weird question about business cards

so this may be a bit of a weird question but this guy gave me his business card the other day, it has his name and after it he had the initials M.A. I asked him what the M.A. was and he told me masters of arts because he got his masters degree. I was a little confused why a military tech rep would put the on his card and i found it odd that anyone would even put that after their name. Is this normal? Do you guys cite all of the your degrees after you name on business cards? the only time I have ever seen this before was MD for medical doctor. let me know if I am living in the dark ages or not because this is really bothering me. thanks

 

It's common to use academic credentials on business cards. I recently saw a vocational-technical counselor who has business cards with MS after his name. He wears those initials with a great deal of pride too!

 

It's actually quite common in the consulting world to see something like this on business cards. Many consultants have MBA or MS and especially if they have their doctorate.

In addition, the use of degrees after your name is very common in the UK (and I think in other European countries).

 

Yep.. I've seen it quite often as well... though it's usually accompanied with the Bachelors degree... ie

John Doe, BSc., Msc.,

Rarely do you encounter John Doe, BSc., and both are dropped (Bachelors and Masters) when one has a Doctorate.

 

I never listed my degrees but when I had technical responsibility I listed MCSE on my business card.

 

Ditto on listing the certs. I have MCSE on my current cards as well. I was wondering it it would be appropriate to add the MS IT next time I have cards made. I think perhaps it's what people feel is appropriate based on their job. I've seen certifications a lot with my technical counterparts, academic credentials with those I know in academia, and medical qualifications from those in that field (MD, RN, BSN, MSN). I've also seen MBA listed several times by management types.

 

I would definitely add your MS IT.

Abner

 

I don't recall ever seeing a bachelors/masters combo.

 

Lawyers will generally list bachelor, master, and LLB as appropriate on business cards. In Canada, a prior undergraduate degree (BA, BSc) is generally required for admission to law school; therefore lawyers consider the undergraduate degree part of their professional qualification. At least that is the reasoning I was given.

 

I never listed my MS-ITM or MBA. Degrees don't mean as much when the person you are speaking to wants to make sure you are current with knowledge.

 

man, I guess I never realized that it is so common before. thanks for teching me a thing or two guys.

 

Being a snob who can't be bothered with business or technical people (chill, guys, I'm joking), I'm not familiar with the customs there.

But here in the U.S., it's fairly common to see an M.A. listed on business cards with some healthcare professionals - audiologists and speech therapists come to mind.

 

MCSE
PMP
MBA

I see these very often, and I see a lot of business cards (domestic US).

MS, MSc., MA, less often but sometimes

PhD, DBA, less still, but have seen

 

My boss refers to listing letters after one's name on a business card as "spaghetti," yet he lists BS and CPM (Certified Public manager; certification program through the State).

In addition to degrees I have seen certifications listed. These include forensic, nursing, massage, and accounting certifications. I am probably more aware of various forensic certifications as that is my line of work.

It doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I suppose if it is relevant it is useful and can save some questions regarding qualifications.

 

I see this quite often outside of the U.S....Canada sometimes but mostly in the UK.

Here's a recent example (name changed to protect the guilty ) from an associate in the UK:

"Joe Smithfield" BA, BSc, MSc, Ph.D., CA

Another from someone here in the States who is an extremely expensive expert witness in the E-Voting/E-Commerce space:

"Billy Bob" A.B., M.A., M.S., M.Phil., Ph.D., J.D.

You read that right..."Billy Bob" has 7 degrees (he has 2 M.S. degrees)....and all from the very top schools (e.g., Princeton, Yale, Vassar, etc).

 

me again, AA, BS (extraordinaire), MA

 

I actually have (given me in London) one of the not-all-that-uncommon African ones reading

Johnson Enibogwu
B.A., London (failed)

One of my favorite crooks was the guy whose card read

John Doe, BA, MD

Turned out he got his BA from the University of Maryland. Period.

 

An extreme:.

Saw a real estate agent sign here in SoCal yesterday(Sunday) for an open open house.


John Doe, Phd, J.D.

See another in the area with Phd. on their signs.

Not sure how that improves your chances of them selling your house in a bad market.

BH