How to abbreviate Doctor of Literature and Philosophy in the US

One would think these transcript evaluators would make a more precise distinction! Perhaps because the Doctor of Commerce is in English it is easy to understand and should be left alone opposed to the other examples I have given from different languages.

It is interesting that the WES website translates it into "equivalent to a PhD". I personally do not claim to know the differences in curriculum or scope but my point is that we have organizations that claim they do. You are saying that just because they give it a "US equivalency", one does not have the ethical privilege to use their interpretation?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Commerce

 

He meant a PhD in a Business Area. UNISA does not grant a PhD in Business but a DComm, DA, etc.

I see Rich's point but the fact is that if I need to market myself in the US, I need to translate my credential to something that the US market understands. A DComm is not so easy to understand, the EdD or DBA are easy to understand.

The WES report would justify me using the letters that the report says. If someone wants to sue me or an employer wants to fire me because misrepresentation, I can easily go to court and justify my letters with a WES report period.

My take is that if the foreign degree designation exists in the US (e.g. DBA) with the same context, then those letters should be used. If the degree doesn't exist in the US, then the letters from a WES report could be used. However, if someone wants to use the WES report letters even when the same degree exists (e.g. a DBA holder from a UK school that was given a PhD by WES), I would have a hard time firing or suing the person for misrepresentation as the person was given the equivalency of a PhD by a WES report.

You can call it a loophole in the system, but I don't think you can prevent a person from using the PhD title in the US if the person has a WES report that states the equivalency. If I am a "Licenciado en Medicina" from a school in Peru but hold a medical license in the US and want to practice Medicine then I get my degree evaluated as an MD in the US, would you put in your resume "BS Medicine, Peru University" or "MD, Peru University"? do you think the person would be hired in the US as an MD if the person uses the right translation of the degree "e.g. BS Medicine"?.

 

Thank you!

 

Even if the foreign credentials are identical (PhD - PhD) or (DBA - DBA) I would still recommend a WES report to demonstrate that the foreign school issued a degree equivalent to a US accredited school! This will help future employers eliminate doubt to the validity of such a degree.

 

Okay, even more reason not to call a DComm a PhD.

 

Imagine trying to explain "DSoSci." Whew!

No, no one is going to get sued or fired, probably. But "equivalent" and "equal to" are entirely different concepts.

Interesting, but because UNISA makes a distinction between the DComm and the PhD, should the holder of the degree respect that distinction? Would I be okay calling my DSoSci a PhD, even though the school that issued it also offers a PhD? (Hypothetically, of course.)

But this last example is completely different. The credential is coming from a system with a different hierarchy and uses completely different terms.

Schools all around the English-speaking world award the PhD, many of whom also award other doctoral designations. Do we just ignore those distinctions? I don't think so.

 

I agree completely.

 

Actually, some British schools award a DSoSci as a higher Doctorate or Post PhD. How can you explain to someone that your degree is higher than a PhD?

If you list your degree as DSoSci, can someone think that this is a higher doctorate and not a professional doctorate?

By the way, WES would evaluate a higher doctorate from a British school as the equivalent to a US PhD. I asked about this to them and got this response. This is not accurate but there is no higher degree than the PhD in the US so I guess the higher doctorate is downgraded for this reason.

 

Yes, but things are a bit more complex than this. In my job hunting for an academic position in the US, I learned that some schools would prefer a PhD over a DBA. As I have a WES report that states that my DBA is the equivalent of a PhD in the US, should I disclose it as a PhD or DBA knowing that some employers will put my CV in the garbage if they know is a DBA? I have some academic friends in the US, they don't know that I hold a DBA but few have mentioned that they would never hire a DBA because they consider it a watered down version of a PhD.

I have always disclosed my degree as a DBA but knowing the amount of snobbery in the US academic world, I wonder if I could just go with the WES designation and disclose it as PhD just to optimize my chances of employment. In any case, I am not planning to apply for any position in the US any time soon but my guess is that most would go with the designation that could benefit them the most if they have the paper work to back it up. It is just letters but it is like comparing a CPA vs CMA, MSc vs MBA, M.Eng vs MSE, etc, many employers have different perceptions of different degree designations although they might be degrees at the same level.

 

No, what I am saying is to disclose what is convenient to you. WES gives you a report that states "The degree holder has the equivalency of a US PhD".

In your resume just disclose exactly what the report states "Doctorate degree from X country (e.g South Africa, Australia, etc). evaluated as the equivalent to a US PhD by WES".

Let the employer ask for more information if they want to, there is no need to volunteer information that will just hinder you.

You are not lying nor deceiving anyone just stating a fact. However, why confuse the employers with designations that might give the impression that your degree is less than a US PhD.

 

On the flip side I can see for example, the holder of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) going to a foreign country and the degree wouldn't be recognized at all! If anything, the US has less rigid standards in the interpretation of foreign degrees and credentials!

 

I agree with both of you. If it was me, I'd just list the DComm and let the conversation begin. (It likely won't make a material difference, though.)

 

You have a point. I would think that the right way for the case of a DComm would be to spell out the full degree in order to avoid people thinking you are hiding something:

Doctor of Commerce (Evaluated as the equivalent of a PhD in the US by WES), University of South Africa

I checked few resumes and it seems that some use the format above:


https://www.elance.com/s/lokeshsng/resume/
Electrical | Resume | Career Portfolio | Beyond.com

However, some use the WES title instead of the original title as the examples below:

Said kamal | LinkedIn
Muhammad Saiful Islam | LinkedIn


I believe that you will find people use many formats to describe their foreign degrees when it comes to resumes and WES evaluations.