Folks with Master’s degrees should be called Master as a formal title

r/

And folks with Bachelor’s degrees should receive the title of Bachelor, so it would be Bachelor Jackson or Master Henderson, comparable to how PhD titles work. And I know folks will make some weird jokes about the term Master, but Master can be a neutral or professional term, like if you work as the help in an estate, you would address your boss as Master or when referencing someone who is a master in their field of study. Plus, Bachelor does not have to mean in an unmarried man. In this context, its origins have more to do with medieval knighthoods and guilds and eventually with university study, at least historically.

As to why I support this, I think it would be neat. Would add some much needed flare to our professional language.

EDIT:

  • Magister has been proposed as an alternative to Master, which I think works better and has less erotic or negative historical connotations.
  • I should clarify that I’m not referencing this in professional contexts, so like in an email signature, when introducing yourself in a professional setting, things like that. It’s similar to how PhDs are addressed now, with most of them not preferring to be addressed by their title at all. I imagine a similar thing would happen in this proposal. Even so, this is not how you would be addressed in like 95% of interactions.
  • MBA-holders are excluded completely from this.

Comments

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  2. WelshBen Avatar

    Master is already a formal title, typically used for young males who are too young to be addressed as ‘Mr.’.

  3. Ciprich Avatar

    It’s pointless

  4. thatfrostyguy Avatar

    Idk, most master degree people can’t find their way out of a wet paper bag using a map.

  5. sighcantthinkofaname Avatar

    I have a masters degree and I would hate this lmao 

  6. Successful_Craft3076 Avatar

    Approximately 10 percent of Iran’s population are masters then.

    On the side note I think this title should be kept for only the most accomplished individuals in any field.

  7. ThisNameDoesntCount Avatar

    Probably not a good idea to make people call people master bro

  8. TromosLykos Avatar

    Yeah let’s not

  9. TheBrasilianCapybara Avatar

    ok buddy, no need to pretend you don’t like BDSM, we already understand that…

  10. mandela__affected Avatar

    We need fewer titles, not more.

  11. birdandsheep Avatar

    Sure, but only if I get to do it for a specific fields. I hold a PhD, and I’ll never address an MBA with a title other than “douchebag.”

  12. Digi-Device_File Avatar

    Well, that’s how we call them where I live, except for uneducated and old people.

  13. inliner250 Avatar

    So by that logic would we refer to those of us with a 2yr degree “Associates”?

  14. LAegis Avatar

    Yes, Master

  15. Illustrious_Hand7741 Avatar

    Move to Austria. They do exactly this.

  16. juiceboxheero Avatar

    You have this degree, but we do not grant you the rank of Master.

  17. OrangutanOntology Avatar

    In case this is not common knowledge, with a Ph.D. there is a legal aspect that goes with it (it is vague though). For example, your dissertation must be available to the public (not by rule but law-kind of), the supreme court has ruled on how the process (from dissertation proposal to defense) is allowed to take place. Your final defense must be open to the general public. There are others, my point is that would people with a Masters or Bachelors wish the public to have the amount of transparency necessary for this to be the case?

  18. morose4eva Avatar

    As somebody with a completely “useless”** master’s degree, I think this is a pretty silly notion.

    ** to most people. I have a master’s degree in musical performance.

  19. bassocontinubow Avatar

    I’ve been saying this for so long! That alone would make me go back and get my masters.

  20. LaBuBu0w0 Avatar

    Sounds FREAKY 👅⛓️💦🫦🍆🍑🚬

  21. Rex-Bannon Avatar

    I love this.

    I do not have a Master’s, so my love isn’t for selfish reasons.

  22. asmallsoftvoice Avatar

    The idea of calling someone master is so uncomfortable to me. Like being obsequious to someone who actually has less education than I do.

  23. ottoandinga88 Avatar

    I think there should be less titles, not more

  24. chino17 Avatar

    4 year undergrads forever be called Bachelors would be weird

  25. mkaym1993 Avatar

    Upvoting as it would just be irritating having that many titles 😂

  26. Hofeizai88 Avatar

    I’m thinking of starting a second master’s and would be slightly more likely to do so if I would be called Master Master

  27. sasheenka Avatar

    In the Czech republic if you have a masters degree (“magisterský titul”) you are a “magistr”. And some people use to to address me with along with “Ms.” (In Czech “paní magistro”).

  28. C_Brachyrhynchos Avatar

    Very unpopular. Even calling folks with a PhD doctor is pretty ridiculous outside of relevant contexts.

