LIST OF COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS

IN EVERYDAY CONVERSATION

Written and verbal communication often includes these abbreviations:

• R.S.V.P. – This acronym means “Répondez s’il vous plait,” French for “respond, if you please.” It is often used on invitations to parties and special events, and is intended (as it says) to be responded to with a “yes, we will attend,” or “no, we will not.”
• P.S. – Means “post script.” At the end of a letter, people will often include a P.S. to include an extra thought that was intended to be included in the letter, but forgotten. Using a P.S. was more common in typewritten letters, when you couldn’t go back and add a sentence in the body of a letter.
• A.S.A.P. – “As soon as possible,” used when encouraging someone to respond to a request without delay.
• E.T.A. – This acronym means “estimated time of arrival,” and is used as a guess for when one expects to arrive while traveling.
• B.Y.O.B. – “Bring your own bottle” is used for parties where guests are expected to bring their own beverages.
• D.I.Y. – This acronym stands for “do it yourself,” which means creating something on your own.  It is often used for crafts and home repairs.

STATES OF THE UNITED STATES

Perhaps the most commonly used abbreviations used in the U.S. are found in the names of the 50 states:

• Alabama – AL
• Alaska – AK
• Arizona – AZ
• Arkansas – AR
• California – CA
• Colorado – CO
• Connecticut – CT
• Delaware – DE
• Florida – FL
• Georgia – GA
• Hawaii – HI
• Idaho – ID
• Illinois – IL
• Indiana – IN
• Iowa – IA
• Kansas – KS
• Kentucky – KY
• Louisiana – LA
• Maine – ME
• Maryland – MD
• Massachusetts – MA
• Michigan – MI
• Minnesota – MN
• Mississippi – MS
• Missouri – MO
• Montana – MT
• Nebraska – NE
• Nevada – NV
• New Hampshire – NH
• New Jersey – NJ
• New Mexico – NM
• New York – NY
• North Carolina – NC
• North Dakota – ND
• Ohio – OH
• Oklahoma – OK
• Oregon – OR
• Pennsylvania – PA
• Rhode Island – RI
• South Carolina – SC
• South Dakota – SD
• Tennessee – TN
• Texas – TX
• Utah -UT
• Vermont – VT
• Virginia – VA
• Washington – WA
• West Virginia – WV
• Wisconsin – WI
• Wyoming – WY

ABBREVIATIONS FOR COOKING AND BAKING

Abbreviations are also necessary for measurements for cooking and baking – after all, your cake won’t come out very well if you don’t know the difference between:

• tsp or t – teaspoon/teaspoons
• tbs, tbsp or T – tablespoon/tablespoons
• c – cup/cups
• gal – gallon
• lb – pound/pounds
• pt – pint
• qt – quart

MAP LOCATIONS

If you want to find your way around, you better know location abbreviations such as:

• Ave – avenue
• Blvd – boulevard
• Ln – lane
• Rd – road
• St – street

EDUCATIONAL DEGREES AND JOB TITLES

Abbreviations often show up in describing educational degrees and job titles. For example:

• BA – Bachelor of Arts
• BS – Bachelor of Science
• MA – Master of Arts
• M.PHIL or MPHIL – Master of Philosophy
• JD – Juris Doctor
• DC – Doctor of Chiropractic
• PA – Personal Assistant
• MD – Managing Director
• VP – Vice President
• SVP – Senior Vice President
• EVP – Executive Vice President
• CMO – Chief Marketing Officer
• CFO – Chief Financial Officer
• CEO – Chief Executive Officer

INTERNET CHAT

The advent of the Internet has brought about a whole new range of abbreviations we may use in our daily life. Among these abbreviations, online chat has evolved and created a language of its own, made up almost entirely of abbreviations. For example:

• ACE  – a cool experience
• AD – awesome dude
• AFAIK – as far as I know
• AFK – away from keyboard
• ANI – age not important
• BRB – be right back
• CUL – see you later
• CWYL – chat with you later
• IIRC – if I recall/remember correctly
• IQ – ignorance quotient
• LOL – laugh-out-loud
• NP – no problem
• ROFL – rolling on the floor laughing
• TY – thank you
• WC – wrong conversation

These are just a handful of innumerable abbreviations that are used in chat language.

