Skip to main content

“Bachelor’s Degree” or “Bachelors Degree”?

Quick and Dirty Tips
  • Podcasts
    • Grammar Girl
    • Curious State
    • Get-Fit Guy
    • Money Girl
    • Project Parenthood
    • Relationship Doctor
    • Modern Mentor
    • Nutrition Diva
    • Savvy Psychologist
    • Who Knew?
    • Unknown History
    • Modern Manners Guy
  • Books
  • Categories
    • Health & Fitness
    • House & Home
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Pets
    • Education
    • Tech
    • Productivity
    • Business & Career
    • Money & Finance
  • Offers
  • About QDT

What's Hot

The Secret Art of Intimate Communication

September 20, 2023

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Try an Open Relationship

September 20, 2023

Want to Reconnect with Your Partner? Have an Intimate Conversation

September 15, 2023
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Instagram
Quick and Dirty Tips
  • Podcasts
    • Grammar Girl
    • Curious State
    • Get-Fit Guy
    • Money Girl
    • Project Parenthood
    • Relationship Doctor
    • Modern Mentor
    • Nutrition Diva
    • Savvy Psychologist
    • Who Knew?
    • Unknown History
    • Modern Manners Guy
  • Books
  • Categories
    • Health & Fitness
    • House & Home
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Pets
    • Education
    • Tech
    • Productivity
    • Business & Career
    • Money & Finance
  • Offers
  • About QDT
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Instagram opens in a new window Pinterest
Quick and Dirty Tips
You are at:Home » “Bachelor’s Degree” or “Bachelors Degree”?
Grammar Girl

“Bachelor’s Degree” or “Bachelors Degree”?

You just got your degree, but how should you write it? Grammar Girl clears up the misunderstanding.

By Mignon FogartyMay 13, 2021No Comments1 Min Read
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Pinterest opens in a new window LinkedIn opens in a new window Tumblr opens in a new window Email
opens in a new window Apple Podcast Page opens in a new window Spotify Podcast Page opens in a new window Google Podcast Page opens in a new window Amazon Play Podcast Page
a group of graduates holding their diplomas outopens IMAGE file
Share
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Pinterest opens in a new window WhatsApp opens in a new window Email

Dawn wants to know how to write that someone was awarded a degree. Is it “bachelor’s degree,” “bachelors degree,” or “bachelor degree”?

A bachelor is not just a guy who eats out a lot, but also a person of either sex who has earned a type of degree from a university or college. Think of the degree as the property of the bachelor, with the apostrophe-s indicating possession: It is a bachelor’s degree.

The same is true for a master: He or she earns a master’s degree.

You don’t use capital letters, unless you’re writing the formal name of a particular degree:

  • Aardvark earned a bachelor’s degree in ant behavior.
  • Aardvark has a Bachelor of Science Degree in the Behavioral Dynamics of Edible Ants.

The Associated Press recommends “ opens in a new windowassociate degree,” but notes that others may spell it as “associate’s degree.”

opens in a new windowCollege graduatesopens IMAGE file from Shutterstock

Citations

1

, Abbreviations The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. 2017


Click to know more
2

, academic degrees AP Stylebook. 2021


Click to know more
3

, Possessives and Attributives The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. 2017


Click to know more
Mignon Fogarty
  • opens in a new window Facebook
  • opens in a new window Instagram
  • opens in a new window LinkedIn

Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better. Find her on Mastodon.


Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Don't Miss

The Secret Art of Intimate Communication

By Stephen Snyder, MDSeptember 20, 2023

I’m sitting in my office, listening to a patient of mine tell me about something…

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Try an Open Relationship

September 20, 2023

Want to Reconnect with Your Partner? Have an Intimate Conversation

September 15, 2023

10 Ways a 529 College Savings Plan Makes College More Affordable

September 15, 2023

Stay In Touch