PhD confusion

[slapcabbage]

I've just finished my PhD but I'm having a family dispute about what to call myself.
I started under my maiden name and got married halfway through. I changed everything, passport, bank etc to my new name except at uni where I kept my maiden name because I already had publications in that name.
So I'm Dr maiden name but am I Dr married name too? DH says not and that I am Mrs married name even though he gets to use Dr on everything by virtue of never having been daft enough to change names.
Any clever mumsnetters out there with PhD's know the answer?

DP: Performance Art and Yes
Brother: Law and Yes

Diplidophus: Behavioural neuroscience and Yes
Fennel: Social Psychology and Yes
SpeedyMama: Polymer Chemistry and Partly
Blackduck: Theatre studies and No
Ellbell: Italian Studies and Yes

I disagree throckenholt. I think it's true that A-levels and maybe even first degrees are not what they were but I don't see that filtering up to PhD level. Although I've only just finished my PhD (so I'm a bit biased ) I've been in the lab for 10+ years and PhD students are just as useless/brilliant as ever.
Also I think the use of computers has really shifted things in terms of how much it's possible to do. Comparing my thesis to one from the same lab in the 80's the total amount of data and discussion in the whole of the earlier one is equivalent to a short chapter in mine.
And things are shifting again now that many universities are allowing PhD's by paper submission (not what I did) which is good in that all chapters are publication standard but I guess some examiners are uncomfortable with work having been peer reviewed before they examine it, making them feel a bit redundant.

Diplidophus: Behavioural neuroscience and Yes
Fennel: Social Psychology and Yes
SpeedyMama: Polymer Chemistry and Partly
Blackduck: Theatre studies and No
Ellbell: Italian Studies and Yes
DrDaddy: Medieval History and No

Ooh, DrDaddy... I'm a medievalist!

Although I've only just finished my PhD (so I'm a bit biased )

sure you are biased

so am I ! I am the one handholding and it sometimes feels like I am doing all the thinking for them !

So DrDaddy - what do you do wiht a PhD in medieval history if not medieval history...?

Just a thought re possible dumbing down of PhDs:
with GCSEs, A levels etc, the actual hurdle has been made lower, so there is no immediate benefit in doing any better. However with PhDs people are planning to compete in an ever-more competitive jobs market so they still have an interest in writing the best possible thesis they can.

The thing about doing a PhD is that it's not just about the academic part it's also about the way you get organised and your relationship with your supervisor which is a very personal thing. I certainly didn't get any hand holding from mine and I didn't want it or ask for it.

May be you are too nice to your students throckenholt !

Diplidophus: Behavioural neuroscience and Yes
Fennel: Social Psychology and Yes
SpeedyMama: Polymer Chemistry and Partly
Blackduck: Theatre studies and No
Ellbell: Italian Studies and Yes
DrDaddy: Medieval History and No
Tamum: Genetics and Yes

I have to say, I completely disagree about PhDs being dumbed down too. Maybe it's subject-specific, but I have examined an awful lot of theses in the last 15 years and I would say that standards are creeping up all the time.

My Phd supervisor was Dr X but Mrs Y. To add to the confusion she was also Dr A X but Mrs B Y!

Blimey, talk about making life difficult for yourself!

I only found out when we went on a conference to pre glasnost Russia. The people in the embassy couldn't quite undetstand why the invite went to Dr A X but her passport was Mrs B Y.

amusing.

She was from quite a scinece dynesty. We use to send academic papers to X house

Diplidophus - I now work for a large software company! In fact been in the IT business for more than a decade.

Ellbell - a fellow medievalist! Hooray! I see you're in Italian studies. What aspect? My area of expertise was 13thC University of Paris Masters of Theology - Aquinas, Bonaventure, Albert et al and a bunch of less well known ones...Lots of highly abbreviated scholastic Latin to transcribe. What a way to spend 4 years I do miss it sometimes....

is there room for another phd?

Of course! What's yours in and are you still using it in your work? Or are you mid-PhD?

I'm a cultural studies head - it's done and dusted, worked as a lecturer for a year afterwards but not any more (oh the joys of short-term contracts!)

And, fwiw slapcabbage, I'm Dr and Ms Maiden Name. Anyone rings up asking for Mrs DH's name, I tell them his mother lives in Australia

Another PhD (well, D Phil) here.

Field: German studies. Is current work still in this field: No. Have a project planned that will take me back in that direction, though.

Re OP: I'm Dr DHName-Myname.

berolina - DPhil, eh? Oxon or York?

Oooh, DrDaddy... will I sound like a real saddo if I say that sounds exciting? (Possibly not the Latin transcription bit, though.)

I work on Dante (mainly). Currently translating his political letters (from Latin). Three related to the Italian campaign of Henry VII and one on the Avignon Papacy. All nicely vitriolic and bitter!

DrDaddy - Oxon.

Ellbell - not in the slightest! It's unusual to get such a positive response! Your area of research sounds fascinating also...
Oh, I pine for the days sometimes when I would walk into the library with my copy of Cappelli tucked under my arm to work on MSS that no one had ever transcribed or touched for centuries (and probably never will do again...) We probaby know some people in common actually come to think of it...I still keep in touch with a lot of people from those days. In fact, just been hearing about some friends' latest trip to the "Zoo"

LOL...

Where did you do your PhD, DrDaddy? I have so far avoided Kalamazoo. I hate those massive conferences. Not a great networker, really.