Post-nominal Letters - Usage

Usage

The order in which post-nominal letters are listed after a person's name is dictated by standard practice which may vary by region. In the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Justice recommends the following ordering:

1. Bt/Bart or Esq
2. Decorations and honours (in descending order of precedence)
3. Appointments (for example, QC for Queen's Counsel, MP for member of parliament)
4. University degrees (in ascending order starting from undergraduate)
5. Religious institutes (for example, SSF) and medical qualifications
6. Fellowship or membership of learned societies, academies or professional institutions (for example, RA, FRCP, FRSA)
7. Membership of the Armed Forces (for example, RAF, RN, RMP)

In the United States, standard protocol is:

1. Religious institutes
2. Theological degrees
3. Academic degrees
4. Honorary degrees, honors, decorations
5. Professional licenses, certifications and affiliations
6. Retired uniformed service (active duty service brackets the name – e.g., Firefighter John Doe, CFD – and active duty armed services do not display postnominals other than branch of service)

According to both the University of Oxford and the Chicago Manual of Style, university degrees should be listed in ascending order: bachelor's degrees first, followed by master's degrees, then doctorates. In the UK, higher awards supersede lower-ranking degrees from the same faculty (for example, John Smith, MA rather than John Smith, BA MA). However, when the awarding institutions are listed and the degrees are from different universities, lower degrees may be included (e.g. John Smith, BA (Wales), MA (Lond)). In the US, common practice is to name only the highest degree in a particular discipline (e.g., if one had earned one's BS, MS, and PhD in Biology – even from different schools – as well as an MBA in Management, then the preferred listing would be Jane Doe, MBA, PhD).