when to capitalize course subjects

by Dr. Travis Roberts Sr. 4 min read

  • Do not capitalise the names of most school subjects. You study science, maths, history, and art. All these school subjects are in lowercase (non-capitals).
  • Capitalise subjects when they are the names of languages. This is an important exception to the rule in the previous bullet point. ...
  • Capitalise the names of courses. Students study many subjects in school. ...
  • Do not capitalise the year in school. You may be in year 9, but not Year 9. Why? There is no good reason for this tradition. ...
  • Capitalise the titles of school assignments. Not every piece of work you write for school has a title. Essays, reports, presentations, and research papers usually do have titles. ...

Also, names of school subjects (math, algebra, geology, psychology) are not capitalized, with the exception of the names of languages (French, English). Names of courses are capitalized (Algebra 201, Math 001). You should capitalize titles of people when used as part of their proper name.

Full Answer

Should subjects be capitalised?

  • Nouns
  • Pronouns
  • Verbs
  • Adjectives
  • Adverbs

Should school subjects be capitalized?

You should capitalize school subjects when they are proper nouns. But which school subjects are proper nouns? When you are talking about a school subject in a general way, you do not need to capitalize it unless it is the name of a language.

Are school subjects capitalized?

Chinese is such a fascinating subject to learn with the characters ... Neil Renton, Headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, said: It was a pleasure to see in the Chinese New Year with the Jinlong Culture and Performance Arts team. A huge thank you ...

Do you capitalize fields of study and majors in college?

Don’t capitalize names of school or college studies, fields of study, majors, minors, curricula or options unless they contain proper nouns when no specific course is referenced. He is studying geology. She is majoring in engineering. The Department of English offers a specialization in creative writing.

Rules for Capitalizing School Subjects

School subjects are common nouns and when writing them, follow the English rule of writing common nouns. If you are not familiar with the rule, it states that common nouns are not given any special consideration when writing English words, and that is why there is no need to capitalize them.

Rules-Based On Types of School Subjects

You also need to adhere to the sentence writing rule when writing school subjects. That means if the subject you are discussing comes at the beginning of a sentence, then you should capitalize it.

Exceptions for Capitalizing School Subjects

School subjects can sometimes be proper nouns depending on how you use them in a sentence. In such instances, then you will have to capitalize them.

More Alternative Rules When Capitalizing School Subjects

The other alternative rule when capitalizing the school subjects is talking about a particular subject as an academic degree.

10 Examples of Correct School Subjects Word Use In Sentences

Reading different sentences with the school subjects and keenly looking at how they are used will help you better understand capitalization rules. Practicing is the key to learning and understanding the rules of capitalization. Here are examples of sentences to help you learn more about capitalization rules.

Conclusion

The rules of English writing are numerous, especially when it comes to capitalization. In fact, if you dig deeper into these rules, it might seem like a new language you are learning. However, when you understand the rules, you will notice that everything is not very difficult.

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What degree does Eric have?

Eric holds a bachelor of arts degree from McGill University. Melanie earned a master of science in engineering last year. However, the use of capitals is also common and acceptable: Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University. Melanie earned a Master of Science in Engineering last year.

Does Hal have to capitalize?

Hal is majoring in English. Do not capitalize the names of other disciplines when using them in a general sense or when referring to courses, except when you are citing the official name of a particular course. She is interested in history. He reads articles on economics and biology in his spare time.

Why are college majors not capitalized?

College majors are not capitalized because they are not proper nouns (a noun – person, place, or thing – that identifies a single entity; e.g. London, Sara, Microsoft). Only proper nouns are capitalized. For instance you’d say, “I majored in physics, but flunked Physics 101.”. In this sentence, the word physics is a generic word but ...

What does an apostrophe mean in a letter?

An apostrophe is a punctuation mark that is used to indicate possession. When you’re mentioning that something is either a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree you’ll want to use this punctuation mark in your writing. However, when you’re writing out the full name of the degree (e.g. Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts) you don’t need ...

Do you omit periods when a degree is abbreviated?

When you are abbreviating an academic degree you should omit the periods. The only time you shouldn’t do so is when the periods are being used for traditional or consistency’s sake. One example of this is a university bulletin that’s always used periods to abbreviate the degrees that their faculty members hold (e.g. B.A., Ph.D., M.S.). It’s important to note that these abbreviations should only be used in text when you have several people whom you need to identify alongside their academic degree. Doing so while also listing their full names would appear cumbersome here.

Do you need an apostrophe for a masters degree?

However, when you’re writing out the full name of the degree (e.g. Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts) you don’t need to use an apostrophe. You also should never use an apostrophe when making reference to either an associate or a doctoral degree.

Do you capitalize a masters degree?

When you are simply making a general reference to a degree (master’s, doctoral, bachelor’s), there’s no need to capitalize them. For instance: She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1997. With most types of writing it is preferred to simply use the general terms (e.g. bachelor’s / bachelor’s degree; master’s / master’s degree; doctorate / doctoral degree) instead of writing out the full name of the degree or even just its initials. Only when someone has a MD (medical degree) after their name are they to be referred to as “Dr.” and then you should only refer to them in this manner when you first reference them in your writing.

Do you have to write a letter next to a bachelor's degree?

When you’re listing the names of alumni in your writing a bachelor’s degree is considered to be the default and you don’t need to write any letter next to it. However, you would need to write the following letters next to the other degrees: “A” for associate, “M” for master’s, and “D” for doctorate.

Do you capitalize AP?

According to the Associate Press Stylebook (AP) you should never capitalize anything that refers to a degree in general terms. However, when you are making reference to a specific degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) you should always make sure that it’s capitalized.

