Italian Honorifics - Academic Degrees

Academic Degrees

• High school diplomas:
  • Ragioniere – rag. (business economics).
  • Geometra – geom. (land surveying and construction).
  • Perito – per. (degree of technical extraction in a specific branch, such as chemistry or mechanics or naval or nautical; in some cases, however, a perito holds no more than a three-year university laurea.)
  • Maestro / Maestra (degree from a music conservatory or educational program). Note, however, that grade-school teachers of all levels are frequently called "maestro" in common, everyday use, while high-school teachers are called "professore").
• University degrees:
  • Dottore – dott. (all people holding a laurea degree). The laurea was previously the only academic degree given by Italian Universities. With the Riforma Universitaria, the Italian system has moved closer to conformity with the rest of Europe and North America. Laurea may now refer to a three-year degree (the laurea triennale) or to a laurea magistrale, which requires two additional years of study. The former confers the title dottore; holders of the latter receive the academic title dottore magistrale. Outside of Italy, however, it is inappropriate for the holder of a new laurea to use the title "Doctor."
  • Avvocato – avv. (Lawyer, a laurea specialistica in law and a state-exam are both required.)
  • Ingegnere – ing. (Engineer, a laurea specialistica in engineering and a state-exam are both required.)
  • Architetto – arch. (Architect, a laurea specialistica in architecture and a state-exam are both required.)
  • Dottore di Ricerca (holder of a Ph.D., literally "Doctor of Research").