Appropriate listing of academic credentials

I am aware of the UNISA doctoral thread which addressed designation. I also saw one person who questioned whether they could use Ph.D. instead of DBA because they didn't want it to be construed as "doing business as."

 

It could also be mentioned that about a year ago UNISA changed all their doctoral designations to PhD in order to fit in with international standards.

 

There are minor adjustments and then there are misleading claims.

An MA/MS to an MBA would be misleading, it's an entirely different degree.

But if you had, say the MA in Professional Development from Amberton and framed it as an interdisciplinary MA, I don't think you're crossing the line. It is an interdisciplinary MA. The official title is, in that regard, somewhat misleading. It sounds like an OD degree even though you might have cobbled the credits together in religion and art history.

The UNISA doctorate, you are right to point out, would be improper to adjust to a PhD. But I'd say that you can call something a PhD even if your school refers to it as a DPhil.

Where things start to get shady would be like the Case Western Reserve Master of Science in Social Administration. It isn't an MSW. But it is CSWE accredited as being an MSW equivalent. So it is licensure qualifying just like an MSW. The problem should be obvious. No one hiring MSWs is used to looking for alternate degree titles and many people try to force their degree as being "equivalent."

Were I in that situation I'd likely explain it In the cover letter or even include it in the education section itself.

But there are folks who have an MBA from a school that awarded it as an MSBA. In those cases, I'd say you're OK making the shift. The MSBA is an MBA. An MA/MS in Management is not.

It isn't about equivalency. It is, as you say, about honesty. List it as it was awarded. If, however, it was awarded in some weird way that misrepresents itself then minor adjustments, or further explanation, should be fine. I cannot imagine holding it against an applicant if they described the amberton MA as an interdisciplinary masters on their resume rather than using the full title. It is an interdisciplinary masters. The problem usually comes up when you tell me you have an MBA and I discover you actually have an MS in Educational Leadership ("But, it's an MBA for school professionals!").

I guess I just see a fine line between claiming something you didn't earn and trying to clearly communicate what you have earned, in some cases.