Q. Should I capitalize specific named academic degrees such as “Master’s Degree in Built Environment” and “Bachelor of Fine Arts”? This information will be engraved on a plaque on a prominent painting at our headquarters, so it’s essential to get it right.
A. In the same way that we lowercase an ordinary phrase like “view from my window,” we also lowercase “bachelor of fine arts.” But in some contexts, the same words can be capped—for instance, in a book title (View from My Window) or at the top of a fancy diploma (Bachelor of Fine Arts). Display items like plaques support a number of treatments, none of which is the only correct choice. You should make your decision and strive for consistency within the plaque.