ALPHABET AGENCIES

During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created a number of agencies to stimulate job growth in the United States. Known as “alphabet agencies,” these are some of the most famous abbreviations today.

• AAA – The Agricultural Adjustment Act. This act was created in 1933 to compensate farmers for not planting crops as a way to increase the demand for certain agricultural products and raise prices. By 1936, the Supreme Court ruled that the act was to be voided.
• CCC – The Civilian Conservation Corps. Single men between the ages of 18 and 25 were selected to form this corps, which would work on conserving the wildlife and national preservation areas, in addition to planting trees and fighting erosion.
• CWA – The Civil Works Administration. Four million people were employed by the CWA to work in renovation and construction jobs such as building repair, road building, and other infrastructural work. However, some of the jobs provided by the CWA were considered useless, such as employing people to rake leaves.
• FDIC – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Since banks were widely distrusted after the many bank failures during the depression, this alphabet agency was created to encourage public confidence in saving money in banks by insuring customers against losses of up to $5,000 if the bank would happen to fail.
• FHA – The Federal Housing Administration. This organization was created to help people secure loans to buy houses.
• NRA – The National Recovery Administration. In 1933, Roosevelt helped create the NRA was an attempt to aid deflation and encourage market competition, in order to restore the economy. Unfortunately, the administration did not stimulate industrial production, although investor and consumer confidence were restored.
• SSA – The Social Security Administration. The Social Security Act, administered by the Social Security Administration, created a national pension for retired people as well as unemployment insurance and government aid for single mothers, children, and handicapped persons. The SSA exists even today.

UNDERSTANDING LATIN-BASED ABBREVIATIONS

Looking at Latin, the root of the English language, is a good way to decipher abbreviations. The most popular abbreviations that we use in our day to day life are derived from this ancient language. For example:

• AM, which we use to denote morning, is an abbreviation for ante meridian, and PM stands for post meridian.
• The era in which we live, AD, is actually an abbreviation for Anno Domini, or “The Year of Our Lord.”

Latin has also gifted us with other abbreviations that we use so frequently that at times, we seem to forget what they stand for such as:

• When someone quotes an example and uses the abbreviation e.g. to express it, it stands for exampli gratia, which means, “example given.”
• Also, i.e., another equally popular abbreviation we use in daily life, stands for id est, meaning, “that is.”
• “Etc”, which is used also used often, is short for etcetera, which means “and other things.”
• Another popular Latin abbreviation we use in our daily life is “viz”, which stands for videlicet, meaning “namely.”
• Other popular Latin abbreviations include n.b which is written at the end of a communication. It stands for nota bene, which means “take notice,” or “note well.”

Abbreviations have become an inalienable part of our lives. In other words, almost anything you want to do will require you to know an abbreviation or two.

IMPORTANT EDUCATION ABBREVIATIONS

 

