Capitalizing job titles

When the title comes before the name, it should be in capital letters.

  • Memorial University President Neil Bose
  • Vice-President (Academic) Jennifer Lokash
  • Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Natasha Hurley
  • President Emeritus Arthur May
  • Professor Paulette Jones


When the title comes after the name, it should be in lower case.

  • Dr. Neil Bose, president of Memorial University
  • Dr. Jennifer Lokash, vice-president (academic)
  • Dr. Natasha Hurley, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Dr. Arthur May, president emeritus of Memorial University


When the title is written without the name, it should be lower case

  • The president made a speech to the senate.
  • The dean spoke to the new students for the first time.


When combining a job title with an academic subject, the subject or program should not be capitalized.

  • Paulette Jones, professor of physics, led the seminar.


NOTE: When a phrase refers to an administrative unit it should be capitalized. When it refers to an individual’s title it should be written in lower case.
(See the Capitalizing departments and administrative units section)

  • The Office of the Vice-President (Research and International) produces the annual research report.
  • The vice-president (research) chaired the meeting.