using your PhD title

CosmoCramer · 31-12-2014 1:51pm #1

I gather there are quite a few PhD graduates on boards. I wanted to ask what do people think about using the title 'Dr' before their name outside the professional sphere. To put this question in context, I'm NOT a Phd grad, but know lots of people who are.

Some of these people use the 'Dr;' title outside of the professional sphere, in social contexts, and for general purposes. Is this socially acceptable? For example, using the Dr title in mail correspondence, on bank/credit cards, etc.

What do you guys think? My own personal viewpoint is that such usage should be confined to professional purposes, and not beyond that!

31-12-2014 1:55pm

I don't have one but if you're filling out forms that have a dr/ms/mr/whatever I suppose it's most accurate to pick the Dr

Ste- · 31-12-2014 1:56pm

Dr. Dre doesn't have one either but he calls himself a doctor.

The Backwards Man · 31-12-2014 1:58pm

I don't even call my doctors Dr. I call them John, Emer and Ken.

blindside88 · 31-12-2014 1:58pm

If I had a PhD I'd be using dr. Everywhere, even when booking a hotel

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 31-12-2014 1:58pm

I only use mine on official reports and the likes. A couple of friends call me Dr for a laugh and it confused the postman once when one sent a card to Dr Srameen.

I can't stand people who sign themselves BA, FRCS, MPSI, MA (hons) Eng, etc on day to day emails or letters.

jh79 · 31-12-2014 1:59pm

blindside88 wrote: »

If I had a PhD I'd be using dr. Everywhere, even when booking a hotel

Big mistake , same for flights etc , someone gets sick and your fecked.

CosmoCramer · 31-12-2014 2:01pm

jh79 wrote: »

Big mistake , same for flights etc , someone gets sick and your fecked.

Yes, I definitely think only real doctors should be allowed to use the title.

riaganach · 31-12-2014 2:02pm

I have one and I'm allergic to using any title, even professionally. Plenty of smarter people than me don't have PhDs. The only thing a PhD title tells me is that you've worked your ass off for a couple of years.

jh79 · 31-12-2014 2:03pm

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Yes, I definitely think only real doctors should be allowed to use the title.

MD is for real docs . Doctor is the correct term for anyone with a PhD.

UpCork · 31-12-2014 2:03pm

I'm a PhD, but I only use it if dealing with academic things. I don't work in academia at he moment so I don't use it in a work capacity - although boss likes us to write our qualifications after our name in our signature - I've resisted so far as it makes me cringe a little.

o1s1n · 31-12-2014 2:04pm

If you can't write me a cert to get a day off work you're not a real doctor.

RDM_83 again · 31-12-2014 2:05pm

Personally if I was going to down that route I would move to germany and become massively overqualified and chain them together.
Herr Professor Doktor RDM has a certain ring too it

CosmoCramer · 31-12-2014 2:05pm

jh79 wrote: »

MD is for real docs . Doctor is the correct term for anyone with a PhD.

Even though they are not real docs?

jh79 · 31-12-2014 2:06pm

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Even though they are not real docs?

They are MD's that people mistakenly refer to as "Doctor".

Witcher · 31-12-2014 2:06pm

There was a trend of people putting their qualifications in their name on FB a few years back. Still on the go apparently:

www.facebook.com/help/community/question/10151594225367469/

RDM_83 again · 31-12-2014 2:06pm

jh79 wrote: »

MD is for real docs . Doctor is the correct term for anyone with a PhD.

And surgeons are called MR or Mrs/Ms

evolving_doors · 31-12-2014 2:07pm

Using it outside professional capacity is just being a pretentious git as it serves nooooo propose whatsoever.

Signed: Armelodie (Grade 5 Pianoforte ABRSM (Pass)), ECDL, Water Charges Applicant (Payment Pending).

Wabbit Ears · 31-12-2014 2:10pm

meh, whatever makes them happy, Hows about you study for a búttload of years to achieve a title and then judge?

Ice Storm · 31-12-2014 2:14pm

A teacher in my secondary school had a PhD and insisted on being called Dr.

Fair enough, it was in a professional capacity but he got some amount of stick off the students for it. It must have been more hassle than it was worth having to correct people all the time and explain to the fresh crop of first years each September that he wasn't a medical doctor.