AICTE	All India Council for Technical Education.
ALISE	Association for Library and Information Science Education.
APA	American Psychological Association.
B.A	Bachelor of Arts.
B.A.E	Bachelor of Arts in Education.
B.Ag	Bachelor of Agriculture.
B.A.M	Bachelor of Applied Mathematics.
B.Arch	Bachelor of Architecture.
B.B.A	Bachelor of Business Administration.
B.C.E	Bachelor of Civil Engineering.
B.Ch.E	Bachelor of Chemical Engineering.
BCI	Bar Council of India.
B.C.L	Bachelor of Canon Law.
B.D	Bachelor of Divinity.
B.E	Bachelor of Education or Bachelor of Engineering.
B.E.E	Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.
B.F	Bachelor of Forestry.
B.F.A	Bachelor of Fine Arts.
B.J	Bachelor of Journalism.
B.L.S	Bachelor of Liberal Studies or Bachelor of Library Science.
B.Lit	Bachelor of Literature.
B.Litt	Bachelor of Letters.
B.M	Bachelor of Medicine or Bachelor of Music.
B.M.S	Bachelor of Marine Science.
BMS	Bachelor of Management Studies.
B.N	Bachelor of Nursing.
B.Pharm	Bachelor of Pharmacy.
B.R.E	Bachelor of Religious Education.
B.S	Bachelor of Science.
B.S.Ed	Bachelor of Science in Education.
B.Tech	Bachelor of Technology.
CBSE	Central Board of Secondary Education.
CDC	Curriculum Development Committee.
C.E	Civil Engineer.
CEP	Continuing Education Programme.
Ch.E	Chemical Engineer.
CIET	Central Institute of Educational Technology.
CLISc	Certificate Course in Library and Information Science.
CLS	Certificate in Library Science.
CSIR	Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
CV	Curriculum Vitae.
D.A	Doctor of Arts.
D.A.S	Doctor of Applied Science.
D.B.A	Doctor of Business Administration.
D.C	Doctor of Chiropractic.
D.D	Doctor of Divinity.
DEAF	Depositors Education Awareness Fund.
D.D.S	Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Science.
D.Ed	Doctor of Education.
DEC	Distance Education Council.
DESIDOC	Defense Scientific Information and Documentation Center.
D.LL	Doctor of Laws.
DLSc	Diploma in Library Science.
DLIS	Department of Library and Information Science.
D.J	Doctor of Laws.
D.J.S	Doctor of Juristic Science.
D.L.H	Doctor of Humane Letters.
D.L.S	Doctor of Library Science.
D.M.D	Doctor of Dental Medicine.
D.O	Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
D.M.S	Doctor of Medical Science.
D.P.A	Doctor of Public Administration.
D.P.H	Doctor of Public Health.
DRTC	Documentation Research and Training Center.
D.R.E	Doctor of Religious Education.
D.S.W	Doctor of Social Welfare or Doctor of Social Work.
D.Sc	Doctor of Science.
D.V.M	Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Ed.D	Doctor of Education.
Ed.S	Education Specialist.
EDRS	Education Document Retrieval Service.
E.E	Electrical Engineer.
E.M	Engineer of Mines.
E.Met	Engineer of Metallurgy.
ERIC	Educational Resources Information Center.
ETS	Educational Testing Service.
FERPA	Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
GATE	Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering.
GIAC	Global Initiative for Academic Networks.
GMAT	Graduate Management Admission Test.
GPA	Grade Point Average.
GRE	Graduate Record Examinations.
HSC	Higher Secondary Certificate.
IASLIC	Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centers.
IATLIS	Indian Association of Teachers in Library and Information Science.
ICAC	International Council of Adult Education.
ICSE	Indian Certificate of Secondary Education.
ICSSR	Indian Council of Social Science Research.
ICT	Information and Communication Technology.
I.E	Industrial Engineer or Industrial Engineering.
IES	Institute of Educational Sciences.
