined the Bologna Process. In short, we can say that the Bologna Declaration and the accession of many countries to this process served as an impetus for the “leveling” of the higher education system in different countries. Until 1999 (the year the Bologna Declaration was created), higher education varied greatly even in neighboring countries. So people who graduated from a university in one country could not work in their profession in another country due to the fact that the diploma of another country was not recognized by this state. The Bologna process was created to make the level of education approximately the same in different countries. Thus, the leaders of the University of Bologna planned, on the one hand, to enable people to study abroad, and on the other hand, to make the diploma standard so that we could work in the profession anywhere. Whether it was possible to make the diploma standard is a matter for another article, but many aspects of our system of academic degrees coincide with the European and American systems.

In the West, there are 3 main types of academic degrees:

  1. Bachelor - Bachelor.
  2. Master - Master.
  3. Ph.D - Doctor of Philosophy(the word "philosophy" is used conditionally, in fact, all sciences are meant).

In Russia, there is still a mixed system, i.e. we already have bachelors and masters, as well as specialists (from the old education system), but instead of doctors of philosophy, we receive degrees of candidates and doctors of science.

US degrees

In the US education system, there are 5 levels of academic degrees:

  1. Associate Degree - associate degree.
  2. Bachelor degree - Bachelor's degree.
  3. Professional degrees - First Professional Degrees.
  4. Master's degree - Master's degree.
  5. Doctorate Degree - doctoral degree.

Before we take a closer look at each of the levels, I want to invite you to watch a fascinating video from native speaker Jonathan about the abbreviations (abbreviations) used in job names, for example: B.C.E., B.F.A., M. Agr., Ph.D. etc. This is exactly what we do not have, so it is sometimes difficult for us to determine or decipher who a person is by profession.

So, now we know that abbreviations are used solely to shorten the name of a particular degree, since English is a rather compact language, so this desire for compactness is also shown in the names of academic degrees.

Now let's look at each degree in more detail.

  1. Associate Degree (associate degree) - can be obtained at the end of a two-year basic higher education. Associate Degree Examples:
  • Associate of Arts (A.A.) - Associate of Humanities.
  • Associate of Science (A.S.) - Associate of Exact Sciences.
  • Bachelor degree (Bachelor's degree) - higher education, which can be obtained after 3-5 years of study (the most popular are four-year programs). Bachelor's Degree Examples:
    • Bachelor of Civil Engineering (B.C.E.) - Bachelor of Civil Engineering.
    • Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) - Bachelor of Fine Arts.
  • professional degree (First Professional Degree). After receiving a bachelor's degree, it is necessary to undergo additional training for 3-4 years, but only in those areas where a license is required to carry out professional activities. Professional degrees are awarded in the following areas: chiropractic, dentistry, law, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacology, physiotherapy, podiatry, theology, veterinary medicine.
    • Region Degrees Translating to Russian language
    Chiropractic ( chiropractic) D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic)
    D.C.M. (Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine)     		Doctor of Chiropractic
    Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine
    Dentistry ( dentistry) D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery)
    D.M.D. (Doctor of Dental Medicine)     		Doctor of Dentistry
    Jurisprudence
    (law)     		L.L.B. (Bachelor of Laws)
    J.D. (Juris Doctor)     		Bachelor of Laws
    Doctor of Jurisprudence
    The medicine ( medicine) M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) M.D
    Occupational Therapy ( occupational therapy) O.T.D. (Doctor of Occupational Therapy) Doctor of Occupational Therapy
    Pharmacology ( pharmacy) Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) Doctor of pharmacology
    Theology
    (theology)     		M.Div. (Master of Divinity)
    M.H.L. (Master of Hebrew Literature)
    B.D. (Bachelor of Divinity)     		Master of Theology
    MA in Hebrew Literature
    Bachelor of Theology
    Veterinary ( veterinary medicine) D.V.M. / V.M.D. (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

    The names of some degrees contain the term "Doctor", but to obtain them not a research paper or dissertation is required, so should not be confused with a Ph.D. ( Ph.D. – Doctor of Philosophy), which roughly corresponds to a PhD degree in Russia.

  • Master's degree (Master's degree) - postgraduate stage, where training, as a rule, is 2 years. Master's Degree Examples:
    • Master of Social Work (M.S.W) - Master of Social Work.
    • Master of Agriculture (M. Agr.) - Master of Agricultural Sciences.
  • Doctorate degree (doctoral degree) - the next degree after the master's degree, is intended for the preparation of research scientists and future teachers of colleges and universities. Doctor degree examples:
    • Doctor of Arts (D.A.) - Doctor of Humanities.
    • Doctor of Literature (D.lit.) - Doctor of Literature.

    Degrees in Canada

    Educational institutions in Canada offer students the following programs:

    1. The average special education(1-3 years, with a diploma or certificate);
    2. Bachelor's degree (3-4 years, with the award of a bachelor's degree);
    3. Master (1-3 years, with the award of a master's degree);
    4. Doctorate (at least 3 years, with the award of a doctoral degree).

    Secondary specialized education can be obtained at Community Colleges ( community colleges) and Institutes ( institutes). at university colleges university colleges) and universities ( Universities) can earn a bachelor's degree. Master's and PhD programs are broadly similar to those in the US.

    So we looked at the varieties of degrees in North America. With more detailed information and features of a particular educational institution you will get to know each other immediately after you decide on the choice of profession and a particular educational institution.

    Finally, I suggest watching a video where Dr. Cooper, already known to us, talks about his academic merits and degrees. Were you able to make out all the degrees?

    If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

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