Gongoozler · 31-12-2014 2:17pm

At work one of the ways of knowing a crazy is someone who has the little letters after their full name. Those who aren't doctors.

ted1 · 31-12-2014 2:19pm

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Even though they are not real docs?

They are real doctors, just not medical ones

efb · 31-12-2014 2:20pm

In a professional capacity only

ghostchant · 31-12-2014 2:21pm

For the first year after I got my PhD my gran addressed my birthday/Christmas cards with 'Dr.'. As far as I remember it's the only time I've used it (or, more accurately, had it used for me). Even she's not arsed now

Tarzana2 · 31-12-2014 2:21pm

On your correspondence is grand. I know a guy who uses it on his Twitter page even though he now works in a field completely different to his PhD subject. As in, a different industry entirely. That strikes me as very pompous.

mickstupp · 31-12-2014 2:21pm

Not sure if true, but my friend works with a bunch of Germans and says they like to stick down whatever qualifications they've got all the time, even just in simple office emails. One even insists on Dr. Dr. Whatever as she has two PhDs.

Again... not sure if true.

Baggy Trousers · 31-12-2014 2:23pm

Anyone with a PhD that calls themselves "doctor" is a complete ponce.
It usually means they were too afraid of the big bad world to leave college

ted1 · 31-12-2014 2:25pm

It comes in handy in engineering as there's plenty of people out there who call themselves engineers but have no qualifcation.

dlouth15 · 31-12-2014 2:25pm

jh79 wrote: »

They are MD's that people mistakenly refer to as "Doctor".

Well they do have a doctorate, though most medical practitioners in Ireland don't have MDs.

jh79 · 31-12-2014 2:25pm

Baggy Trousers wrote: »

Anyone with a PhD that calls themselves "doctor" is a complete ponce.
It usually means they were too afraid of the big bad world to leave college

Some jobs in the big bad role require a PhD just to be considered for an interview.

Woshy · 31-12-2014 2:29pm

My husband uses his with the bank as we thought it would help make us look better on our mortgage application! Otherwise he doesn't use it outside of work.

He'd like to but he knows it would make him look like a knobhead!

jh79 · 31-12-2014 2:32pm

dlouth15 wrote: »

Well they do have a doctorate, though most medical practitioners in Ireland don't have MDs.

I always thought MD's technically should not use the term doctor.

ghogie91 · 31-12-2014 2:33pm

doctor
ˈdɒktə/
noun
noun: doctor; plural noun: doctors; noun: Doctor; plural noun: Doctors

a person who holds the highest university degree.
"he was made a Doctor of Divinity"

After all the hard work I would call myself doctor too

Talib Fiasco · 31-12-2014 2:37pm

I don't have a degree but I always had a PHD, a pretty huge dick.

Archeron · 31-12-2014 2:38pm

if you cant talk to the animals, sing with the animals, converse with the animals...... then you're not a doctor.

Irishmale0399 · 31-12-2014 2:39pm

Have one.....never use it in Ireland. (Must say my granny loves telling people i am a Dr. (not med.), so much so that i have been asked for medical advise a few times when i am home on visits.)

On the other hand...here in Germany all work mates, employees, neighbours i dont like or customers call me Dr., is part of their culture. The Germans have the Dr. or Prof. titles officially registered so that it becomes offically part of their names. Is then in passports, driving licences...etc. resulting in the legal obligation for the Dr./Prof. to used when your name is used.

Personally could live without it....hate it in fact.

dlouth15 · 31-12-2014 2:44pm

jh79 wrote: »

I always thought MD's technically should not use the term doctor.

Most Irish practitioners don't have MDs unless they qualified in the US or certain other countries. To confuse matters further there's a qualification called an MD awarded in Ireland but this is a research degree and higher academically to the MD awarded in the States.

Academically, most Irish doctors aren't doctors but their training is equivalent to MDs in the US and elsewhere. I would always call them doctor.

ewinslet · 31-12-2014 2:48pm

If you've gone through the misery of 4 or 5 years of a PhD, then you should definitely use the title. People will think you're a twat but feck them. I know I'll be using mine.

