Hi all,

Just last week I passed my viva with minor corrections (yay!), which I have one month to complete. I've received the official list of corrections and applied to graduate, but won't do so until July. I still haven't found an academic job so am currently applying, mostly to postdoctoral research or teaching fellowships.

I have a quick question about using this shiny new 'Dr' title. This isn't related to everyday use (I still go by 'Ms'), but specifically for job applications. In my field, it seems to be de rigeur that everyone who has a PhD uses the title 'Dr' in professional situations, including postdocs, and obviously as I'm applying for postdocs starting next academic year I want to make the point that I've finished and have the PhD, albeit not quite officially yet. Even my supervisor has been going around calling me 'Dr' but I'm not sure that she's supposed to before I graduate!

So my question is: does one become a 'Dr' upon notification of passing, or on graduating? Can I use the title 'Dr' on my job applications before July, or is that technically dishonest?

Any advice/help appreciated!

You've summed up the situation pretty much with your own thoughts, in that Dr. is a professional only title. It's also adds a little authority if you're carrying out a major personal financial transaction and can be used as a security check if you're canny with it (on bank cards??? - your choice!!!). Other than that, never use personally as it gives an air of arrogance and puts up a barrier between you and others.

I'll add that professional use should be with care too and whilst my CV lists the PhD at the beginning of the second page, I do NOT have Dr. next to my name at the top. If an interviewer or other professional contact calls you Dr., that's up to them - I'm very wary of putting across the wrong impression of me as a person. In academia, it will help. In the real world, probably not so much and it may even be a hindrance for some positions.

As regards conferences, then it's use does give an impression of knowledge in your chosen field though I note some conference proceedings and the majority of journal papers don't necessarily list titles. I've come across plenty of experts in the field without a PhD and I would personally look more at a person's professional rather than academic qualifications to gauge their expertise in their field (neither's really a guarantee and does not substitute knowing the person).

I guess what I'm saying is you'll have to judge each situation on it's merits and where you feel you'll benefit and where you won't. If you know you won't, don't use it.

Whilst the PhD is important to you as a person as a symbol of the work you've done, unless someone has a use for what you know it doesn't affect the rest of the world one jot. You've got your PhD, have your ceremony and I guess get on with the rest of your life!!!

Ian

A further thought is you don't want to be mixed up with a medical doctor. That's another reason to be circumspect with it's use. One of my lecturers at Uni. got woken at a hotel in the middle of the night to treat a heart attack patient until an ambulance arrived. There's nothing worse than a brick sh*thouse relative threatening to punch your lights out when you say you're not a medical doctor!!! :-)

There was a big discussion on this ages ago on here - you might want to do a search. One girl used Dr. regularly to avoid the Ms. / Mrs. / Miss. situation - she hated Ms. Personally, I would go with the Ms. rather than bandy the Dr. title about.

If you get married, one thing you could further do to separate your professional identity from your personal one is change your everyday name, but continue to use your single / maiden name professionally with Dr.

BTW, if you use Dr. before your name, it's not considered the done thing to also have PhD after your name. I've seen that catch a few people out.

Ian

hi LittleOwl
Congratulations!! Excellent response from Ian (Mackem_Beefy) :-)

You become a Dr officially when you get the letter from the uni stating "you may now use the title "Dr" ......"

Everybody already knows that you are a dr when you have passed your viva but officially it has to be after you get that letter (after submitting the revised thesis -final version).

To be very accurate (like 100% dr) you'll have to wait until after July, or after you get the letter from the uni (which ever comes first) then you can put DR in your applications.
What you can do before getting that letter is to state somewhere in your application that you have passed the viva on xx-xx-2014.

hope this helps Dr Little Owl :-)
love satchi

Little Owl,

You will get a letter entitled "Conferment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy" or similar shortly after any corrections have been carried out and approved, and you have submitted the hardbound version of your thesis. That is when you officially become Doctor. I was able to sort out the corrections and submit hardbound after seven days, meaning I got the letter and my life back (bliss!!!) twenty days after viva. For me psychologically, it wasn't really over until I got that letter.

You do not have to wait until the graduation ceremony unless you want to. :-)

Ian

Some old threads on the use of the Dr. title. The first one goes on for ages.
.

Ian

Thanks all for the replies! I've been away for a few days so I've only just seen this.

I did do a search before posting and pulled up all those all threads, but I decided to make a new one because I wasn't really looking for advice on whether to use the Dr title generally - I'd more or less already decided that I won't outside of academia. I will probably just stick with Ms on a day-to-day basis. Still, it's good to know what other PhDs think on the matter.

My question was, as I said in my OP, specifically related to (academic) job applications and whether it's acceptable to use the Dr title if you have passed your viva but not yet received the PhD (i.e. graduated). And it seems from your responses that I ought to wait until I officially have it 'in the bag', which means I probably shouldn't put it on my job applications. This has been very helpful - thanks.

Little Owl,

Based upon advice I received on qualifying, one place you might consider using the Dr. title is on credit and debit cards. It can be used to add a little bit of trust or security in a more sizeable financial transaction, perhaps giving you an edge in loan applications. I would also consider it on your passport, say if you're travelling on business (i.e. conferences) to say you are who you say you are (and tying in with your debit or debit card).

It's only really the UK where people have serious hang ups about title use in non-professional situations and it's seen more positively abroad. I agree with the UK position being English myself, as I think it's overuse is quite frankly embarrasing. But the two situations I specify you might consider.

If you don't want it seen in your passport at other times, just don't show the extra page separate from your identity page in the passport on which it appears.

Ian

Thanks for the suggestion - my card expires in a few months so I might change my title on it then.

I guess it does seem a little strange to have earned a title and not want to use it for fear of giving the impression of lording it over others. We English are a strange bunch...

A Libyan student I knew qualified about a year and a bit before me. He was Dr. everything and the change in his demeanor was excessive and embarrassing. All of a sudden he was suited and booted no matter what and Dr. this, Dr. that, Dr. the other.

The attitude to ward the title outside anglophone countries is it gives you extra status in the society you live in regardless of the relevance. If you let it go to your head so much it alters your very personality then you shouldn't have done a PhD in the first place. It's not about kudos, it's about you as a person and wanting to do it for the right reasons. That's why I think the English approach is the right one.

Ian

For the purpose of academic communication or job seeking purposes, I use PhD after my name and avoid putting Dr before it. Outside of academia or jobs that require PhD, I do not use any title. But I think you technically have to wait for your official letter or ceremony to be awarded your PhD then use the title.

No, you can use the title officially once you receive the letter of conferment.

I like the idea of you putting PhD after as that will avoid confusion with a medical doctor. There was a heated debate on Digital Spy about that with some strong views expressed I believe.

Ian