Academic Terms

Academic degrees

When mention of degrees is necessary to establish credentials, avoid an abbreviation and use instead a phrase: Nell Jones, who has a doctorate in philosophy.

Abbreviations are acceptable in a case where many persons with degrees are being listed. Use abbreviations only after the full name of a person (never after just a last name): Cooper Grant, B.F.A. Use a period after each initial: B.F.A., not BFA.

Spell out and use the lower case for degrees: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctor’s degree or doctorate.

Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, a master’s, etc., but there is no apostrophe in bachelor of arts, bachelor of science or master of science. Do not precede a name with a title of an academic degree and follow it with the abbreviation for that degree. Right: Sandra Haynes, Ph.D., is interim dean of the School of Professional Studies. Wrong: Dr. Sandra Haynes, Ph.D., is interim dean of the School of Professional Studies.

Academic departments and college offices

Use lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives. Example: the English department, the college communications office. Use uppercase only when department or office is part of the official and formal name: the Department of English, Metro State Department of Accounting, or even Metro’s Office of College Communications.

Use lowercase for the word department when it stands alone, as in: She’s been with the department for three years.

Advisor/adviser

The -or ending (advisor) is preferred over the -er ending (adviser). This is contrary to the AP Stylebook, but it is the spelling used by the advising department at Metro.

Alumni

Alumni is the general-use term for former students of the college, whether or not they graduated from Metro. Use alumni to refer to a group of men and women who attended Metro.

Gender-specific forms of the word are as follows:
alumna - singular, female
alumnae - plural, women only
alumni - plural, men only or men and women
alumnus - singular, male

The term alum (plural: alums) is slang for alumnus or alumna. Use it only in very informal usages.

Avoid the cumbersome alumnus/a or alumnus/alumna in favor of graduate.

Alumni office

The official designation of the on-campus office that deals with Metro State alumni services and relationships is the Office of Alumni Relations, but it may be referred to more familiarly as the alumni office or the alumni relations office in less-formal usages.

Alumni Association

The Alumni Association is an organization made up of Metro State alumni, governed by the Alumni Association Board of Directors, referred to more familiarly as the Alumni Association Board.

Alumni class years

In internal college publications, when specifying a graduate’s class year and major, use parentheses and an apostrophe with a shortened class year. Example: Michael Lund (’96, speech communication) is now a speech therapist.

For alumnae who have changed their name, include the birth name in parenthesis before the married name. Example: Joanne (Clark) Hospel (’74, math).
In listing a group of alumni, where specifying each graduate’s major is not pertinent, use a comma and the shortened class year only. Example: Adam Friers, ’86; Mary Viv Holloway, ’74; Jim Cook, ’03; and Sam East, ’85.

In external formal documents and correspondence, as well as information prepared for the media, the relation of the graduate to the College should be written out. Example: Kathy Mallon, a 1990 alumna of Metropolitan State College of Denver, has joined the College’s Office of Sponsored Programs.

Board of Trustees

Use uppercase when it refers to Metro State’s governing body: the Board of Trustees. But use lowercase when referring to the board by itself or trustees by themselves: The board will meet in February with most trustees attending.

Buildings

All proper names of buildings, such as the Tivoli Student Union, should be capitalized. Special building projects, such as the Campus Expansion Project, should be capitalized.

Commencement

Use lowercase for commencement by itself, but uppercase for a specific commencement: The Fall Commencement ceremony.

Committees

Capitalize the formal names of groups and committees, such as Faculty Senate, Long-Range Planning Committee, President’s Student Advisory Council. Use lowercase for the words committee or council when they stand alone.

Course names

Use uppercase only for specific course names that differ from a normal generic reference. Examples: His course analyzed early modern art. He taught a class called Early Modern Art. She taught Global Environmental Challenges. Do not use numbered class listings (such as Chemistry 1800) except in certain internal contexts, such as a list of major requirements.

Faculty, faculty members

The words faculty and staff are generally lowercase. The faculty (or staff) as a whole is a singular collective noun, referring to the group. Right: The faculty is represented by the Faculty Senate. Wrong: The faculty are a talented group. An individual is a member of the faculty/staff or a faculty/staff member, not a faculty, and a few people are not faculty but faculty members or members of the faculty. Example: Faculty members disagree about the best place to park.

Grade point average

Abbreviate to GPA (all capitals, no periods) after first reference.

Graduated

Right: He graduated from college. Wrong: He graduated college.

Homecoming

Use lowercase for homecoming unless it’s used as a title. Examples: Homecoming 2005 was a success; The Homecoming King and Queen were named.

Honors

Use lowercase and italicize cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude.

Majors

Use lowercase for majors with the exception of languages, which are proper nouns. Example: Amy is a physics major, but Scott’s major is English.

President of Metro State

In a first reference to President Jordan, use his title and full name: President Stephen Jordan. In subsequent references, refer to him simply as Jordan. Also, Stephen Jordan is the president of Metro State (note lowercase president). See also academic titles.

Theatre, theater

Use theatre, rather than theater. This is contrary to the AP Stylebook, but it is the spelling used by the theatre program at Metro State.

Titles

Capitalize titles when they appear before the name, but use lowercase after the name. Example: Psychology Chair Bill Jones; Bill Jones, chair of the psychology department. Do not capitalize before the name if it is more of an occupational description than a formal title. Examples: writer Priscilla Smith, student health educator Max Rigotti.

Semesters

Do not capitalize semesters in text. Example: During the spring semester, it rained.

Student class designations

Do not capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. Examples: a sophomore from Aurora; he’s a junior nursing major; the senior class. Capitalize Class when referring to a specific graduating class. Example: the Class of 1976.