Saipanne · 31-12-2014 2:48pm

Everly Warm Whimper wrote: »

I only use mine on official reports and the likes. A couple of friends call me Dr for a laugh and it confused the postman once when one sent a card to Dr Everly Warm Whimper.

I can't stand people who sign themselves BA, FRCS, MPSI, MA (hons) Eng, etc on day to day emails or letters.

After I finished my studies, I went to the careers service* with my cv for advice. I had all those titles next to my name on my cv, and the first thing your one recommended was to rip those letters right out.

*To any students reading who are about to graduate, I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Aongus Von Bismarck · 31-12-2014 2:51pm

I include my academic achievements (I've a Degree in Business Studies and German from TCD. An MBA from The Warwick School of Business. And a diploma (the German equivalent) in Business Mathematics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) at the bottom of my letters under my signature block.

I don't see it as pretentious. Generally the only people who complain about these things are those who have achieved little academically themselves.

Micky Dolenz · 31-12-2014 2:57pm

You should insist on being called Doctor. It annoys the people who are less smarter.

Saipanne · 31-12-2014 2:59pm

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I include my academic achievements (I've a Degree in Business Studies and German from TCD. An MBA from The Warwick School of Business. And a diploma (the German equivalent) in Business Mathematics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) at the bottom of my letters under my signature block.

I don't see it as pretentious. Generally the only people who complain about these things are those who have achieved little academically themselves.

I have a degree and masters degree in economics. I finished top of the class in the latter. I think it is a little bit pretentious putting the letters there.

steddyeddy · 31-12-2014 3:00pm

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Even though they are not real docs?

A doctor isn't a job title it's a qualification. A medical doctor is a clinician.

Sauve · 31-12-2014 3:00pm

Notions

RDM_83 again · 31-12-2014 3:06pm

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I include my academic achievements (I've a Degree in Business Studies and German from TCD. An MBA from The Warwick School of Business. And a diploma (the German equivalent) in Business Mathematics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) at the bottom of my letters under my signature block.

I don't see it as pretentious. Generally the only people who complain about these things are those who have achieved little academically themselves.

Not at all, I'm not massively academically qualified myself (Masters which these days seems to equivalent to leaving cert :mad: ) but 2 of my immediate family are PhD's and probably 50% of my friends are its definitely not the done thing apart from maybe with banks and so on.

Reality_Check1 · 31-12-2014 3:07pm

jh79 wrote: »

Big mistake , same for flights etc , someone gets sick and your fecked.

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Yes, I definitely think only real doctors should be allowed to use the title.

Best advice we ever got - if someone asks if there is a doctor on the plane keep your ****ing hand down.

Academics with PHD's who do some work in the hospital dont use their Dr. title as far as I'm aware. Not that I have any problem with it they just dont want to be cornered if the **** hits the fan with a crashing patient

Tarzana2 · 31-12-2014 3:37pm

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

An MBA from The Warwick School of Business. And a diploma (the German equivalent) in Business Mathematics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) at the bottom of my letters under my signature block.

PhDs laugh at such inferior qualifications.

:pac:

Aongus Von Bismarck · 31-12-2014 3:41pm

Tarzana2 wrote: »

PhDs laugh at such inferior qualifications.

:pac:

I can assure you that they haven't much to be laughing about. MBA graduates of Warwick university are some of the most highly remunerated individuals around. AvB is no exception.

Fred Swanson · 31-12-2014 3:51pm

This post has been deleted.

Tarzana2 · 31-12-2014 4:04pm

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I can assure you that they haven't much to be laughing about. MBA graduates of Warwick university are some of the most highly remunerated individuals around. AvB is no exception.

A PhD is still a higher qualification than an MBA.

heldel00 · 31-12-2014 4:10pm

Everly Warm Whimper wrote: »

I only use mine on official reports and the likes. A couple of friends call me Dr for a laugh and it confused the postman once when one sent a card to Dr Everly Warm Whimper.

I can't stand people who sign themselves BA, FRCS, MPSI, MA (hons) Eng, etc on day to day emails or letters.

I know someone who signs his son's spelling test with all his letters in tow!

using your PhD title

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