When citing the proper name or abbreviation of a degree or certificate, only the following are deemed appropriate.
| Proper Name | Abbreviation |
| Bachelor of Arts | BA |
| Bachelor of Music | BM |
| Bachelor of Music Education | BME |
| Bachelor of Professional Studies | BPS |
| Bachelor of Science | BS |
| Bachelor of Science in Education | BSE |
| Master of Arts in Christian Ministries | MACM |
| Master of Business Administration | MBA |
| Master of Science in education | MSE |
| Writing Certificate in English | WCE |
| Certificate in Business Administration | CBA |
| Certificate in Ministry and Leadership | CML |
| Associate of Science, Business Administration | ASB |
| Associate of Science, Religion | ASR |
Academic degrees, when spelled out rather than abbreviated, are capitalized. In casual references when the full title of the degree is not given, it is not capitalized.
Examples: the Master of Science in Nursing degree. (This degree is abbreviated M.S.N., which means that the word nursing is part of the formal title. The master of arts degree in comparative literature, for example, is simply the M.A., so the words comparative literature are not capitalized.)
the Master of Arts degree in education
a master's degree in education
a master's in education
In citing abbreviated degrees, it is not necessary to identify them explicitly as degrees.
Example: He earned the B.S. from Harvard. (Not: He earned the B.S. degree from Harvard.)
However, use the word degree in the following context: He earned the Bachelor of Science degree from Missouri Baptist University in 2002.
Note that, although strictly speaking, a person does not graduate from a school but is graduated, we use the more commonly accepted form: He graduated from Missouri Baptist University.
