How Many Years in Advance Can One Use a Degree Title?

That's hilarious!

 

use a degree title?

I would have to say not before being admitted to candidacy at least. Anyone, these days it seems, can enroll in a doctoral program - - it's quite another thing to complete it. The last statistics I saw indicated that 50% of those who actually got to the dissertation fail to complete it.

 

Agreed. There have been many people who put ABD on their resume -- and then several years later, it still says ABD because they were never able to finish the dissertation process, due in part to the high attrition rate.

 

I haven't look at online federal job applications in a few years, but in the past, I have seen how they can break it down by credits/years i.e. the application process will state that 30 semester credits is equal to one year.

Can you provide a link to the application process, just out of curiosity?

Understood.

 

Most programs will kick you out if you don't finish in 7-10 years. If you're no longer in the program, then you just take it off your resume. I still think it's fine to state how many doctoral credits you completed because it might come in handy. Many people go straight from a bachelor's to PhD program, so they won't have a master's.

Most federal openings heavily rely on the USAJobs.gov resume. They expect that all of your claimed qualifications be detailed in the resume, or they won't consider you. The application process is usually quick because they'll just ask some supplemental questions. At the graduate level, 18 credits is considered one year of study. This is in line with federal financial aid which considers 9 credits per semester to be full-time in graduate programs.

You have to make an account. A lot of traditional colleges in Texas, and probably around the country, use this system.
https://peoplelink.alamo.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1413046558466

 

I found that my resumes were getting screened out by the computer algorithms in HR. So, I did it as follow:

LA College (Business) AS
LA College (Nursing) AS
Excelsior College (In progress, anticipated graduation 2014) BS

It allowed me to get my resume beyond the computers into the hands of a recruiter. I never had any recruiter question it.

 

It is my understanding that those +30 credits are often at the master's level. They can be from an EdS or doctoral program, but they don't have to be. There are a lot of continuing education courses that are worth graduate credit, but aren't really meant to be part of degree programs. PBS Teacherline, Advancement Courses, Annenberg Learner, and VESi are some of the sources I know of.

 

I had this at one point when I really had no idea when I might finish:
•PhD – Business Administration – Northcentral University – in progress
•Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Risk Management – University of Florida - 2007

and this when I had a better idea of a target date:

•PhD – Business Administration – Northcentral University – expected graduation - 2010
•Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Risk Management – University of Florida - 2007

 

Yes, one doesn't. The purpose of a resume is to indicate what one has done in the PAST, not to project into the future.

If I saw something like what you have in your example come across my desk I'd throw it in the trash because it would tell me that the person doesn't even understand the purpose of a resume or CV. It's about the PAST.

So to use your example it would be OK to say "PhD Candidate" but it would never be OK to just say, "PhD" for a degree you haven't earned yet.

 

Yes, I would generally encourage people to not put the dates on their degree on a resume except for the most recent one if it's within the last five years, absolutely not for anyone over 40. It's a wide open invitation to age discrimination. The date you got the degree is not relevant--the fact you have one it what counts on the resume. If there is some question about the currency of the educational credential that question should come up in the interview. Even in the interview I think the employer is skating on thin ice unless they have a rock solid reason for needing a current credential.

 

I've seen statements that delineate various possibilities (e.g., "in progress" or "completion date" or "expected completion date" or "plan to graduate," etc.), which is why I asked about protocol.

 

I comprehend your motivation but I'd encourage you not to imitate those examples for the reason I explained in my prior post. But of course it is your resume...

 

Trivia question: What is the most famous “11 o’clock number" from a Broadway musical, ever?

The answer, on which nearly knowledgable every theatre geek agrees: “Roses Turn,” from Gypsy.

Which begins . . .

“You either got it, or you ain’t. And boys, I’ve got it!”

I learned from day one that the only acceptable “partial” designation is Ph.D. (Cand.), which one can use at whatever point is acceptable in one’s program (in most cases, upon committee acceptance of your dissertation proposal). The term A.B.D. is ultimately meaningless because of the high drop-out rate in doctoral programs and the notion that some people use that designation forever (without ever actually graduating).

So, since you either got it or you ain’t and, boys, I’ve got it, I think the rest of you are full of what the French might call merde de boeuf. :laugh2:

 

Yes, that is correct. It is a way of rewarding those who have 30 credits beyond the Masters degree after they dropped out of a doctoral program i.e. school districts will oftentimes bump up the teachers pay if they have 30 extra credits after a Masters, soooooo the pursuit of a doctorate results in more money, even if they drop out.

 

Not to worry, jumbodog, the query wasn't in reference to me, I've simply seen the examples I gave listed in several different venues and was curious as to protocol.

The last of my five degrees was completed two years ago and I have no plans to pursue another one.

 

It's understandable that students want to be associated with getting a PhD because of the prestige factor, which is one reason why they develop unique signatures such as:

John Doe, MBA ABD
Doctoral Candidate

John Doe, PhD (graduation expected sometime in XXXX)

John doe, PhD candidate

John Doe
Candidate in PhD Program

John Doe
Extraordinarily gifted PhD Candidate
Degree will naturally be conferred sometime in XXXX (I'm certain)

Et al

However, even though aspiring students "expect to graduate by a certain date," statistics show that over half of them will never be awarded the degree - ever. That's what makes the signature lines so unique.

 

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