  29. appealtoreason00 Avatar

    You know you’re right, MBAs are too humble. We should boost their egos a bit

  30. sbbenwah Avatar

    Maybe that would help people feel better about going 200k into debt to “figure out what they wanna do”.

  31. NiceRise309 Avatar

    No one’s stopping you

    The term is Magister

  32. Choc0latina Avatar

    I’m getting a masters degree right now and I would feel so weirded out if someone called me “Master”

  33. RileyCargo42 Avatar

    Wait so if I have my masters in non-lethal hunting. Can I call myself a master baiter?

    I’ll see myself out

  34. OctopusParrot Avatar

    Upvoted for a legitimately unpopular opinion.

    I have a bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees, and a PhD. What should I be called? Bachelor Master Master Doctor? That’s… a mouthful.

    Also, keep in mind that for many universities, even very prestigious ones, Master’s degrees are basically just a cash grab for the university. Master’s programs tend not to be especially rigorous, they churn through students who output a thesis that will almost certainly never be read by anyone again. They’re primarily a pay-to-get-a-degree program.

  35. Wild-Spare4672 Avatar

    What about people with AA degrees: Associates? BA degrees: Bachelors? High school degrees: High?

  36. jcapi1142 Avatar

    Having a degree does not make you any better than anyone else.

  37. Misunderestimated924 Avatar

    As someone with a master’s degree, no.

  38. PMMeTitsAndKittens Avatar

    Ah, Master Windu.

  39. vpoko Avatar

    And if you flunked out of high school and got a GED, it would be General.

  40. PMMeTitsAndKittens Avatar

    Also, does that mean I’d have to call my late grandmother Mistress of Education. Because I’d just as soon NOT do that.

  41. Miracle_wrkr Avatar

    Why not Meister? You can even switch order of the words around – Henderson Meister . Or if you have a buddy, bud Meister.

  42. pinniped90 Avatar

    No.

    A buddy has a PhD and will only allow people to call him doctor inside formal academic settings. Among friends he doesn’t like it – he’s like save it for someone who can write you a prescription.

  43. JohnnyKarateX Avatar

    No thank you. I’m not calling my brother that.

  44. RickyRacer2020 Avatar

    I’m already Mr. Manly R. Man. 

    The Master doesn’t fit.

  45. LordRomanyx Avatar

    The title “master” directly implies that someone is above others without the degree which is definitely not the case.

  46. Sunny_Hill_1 Avatar

    Dude, I don’t even use Dr irl. Most of my colleagues don’t, we are only called Drs in the clinic or in the academia. It’d be so obnoxious to use ALL of the titles all the time.

  47. AffectionateTaro3209 Avatar

    Sounds like some pretentious bs to me 

  48. muy_carona Avatar

    Ok. And lawyers should be Dr.

  49. Nimue_- Avatar

    Idk about other places but her a degree holder can add the title to their name like ” maggie smith, BA” (Bachelor of Arts) “peter johnson MSc” (Master of Science)
    And a more old title masters can use is Drs. Meaning Doctorandus.

    So doctorandus williams or drs. Williams

  50. TroutCharles99 Avatar

    Poor guy gets a masters but his last name Bader.

  51. Healthy_Shoulder8736 Avatar

    Why the need for a pedestal? Isn’t the knowledge enough of a reward in itself. I really don’t understand how fragile someone’s ego has to be to need a “title”

  52. No-Bit-5825 Avatar

    I think it requires significantly more effort to get a PhD, and being a Bachelor or Master is not such an accomplishment after all, at least in terms of science impact. So there is no need to empathize it with a fancy term

  53. elboyo Avatar

    One of my grandmothers insisted on being called Dr. (she was a professor) as a general matter of principle. She didn’t care for it when I tested out Dr. Grandma.

  54. fourthhorseman68 Avatar

    They changed the names of the master bathroom and master bedroom because of racial connotations. I am sure this will go over like a lead balloon!

  55. thirdLeg51 Avatar

    As an MBA holder, I agree. We suck.

  56. ViliusLTU Avatar

    Master of [insert degree here]. Sounds dope

  57. AccomplishedRow6685 Avatar

    This has to be bait.

    OP is truly, a Master baiter.

  58. LeanGroundQueef Avatar

    Let’s bring back Esquire.

  59. ballcheese808 Avatar

    How’s get fucked sound? They are no master just because they study for too long.

  60. tired_dad_since2018 Avatar

    My wife is a doctor and ever since I got my masters I jokingly refer to myself as Master.

  61. BenchBeginning8086 Avatar

    Guys I don’t mean to alarm you. But we should call this guy master. Last time we didn’t…. some bad things happened….

