Ph.D.

See also: Ph. D. and PhD

English

Alternative forms

• Ph. D., Ph.D, PhD

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin Ph.D., an abbreviation of Philosophiae Doctor (“Doctor of Philosophy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpiːˌeɪ̯t͡ʃˈdiː/

• Audio (Mid-Atlantic US):

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• Audio (Southern England):

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Noun

Ph.D. (plural Ph.D's or Ph.D.'s or Ph.D.s)

1. Doctor of Philosophy, a terminal research degree, the highest of academic degrees conferred by a college or university.
   • 1971 May 27, “24 Local Students Among ‘U’ Graduates”, in The Daily Herald, 98th year, number 214, Provo, Utah, page 6:

     Ph.D’s will go to Kirk G. Rasmussen and Val Hicks.

   • 1982 August 20, “Business schools take action to alleviate teacher shortages”, in Southern Illinoisan, volume 90, number 195, Carbondale, Ill., page A-4:

     The shortage of holders of Ph.D’s in business school subjects has grown so severe in recent years that a panel was set up in 1980 by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business to study the problem. […] However, it has already led to modification of accrediting standards such as the suggested use of nonbusiness Ph.D’s with doctorates in psychology, mathematics and economics. […] Still another question raised in the report centered on how to encourage more educational institutions to turn out more Ph.D.’s in business. […] He suggests a national contest for undergraduates to encourage them to work for Ph.D.’s in accounting.

2. (informal) A person who holds a Ph.D. degree.
   • 1961 February 26, “Doctorates Are Received by Six”, in Sunday Journal and Star, 94th year, number 9, Lincoln, Neb., page 3B:

     There are 12 Ph.D’s in the Concordia faculty of 62, according to Dr. P. A. Zimmerman, President, with others nearing the completion of doctorate requirements.

   • 1971 January 14, “Ph.D’s Finding Job Prospects Depressing”, in The Pensacola News‎^[1], Pensacola, Fla.:

     The uncertainty of the job market has a new meaning for Ph.D’s these days: Prospects Highly Depressing.

   • 1988 September 1, Cecilia Bush, “Flying high, firmly grounded”, in The Catholic Advance, volume CXXII, number 34, Wichita, Kan., page 1, columns 1–2:

     He also directs a post-doctoral program in behavioral medicine in which Ph.D’s receive training for very special kinds of treatment.

   • 2004, Lucy Chronic, Halka Chronic, Pages of Stone, 2nd edition, The Mountaineers Books, →ISBN, end material: About the Authors, page 174:

     Growing up the daughter of two Ph.D.s in geology, young Lucy Chronic was more likely to hear discussions of plate tectonics than the prospects of the local ball team's chance of winning the pennant.

Usage notes

• Not to be used generically to refer to all doctoral degrees. There are many other doctoral designations.

Synonyms

• D.Phil.

Coordinate terms

• ABD
• D.A.
• D.Arch.
• D.B.A.
• D.F.A.
• D.M.A.
• D.M.L.
• D.Sc.
• Ed.D.
• J.D.
• Th.D.

 

Related terms

• doctor
• doctoral
• doctorate

Further reading

• Ph.D. on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• D.P.H., DHP, HPD

Latin

Noun

Ph.D. m sg (indeclinable)

1. Abbreviation of Philosophiae Doctor.

Related terms

• Ph.B.

See also

• Dr. rer. nat.