How to capitalize a college?

The more words you capitalize, the more you complicate your text. 2. Capitalize the formal (complete) names of university colleges and departments: College of Arts and Letters. Comptroller’s Office.

When to capitalize a title?

1. Capitalize when the title is part of the name and directly precedes it: 2. Use lowercase when the title is a descriptive tag: 3. Use lowercase when the title follows the name: These rules also apply to titles such as president, provost, director, dean, chair, and other academic titles.

What degree does Jeff have?

This rule does NOT apply when writing informally about academic degrees from other institutions. bachelor of science. Jeff earned a bachelor of science degree. bachelor’s degree. Julie earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. master’s degree. The university offers a master’s degree in biology.

Do you capitalize Northern Arizona University?

Do not capitalize university unless used within a complete, formal title. Northern Arizona University offers courses in a variety of disciplines through the Grand Canyon Semester. The university partners with Grand Canyon National Park to offer courses in the field. 4.

What is a preposition?

all nouns, pronouns (including it ), verbs (including to be verbs such as is ), adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions (e.g., whether, since, before) longer prepositions (usually four or five letters and more based on preference, such as over or between) any word that follows a dash, colon, or question mark.

Is "Midwestern Bed and Breakfast" capitalized?

The Spanish- American War (proper adjective) “Midwestern Bed-and- Breakfast Getaways” (parallel words) A second word in a hyphenated compound that is descriptive in a title (i.e., an adjective) might not be capitalized: “Achieving an Iron- rich Diet.”.

Do you capitalize hyphens in a title?

If a title includes a hyphenated compound, capitalize the first word. Capitalize the following word if it is a noun or a proper adjective or if it is equal in importance to the first word. Examples. Building Your Company A- Team (noun) The Spanish- American War (proper adjective)

Do you capitalize titles of honor?

Capitalize titles of honor or rank—governmental, military, ecclesiastical, royal, or professional—when they precede names. When these titles do not precede names, they are typically not capitalized.

Do you capitalize "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

To Kill a Mockingbird. “As Time Goes By”. If a title has a subtitle, use a colon after the main title and the same capitalization guidelines for the subtitle, including capitalizing the first and last words: My Climb up Mount Kilimanjaro: Lessons to Learn From. If a title includes a hyphenated compound, capitalize the first word.

What is an academic subject?

An academic subject is an area of knowledge that is studied at the school. A course is a specific class taken at the school. Medical biology is one of those tricky terms that could be used as a subject or a specific course title. You have to look at the way it is used in the sentence to identify it.

Is "master of education" capitalized?

The Chicago Manual of Style says, “Capitalize degrees on business cards, on diplomas, or when displayed in a directory or resume.”. Otherwise, academic subjects are not capitalized. The abbreviation for master of education is EdM.

Do you capitalize bachelors?

The Associated Press Stylebook ( AP) recommends no capitals when referring to degrees in general terms ( bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, associate degree) but always capitalizing specific degrees ( Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science ).

Do you capitalize degrees on business cards?

As the post indicates, there are exceptions. Degrees are often capitalized on business cards, on diplomas, in promotional material, or when displayed in a directory or resume. If you are following the rules of the Associated Press Stylebook, the degree is capitalized.

Do you capitalize AP degrees?

Yes, AP Style does say to capitalize academic degrees. Do not capitalize the word “dual” unless it is the first word of a sentence. Also, use the word and rather than an ampersand ( &) in formal writing, especially on a resume. dual Bachelors of Arts, public relations and journalism.

Do you capitalize liberal arts?

In your first example “liberal arts and sciences, chemical technology and computer science” are referred to generically, therefore do not capitalize. Names of academic degrees are not capitalized, however, specific program names are generally capitalized.

Does AP stylebook capitalize bachelors?

AP Stylebook does not capitalize the terms “master’s degree” or “bachelor’s degree.”. AP spells academic departments and programs in lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives or when the department name is part of the official and formal name preceded by the university or college.

Do Academic Subjects Need To Be Capitalized?

Though the names of academic disciplines, majors, minors, programs and courses of study do not constitute correct nouns, only those in languages that can be capitalized — such as English, French and Japanese.

What Should Be Capitalised In Academic Writing?

It is, then, a general rule to capitalize nouns, verbs (even short ones, such as is), adjectives, and proper nouns. However, some style guides encourage a reduction in conjunctions, prepositions, and adverbs.

Do You Capitalize The Names Of Academic Subjects?

There is also no need to list the names of major school subjects, other than the ones in French and English. It is a good idea to capitalize titles that people use under their proper names.

Do You Capitalise English As A Subject?

Languages should have topics capitalized when they are spelled with their names. As you study English, Spanish, Latin, Arabic, Mandarin, and others, you develop different skills. Each of these subjects carries the name of a language.

Should Academic Writing Be Capitalized?

It is not necessary to capitalize academic degrees when they are known by the full name of the degree, i.e., a Bachelor of Arts or a Master of Social Work degree. For instance, college degrees, university master’s degrees, and doctorate degrees are not capitalized.

What Is Capitalisation In Academic Writing?

It is the writing of a word with its first letter and last five letters (uppercase letter) as an extra capital letter and the remainders as lower case letters, in a system of working with letters as a difference. As rules are also updated generally to capitalize less words, there has been a shift in the approach.

Do Academic Subjects Have Capital Letters?

There is also no mention of school subjects other than math, algebra, geology, and psychology except in French and English. The course names capitalized are “Algebra 201, Math 001,” “Pearson, English 125,” etc.

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