IES	Indian Engineering Services.
IFLA	International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.
IIT	Indian Institute of Technology.
ILA	Indian Library Association.
INSDOC	Indian National Scientific Documentation Center.
IQ	Intelligence Quotient.
ISC	Indian School Certificate.
ISEET	Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test.
LA	Learning Assistance.
LAC	Learning Assistance Center.
LASS	Learning Assistance Support System.
LASSI	Learning & Study Strategies Inventory.
LCLC	Learning Center Leadership Certification.
LEP	Limited English Proficient.
LMS	Learning Management System.
LSC	Learning Support Center.
LSCHE	Learning Support Centers in Higher Education.
LCSH	Library of Congress Subject Heading.
LIS	Library and Information Science.
LKG	Lower Kinder Garten.
LLB	Bachelor of Laws.
M.LL	Master of Laws.
M.A	Master of Arts.
M.Aero.E	Master of Aeronautical Engineering.
MAT	Management Aptitude Test.
M.B.A	Master of Business Administration.
MBBS	Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.
M.C.E	Master of Christian Education or Master of Civil Engineering.
MCI	Medical Council of India.
M.C.S	Master of Computer Science.
M.D	Doctor of Medicine.
M.Div	Master of Divinity.
M.E	Master of Engineering.
M.Ed	Master of Education.
M.Eng	Master of Engineering.
M.F.A	Master of Fine Arts.
M.H.A	Master of Hospital Administration.
MLA	Modern Library Association.
MLISc	Master of Library and Information Science.
M.L.S	Master of Library Science.
M.Litt	Master of Letters.
M.M	Master of Music.
M.M.E	Master of Mechanical Engineering or Master of Music Education.
M.Mus	Master of Music.
M.N	Master of Nursing.
M.Phil	Master of Philosophy.
M.R.E	Master of Religious Education.
M.S	Master of Science.
M.S.W	Master of Social Work.
M.Th	Master of Theology.
NAAC	National Assessment and Accreditation Council.
NADE	National Association for Developmental Education.
NCERT	National Council of Educational Research and Training.
NASSDOC	National Social Science Documentation Center.
NCLCA	National College Learning Center Association.
NCTE	National Council of Teachers of English.
NCTM	National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
NISOD	National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development.
NODA	National Orientation Directors Association.
NCHER	National Commission for Higher Education and Research.
NCTE	National Council for Teachers Education.
NEET	National Eligibility
NIIT	National Institute of Information Technology.
NISCAIR	National Institute for Science Communication and Information Resources.
NMAT	Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test.
NRC	National Reading Conference.
Nuc.E	Nuclear Engineer.
O.D	Doctor of Optometry.
Pharm.D	Doctor of Pharmacy.
Ph.B	Bachelor of Philosophy.
Ph.D	Doctor of Philosophy.
PGDIT	Post Graduate Diploma in Information Technology.
PGDLAN	Post Graduate Diploma in Library Automation and Networking.
Ph.D	Doctorate in Philosophy.
RIE	Regional Institute of Education.
RRRLF	Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation.
S.B	Bachelor of Science.
Sc.D	Doctor of Science.
S.J.D	Doctor of Juridical Science or Doctor of the Science of Law.
S.Sc.D	Doctor of Social Science.
SSLC	Secondary School Leaving Certificate.
S.T.B	Bachelor of Sacred Theology.
S.T.D	Doctor of Sacred Theology.
S.T.M	Master of Sacred Theology.
Th.B	Bachelor of Theology.
Th.D	Doctor of Theology.
Th.M	Master of Theology.
TGT	Trained Graduate Teacher.
TOEFL	Test Of English as a Foreign Language.
UGC	University Grants Commission.

