what's M.Phil.?

[Thomas M. Paikeday]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Laurence Horn" <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 12:11 PM
Subject: Re: what's M.Phil.?


> >Hello!
> >Is there anyone who can tell me what an "M.Phil." is? it sounds like an
> >accademic title... but i am not sure.
> >
> Master of Philosophy.  As the title implies, it's on the same scale
> as PhD ("Doctor of Philosophy") but further down.  At many
> universities, it's what you get if you are a candidate for a PhD,
> having completed all requirements but (and that's a big "but")
> writing your dissertation.  (The "philosophy" here is not necessarily
> philosophy, any more than it is in PhD.)  Informally, this is
> sometimes referred to as "ABD" = 'all but dissertation', but the
> latter is not an actual degree.
>
> Larry Horn

I was about to say what Larry says.

A related question if I may: I have often wondered what L.Ph. (sometimes
Ph.L.) stands for in the States. I know it is common in Canada; it's in the
list of abbreviations at the end of Canadian Who's Who, U. of T. Press,
which also has M.Ph.,  though no M.Phil., but the full form of L.Ph. is
given as Licence en Philosophe (probably from Laval U.) whereas Ph.L. is
"Licentiate in Philosophy" (no idea from where). To digress a little about
values, I am reminded of someone who mentioned his "First Class Honours"
B.A. to
a dean of admissions at Wayne State U. (no offence to Wayne Staters) and
after being told the actual marks, he commented, "Just made the grade, uh"?

Tom Paikeday
www.paikeday.net