What is the difference between a Doctor of Philosophy and a Professor?

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DS and i were were discussing tonight and happened to mention one of his teachers who is referred to Drxx. DS asked if he had a Phd and i answered he did and that he was also Professor, but DS wondered why he wasn't called one. I wasn't sure so googled both, it seems a Professor has to be someone who teacher above secondary school but has the what looks like the same qualifications as a Doctor i.e Phd, MPhil etc

I'm now really unsure wether they are the same and if not what the difference is. DS's teacher has a Phd but works in a secondary school, is this why he can't use the title 'Professor'?

Only ignorant people consider it bad form.

in the USA medical doctors are Doctors of medicine, so the term Doctor makes sense there. Graduates of American law school are Doctors of Law, too.

I have a vague memory about surgeons usually being Mr. not Dr?

I have a PhD, but as I work as a teacher in a primary school, choose to be Mrs Teacherwith2kids at work.

When I worked in the research arm of a large company, I was Dr Teacherwith2kids.

I am also Dr Tw2K to all official bodies (bank, all utilities etc). I have discovered this is extremely useful in getting rid of nuisance callers, as they tend to use my surname but not my title. 'Hello, is that Mrs Tw2K, I am calling about your telephone provider / bank account / computer' can get a very swift 'sorry, she's dead' [my MiL, the only person who was genuinely Mrs Tw2K by title on official documents, died about a decade ago]

I think I remember that thread, Countess, about 30 name changes ago. Mn flamings about academics using the title Dr seem to be spittle-flecked eruptions of tall poppy syndrome, as far as I can judge, with a side order of 'women are supposed to be self-deprecating'.

TwTK using tour maiden name has the same effect. When a caller asks whether I am Mrs DH I imagine they want my late MIL.
ScottishProf Sorry for my ignorance, I didn't realise it was a contentious thing, only that I had heard comments from medics on the subject.

No worries :-) Interesting that you've heard this from medics; please educate them! I had noticed that my doctor's surgery refuses to call me by my name, but decided it was OK on pragmatic grounds, as my GP probably does want to know when she's speaking to a fellow medic, and using Dr only for them is an easy, if lazy, way to ensure that.

(Since my promotion, it has occurred to me to tell them they can put me down as Prof if Dr is too confusing for them - but I'm too healthy, and have not been to the doctor's since!)

Just to chime in - I've just completed my PhD and damn well using the title from the moment I have the piece of paper to say that I can.

Like scottishprof I am married but use Ms and will be pleased to have a title which has nothing to indicate my marital status.

The minute I got my very hard earned PhD I changed all my bank cards to 'Dr CityDweller'. I'd rather have no title at all on my bank cards, but for some reason UK banks seem to insist on it. I don't care how wanky it may seem, I don't see why I otherwise have to declare my marital status.

Also agree that a swift 'Dr' in response to 'is that Miss or Mrs' to people on the phone tends to get an interesting/weird response.

I think some people think if you use your earned title 'Dr' you are showing off, ramming it down their throats so to speak. They seem to accept easily medical 'doctor', but an academic Dr seems to get peoples backs up.
I'd be ramming down their throats alright if i had a Phd . Its a long gruelling, mentally challenging 3-5yrs.
I must say again with most forms of inverted snobbery, I've only come across it in Britain.

Agreed bullet. Along with the lowly status of university lecturers here compared, for example, to the US. If you say to a random stranger in the US that you're a 'university professor' (aka lecturer) then that seems to garner respect. Say it to a random stranger here and they seem to assume you're some shirking leather-elbow patched leftie. I blame Thatcher probably

Good for you Lictionary

My feelings entirely. And (as I said in a previous thread), how many men with a PhD wouldn't use it? Stormcoat has nailed that one by saying it may be because women are supposed to be self-deprecating.

Large snort. You earn it, be proud to use it.

Dr Moonbells

My wife gets annoyed with me a lot about this. She's a medic with no PhD and I have a PhD. I tell people I'm the real Dr. I pay for it - trust me.

It's easier to deal with the medical profession otherwise once you are a professor (with the exception of the boss, of course). Definitely more respect - unless you make the mistake of querying their risk statistics.

I have a phd. My GP surgery knows it. My GP has even discussed my research with me, but they all still call me Mrs ricohricoh. Why?

Oh o know a medical doctor who became a professor but doesn't teach in a university, so I'm now confused

how many men with a PhD wouldn't use it?

Actually I know more men who don't use it than women. I suppose it's because the discussion with a random stranger as a woman goes

"Miss or Mrs?'
'Dr actually'
'Oh, sorry'

Whereas as a man they just assume you are 'Mr'.

DH and I both have PhDs. DH doesn't ever use his title, I use mine the whole time except at work (where 50% of us have PhDs and so we just use first names).

Hi folks. I'm new here and have a couple of queries about the Professor job title (in the UK). Hoping you can help. Firstly, do UK universities tend to recognise the full professor title if obtained from overseas (in this case Turkey)? Second, can someone with the title 'Professor' carry it with them after they leave the job (as with Dr) or is it linked to the job they hold? Thanks for any advice :)

The title of Professor in the UK is linked to a specific job. You would need be be appointed to a post at that level in a university to use it. I have colleagues who moved from tenured posts in the US where they were Professor X, and they are now Dr X because they have been appointed at Senior Lecturer or Reader level here.

1. In what sense do you mean "recognise" an overseas professor? It is a job title in the U.K., so the fact that you hold a job with that title overseas definitely would not mean you are guaranteed that job here.

1. A professor who is very well respected may be made an emeritus professor when they retire, in which case they can still use professor and will still have various connections to the university (e.g. Right to use the library). Otherwise no, when you leave the job you are no longer a professor although in practice many will still use the title because all their bank accounts etc will show their title as professor.

My Dad does not have a PhD, but he is an emeritus Professor. He does have other degrees, just didn't finish his PhD.

PhD is a degree title.

Professor is a job. In UK it is usually very senior, US can be junior. Some UK universities are leaning towards the US model, so you can get more junior people calling themselves professor now in the UK.

Oxford instituted titular professorships a while back, so you could have the title without the pay that should go with it.

It's absolutely not bad form to call yourself Doctor if you have a PhD - you are entitled to use it. There are good reasons not to have it on a passport if you are on a plane flight and someone falls ill. "let me through, I'm a string theorist" is not much use when confronted with sick person (some would say that also applies to physics generally.)

My partner is a GP and calls herself Doctor. It amuses me to remind her sometimes that it is a bit of a fraud as she does not have a PhD. Our house is a bit like that.....

Roguedad I do have a wry smile when people like you try to outcompete on the value of titles. FWIW my DH and I both have doctorates in addition to being qualified as medical consultants. Many of my colleagues are similar. I am also a professor. My higher medical specialist training was more arduous than doctorate and postdoctoral training I found the latter more interesting but not harder intellectually. It is horses for courses. I have met equally well qualified bright people on both sides of the fence and people more junior including associate professors in the States who are far brighter than some senior academics like myself. I use Mrs outside my working environment similar to teacherwith2kids.

It's very confusing to me at first. In my native language, Person who practice medicine(doctor) and person who has Phd has totally different title.
Professor is the highest ranked lecturer in Uni.

Also wondered about why in Uk they don't call surgeons "dr." and call themselves "mr" etc.