Degree	Abbreviations
Associate of Arts	AA or A.A.
Brevet d’études professionnelles (France)	BEP
Certificat d’aptitude professionnelle (France)	CAP
Diploma of Arts	Dip.Arts
Diploma of Language Studies	Dip.Lang.Stud.
Diploma of Languages	Dip.Lang
Diploma of Social Sciences	Dip.Soc.Sc.
Diploma of Education	Dip.Ed
Diploma of Music	Dip.Mus.

BACHELOR’S DEGREE[EDIT]

Degree	Abbreviations
Bachelor of Arts	BA, B.A., AB, A.B. or B.Arts
Bachelor of Accountancy	BAcy or B.Acy.
Bachelor of Accounting	BAcc or B.Acc.
Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience	B.An.Vet.Bio.Sc.
Bachelor of Applied Science	B.App.Sc.
Bachelor of Architecture	BArch or B.Arch.
Bachelor of Business Administration	BBA or B.B.A.
Bachelor of Civil Engineering	BCE or B.C.E.
Bachelor of Commerce	BComm or B.Comm., or BCom or B.Com.
Bachelor of Communications	B.Comm.
Bachelor of Dental Medicine	BDM or B.D.M.
Bachelor of Dental Science	BDSc or B.D.Sc.
Bachelor of Dental Surgery	BDS or B.D.S.; or BChD or B.Ch.D.
Bachelor of Dentistry	BDent or B.Dent.
Bachelor of Design	BDes or B.Des.
Bachelor of Design Computing	B.Des.Comp.
Bachelor of Design in Architecture	B.Des.Arch.
Bachelor of Education	BEd or B.Ed.
Bachelor of Engineering	BEng or B.Eng., or BE or B.E
Bachelor of Electronic Commerce	BEC or B.E-COM.
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering	BEE or B.E.E.
Bachelor of Fine Arts	BFA or B.F.A.
Bachelor of Health Sciences	B.Hlth.Sci
Bachelor of Information Technology	BIT or B.I.T.
Bachelor of International and Global Studies	BIGS or B.I.G.S.
Bachelor of Law	LLB or LL.B.
Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences	BLAS or B.L.A.S.
Bachelor of Library Science	BLib or B.Lib., or BLS or B.L.S.
Bachelor of Literature	BLit or B.Lit.
Bachelor of Mathematics	BMath or B.Math
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering	BME or B.M.E.
Bachelor of Medical Science	B.Med.Sc.
Bachelor of Medicine	MB or M.B.
Bachelor of Music Studies	B.Mus.Studies
Bachelor of Nursing	BN or B.N.
Bachelor of Pharmacy	B.Pharm.
Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences	B.P.E.S.S.
Bachelor of Resource Economics	B.Res.Ec.
Bachelor of Science	(US) BS or B.S.; (UK) BSc or B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing	BSN
Bachelor of Socio-Legal Studies	BSLS or B.S.L.S.
Bachelor of Surgery	BS or B.S.
Bachelor of Veterinary Science	B.V.Sc.
Bachelor of Visual Arts	BVA or B.V.A.

GRADUATE

SUB-MASTER’S

MASTER’S

Degrees conferred for coursework/research after having attained a bachelor’s degree.

Degree	Abbreviations
Master of Arts	MA, M.A. or A.M.
Master of Business Administration	MBA or M.B.A.
Master of Commerce	MCom or M.Com
Master of Divinity	MDiv or M.Div.
Master of Education	M.Ed.
Master of International Studies	MIS or M.I.S.
Master of Laws	LLM or LL.M.
Master of Library Science	MLS
Master of Liberal Arts	MLA
Master of Science	(US) MS or M.S.; (UK) MSc or M.Sc.
Master of Social Work	MSW or M.S.W.
Master of Strategic Foresight	MSF or M.S.F.

DOCTOR’S

Generally awarded with a research project and thesis.

Degree	Abbreviations
Doctor of Audiology	AuD or Au.D.
Doctor of Chiropractic	DC or D.C.
Doctor of Dental Surgery	DDS or D.D.S.
Doctor of Divinity	DD or D.D.
Doctor of Education	EdD or Ed.D.
Doctor of Jurisprudence (Juris Doctor)	JD or J.D.
Doctor of Medical Dentistry	DMD or D.M.D.
Doctor of Medicine	MD or M.D.
Doctor of Naturopathy	ND or N.D.
Doctor of Nursing Practice	DNP or D.N.P.
Doctor of Optometry	OD or O.D.
Doctor of Osteopathy	DO or D.O.
Doctor of Pharmacy	PharmD or Pharm.D.
Doctor of Philosophy	PhD, Ph.D., DPhil, D.Phil., DPh or D.Ph.
Doctor of Physical Therapy	DPT or D.P.T.
Doctor of Psychology	PsyD or Psy.D.
Doctor of Science	DSc or D.Sc.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine	DVM or D.V.M.

source 1, 2,3