I've been taught that only Med doctors or teachers should use their academic Phd as a title. Engineer friend insists we call him by first name or his title, never just Mr.
sounds pretentious to me....
2006-07-26 06:45:38 · 22 answers · asked by gdaugman 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
My husband is a PhD and depending upon the situation, it is appropriate to call him "Dr." In social circles, he is Mr.
Professionally, he is referred to as Dr. xxxxxx. He is not working in academia at the moment, so therefore, Dr. is appropriate.
If he were working at a university, he would be "Dr." until he became an assistant professor. Then his title switches to Professor xxxxx. Many students don't understand this distinction in college, but it's a big deal among those in the ivory tower. Professor is a title that ranks higher than doctor in their field. Dr. is reserved for PhDs who are lecturers.
2006-07-26 07:14:18 · answer #1 · answered by SurferRose 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An engineering degree is an academic PhD, unless it's another type of doctorate (that, I don't know). The point is that he earned it through a loooot of hard work, and through basically giving up his life for 4-6 years. So, pretentious or not, he is Dr. So-and-so to you.
The only type of doctorate that usually doesn't come with the title Dr. is a JD (law degree).
2006-07-27 19:03:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were taught incorrectly.
Any with a doctorate (MD, PhD, etc.)
is a doctor and should formally be addressed
that way.
I, however (and I have a PhD), am a firm believer that
informally outside the professional setting it is not necessary.
For example, whether a medical doctor or PhD goes to get
a bank loan and they are referred to as Mr./Mrs. LASTNAME,
that is fine and only an arrogant *** would correct them.
EDIT:
I disagree with the above assertation that a "Professor" title
is higher than a "Dr" title. "Professor" simply denotes someone
who has earned additional benefits at a University. A professor
can certainly work under the guidance of a doctor, for example.
2006-07-26 07:15:27 · answer #3 · answered by PoohP 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Everyone is different on this topic. It truly goes to the person. I have friends who are MD's that I never call Doctor and I have PhD's that I do and then Doctorates from other sciences that I do call Doctor. The bottom line is this, if they earned the title, they earned the right to be called Doctor. And some have been bestowed with honorary degrees that insist on you calling them doctor. It might sound pretentious and could be, but from an etiquette standpoint, it is better to err on the side of propriety! Good Luck and remember everyone is different!
2006-07-26 07:29:19 · answer #4 · answered by Missie D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I was learning business etiquette, I was taught a little different. If you were mailing something to a married couple & the husband is the doctor, it was addressed to Dr. John & Mrs. Jane Smith. Or you could simply remove their first names. If the wife's the doctor, it's just the opposite, Dr Jane Smith & Mr. John Smith. The only time Phd comes into play is on applications for employment, their business cards, signage for the business, signature & other formal or informal communication.
2006-07-26 06:53:06 · answer #5 · answered by Belle 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think anyone who has completed enough college to earn a PhD deserves to be called Dr. It does not sound like he is trying to be pretentious if he has asked you to call him by his first name, if you are uncomfortable with Dr use his given name in conversation.
Then perhaps when referring to him or introducing him to someone you could use his title he has earned with his schooling and hard work.
2006-07-26 06:56:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
try spending an extra 8 + years POST high school earning a Phd and let someone call YOU pretentious for wanting to be called Dr!
2006-07-26 07:56:45 · answer #7 · answered by Valid 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the course of a normal conversation, I would call them Mrs. or Mr. However, if it is formal or in a classroom setting, I would probably use Dr. (Dr. in a normal conversation sounds pretentious to me)
2006-07-26 08:59:57 · answer #8 · answered by emmadropit 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on where you are at. In a formal setting, I would use Dr., but if its casual, call the Mr. or Mrs. After all they have worked hard for their degree and deserve some recognition sometimes.
2006-07-26 06:50:45 · answer #9 · answered by Tamara 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It really depends on the context - a doctor of economics for example would perhaps be called Dr in economic circles, but not outside them.
2006-07-26 07:03:59 · answer #10 · answered by Talius Brute 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