Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 3 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Academic Subjects, Courses, and Degrees

Academic subjects are lowercased unless they form part of a department name or an official course name. Examples:

* I majored in contemporary literature.

* I pursued graduate studies in philosophy of science.

Official names of courses are capitalized. Example:

* I registered for Basic Manuscript Editing.

Degrees listed on a résumé, business card, diploma, directory, etc. are capitalized. But in running text, names of degrees should be lowercased. Examples:

* a master’s degree

* a bachelor’s degree

* master of business administration

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.