For what is PhD actually the abbreviation?

[sanctus]

I know to you havinh english as mothertongue this is trivial, but lately at university we discussed a lot about it and nobody knew, we only agreed that D stands for Doctor.

[geko]

Philosophy doctorate

If you've got a phd in a certain subject you're a doctor of that philosophy.

[paultrr]

There are a few PhD's out there who should have the definition: Piled Higher and Deeper. The term PhD comes from the Latin for Philosophiae Doctor (Doctor of Philosophy). Generally, and there is some variance of this from country to county, but in the US after receing one's BA,and then Masters, about 48 hours of course work, 18 hours of application and 12 hours of thesis research with this example stemming from an average for say a Counselor Education Doctoral Degree . Having known a few with Masters of Devinity in my time they average 90 hours of graduate study for their Masters beyond the BA level.

Basically, the title Doctor is bistowed to show proper education and study in a specific field. There are exceptions to this. Honary titles of Doctor are from time to time bistowed. This can in itself be in recognition for study itself or simply as a gesture of good will.

[Aquagem]

Originally Posted by paultrr

The term PhD comes from the Latin for Philosophiae Doctor (Doctor of Philosophy).

And "doctor" is Latin for "teacher", i.e., a "master of doctrine". The title connotes authority (from L. auctor, speaker, from which we get "auction") and at one time carried great prestige.

"Philosophia" means a "lover of wisdom", although it has much deeper roots.

[sanctus]

thanks very much.

[InfiniteNow]

I thought this might be informative for some current members.





BTW Sanctus, I love that your English was good enough to avoid ending your thread title's sentence in a preposition.

[Jay-qu]

Here it is know as a "post honours degree"

[Qfwfq]

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

I love that your English was good enough to avoid ending your thread title's sentence in a preposition.

You mean as in:

What is PhD actually the abbreviation of?

[CraigD]

As the previous posters have said, PhD means more-or-less “Philosophy Doctor”. MD means “Medical Doctor”, “JD” “Jurisprudence (legal) Doctor”, while “DEd” swaps the order for “Doctor of Education”.

On a lighter note, most of the folk I know with such degrees recognize “BS” as meaning “Bull Sh*t”, “MS” as “More of the Same”, and “PHD” as “Piled Higher and Deeper”.