abbreviations: degrees and distinctions

Give university degrees, professional designations, military decorations, honours, awards, memberships and other distinctions in abbreviated form after the name of the bearer:

• Marta Borowska, M.A., B.L.S.
• The Rev. Edwin O’Malley, SJ
• The Hon. John Smith, B.Com., LL.D.
• T. S. Wong, Ph.D., FRSC

Unless all honours have to be indicated for information or protocol purposes, no more than two abbreviations need follow a person’s name-as, for example, in correspondence. Select the two highest honours of different types and list them in the following order of precedence:

• first, distinctions conferred directly by the Crown (VC, QC, etc.);
• second, university degrees; and
• third, letters denoting membership in societies and other distinctions.

Note: Periods have traditionally been used in abbreviations of academic degrees. However, it is also acceptable to omit the periods: MA, BLS, Bcom, LLD, PhD; this practice is common in Britain and is becoming more widespread in Canada.