  62. carlrieman Avatar

    You can’t do that anymore, now you should be called main

  63. Defiant_Dickk Avatar

    Why are MBAs excluded in your world ? It’s a Master’s degree.

  64. Gravelayer Avatar

    I have two masters though I want to be called masters

  65. PrpleSparklyUnicrn13 Avatar

    I definitely prefer magister. 
    All bdsm and historical connotations aside, “Master” can be used for a little boy and I am not that, either. 

    Not that I have a masters degree. I do, however, have a bachelors degree. Would I be a Bachelorette? 

  66. lamppb13 Avatar

    Meh… I don’t need the title to make myself feel better about myself.

    Although, I wouldn’t object if I were called Maestro by my ensemble rather than mister.

  67. ConiferousTurtle Avatar

    How about we just stop the title thing altogether instead? The only doctor I call doctor is my doctor when in a doctors office. If you’re a brain surgeon but you’re not my doctor, I’m calling you Phil, because that’s your name. Not Dr. McNugget. Phil.

  68. HeatherJMD Avatar

    They already do this in Austria

  69. random-tree-42 Avatar

    So 

    MSc [Name] 

    I like it 

  70. Expert-Leg8110 Avatar

    Master is the title for a young male child. The title is already reserved.

  71. 0311TeufelHunden Avatar

    I work in Academia as a staff member. When dealing with faculty, as long as its not in a professional setting or in the presence of students, I address the professors as Jon instead of Dr. Doe.

    Shortly after a new professor joined our department he entered my office. I greeted him with “Good morning, Joe.”.

    He proceeded to demand that I use his professional title and call him “Dr. Doe.”

    I responded with “are you serious?”

    “Absolutely. I worked very hard for that title and I expect you show me the respect I deserve.”

    “Very well. In that case, I will then expect you to refer me to as “Master Jones”. I worked very hard for that title as well.”

    “Jon will be fine.”

    That’s what I thought!!!!

  72. MasterpieceNo6020 Avatar

    🤣 yeah as a black guy, I’m not calling anyone master

  73. Slarg232 Avatar

    There’s only one Master, and his name is Sho Nuff

  74. PumpkinKing2020 Avatar

    I think the only reason we do that with Dr is not because of PHDs themselves, but the dissertation as a whole. Your dissertation is like your magnum opus of your education. Your 300 page paper on Malaria or your 30 minute orchestral piece. Master and Bachelor degrees don’t require that and also require less schooling and are “easier” to achieve. You’d basically be calling everyone Bachelor or Master except for people in trades

  75. Artoodeetwo_1 Avatar

    Nice try, Mace Windu!

  76. Far_Tie614 Avatar

    It would be “magister”. Master, as a title, implies an unmarried adult man, which is totally different. 

  77. Menes009 Avatar

    My unpopular opinion is the opposite, addressing people based on their academic degree is ridiculous and the stronger a society enforces/expects/allows this, the more they still have ties with society class/caste systems of hierarchy.

  78. HxCxReformer Avatar

    I have a Master of Divinity. Do I get to be Divine Master?

  79. Javi_DR1 Avatar

    What if my master’s degree is about fish bait?

  80. Seaofinfiniteanswers Avatar

    I have a masters degree and I really want to be called The Master going forward. I’m going to put it on DoorDash as step 1.

  81. nick3790 Avatar

    I prefer Meister

  82. konalacroix Avatar

    Would be awkward if your last name was Bates

  83. Kaurifish Avatar

    Okay, but do those of us with bachelors degrees get called “The Bachelor”?

  84. Princess_NikHOLE Avatar

    Maybe twenty years ago. The perception and value of what a these degrees hold has fallen so drastically and for good reason.

    Hell no. A master of something is somebody who displays mastery over something.

  85. Mioraecian Avatar

    I have two bachelors, a masters degree, and black belts in two arts. And if someone called me Master, I’d still think it was a sex bondage kink.

  86. Mammoth_Teeth Avatar

    If this were the case I’d prob go get my masters 

  87. NickelCitySaint Avatar

    Yeah that’s a no from me

  88. ImReverse_Giraffe Avatar

    Except Master is already a title, I means an unwed man. Just like how Miss means an unwed woman.

  89. cocopopped Avatar

    I’ve got a masters from a polytechnic. I’m happy enough walking round East London where everyone calls me guv’nor

  90. AltruisticOrder71 Avatar

    This has to be the dumbest post I’ve seen on this sub

  91. Coogarfan Avatar

    What if we like the erotic connotations?