List of post-nominal letters (Netherlands)
Post-nominal letters in the Netherlands are used only in a limited number of domains. Unlike countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands does not maintain a national system of post-nominals for state honours, civil precedence or public offices. Official post-nominals exist primarily for academic degrees, protected professional qualifications, and religious institutes.
Orders and decorations
The Kingdom of the Netherlands does not assign official post-nominal letters to recipients of national honours.[1] However, Knights of the Military William Order are often referred with the post-nominal letters R.M.W.O.; its use of the letters has historically evolved (following British tradition) and is widely recognized (although never been formally established).
| Post-nominal | Meaning | Legal basis / notes |
|---|---|---|
| RMWO | Ridder Militaire Willems-Orde (Knight of the Military William Order) | Socially established; not officially recognised |
University degrees and academic qualifications
Academic post-nominals in the Netherlands are regulated under the Higher Education and Research Act (Wet op het hoger onderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek, WHW).[2]
Degree post-nominals
| Post-nominal | Degree type | Full degree name | Legal basis / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA | Bachelor | Bachelor of Arts | WHW Article 7.10a |
| BSc | Bachelor | Bachelor of Science | WHW Article 7.10a |
| BBA | Bachelor | Bachelor of Business Administration | WHW Article 7.10a |
| LLB | Bachelor | Bachelor of Laws | WHW Article 7.10a |
| MA | Master | Master of Arts | WHW Article 7.10a |
| MSc | Master | Master of Science | WHW Article 7.10a |
| LLM | Master | Master of Laws | WHW Article 7.10a |
| MBA | Master | Master of Business Administration | WHW Article 7.10a |
| PhD | Doctoral degree | Doctor of Philosophy | WHW Article 7.22(3)[3] |
| PDEng | Professional doctorate | Professional Doctorate in Engineering | WHW-recognised; awarded by 4TU[4] |
Degrees not used in the Netherlands
- MD: not officially used in the Dutch medical system
- MPhil: not awarded in the Netherlands
Religious institutes
Members of Catholic religious orders in the Netherlands use the same post-nominals as their international counterparts.[5]
| Post-nominal | Institute |
|---|---|
| SJ | Society of Jesus |
| OFM | Order of Friars Minor |
| OP | Order of Preachers |
| OSB | Order of Saint Benedict |
| CR | Congregation of the Resurrection |
Professional qualifications
A limited number of Dutch professional designations use post-nominal letters. These titles are regulated by Dutch professional bodies and may be used only by individuals who have completed the required accredited training and registration.
| Post-nominal | Profession | Regulation / awarding body |
|---|---|---|
| RA | Register Accountant | Protected by law; regulated by the NBA[6] |
| RE | Register-Expert Accountant | Post-master qualification; regulated by the NBA[7] |
| RE | Register EDP-Auditor | IT-audit qualification; regulated by NOREA[8] |
| RO | Register Operational Auditor | Recognised professional qualification[9] |
| RC | Register Controller | Post-experience master’s qualification (MSc RC); regulated by VRC[10] |
Not used as post-nominals
- RV (Register Valuator): recognised professional qualification, but not used as a post-nominal suffix.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ Government of the Netherlands, Decorations and honours, https://www.government.nl/topics/honours-system
- ↑ WHW, Articles 7.10–7.22, https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0005682/
- ↑ WHW Article 7.22(3) permits the abbreviations D and PhD to be placed after the name.
- ↑ 4TU Federation, Professional Doctorate in Engineering, https://www.4tu.nl/pdeng/
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy, Religious Orders Abbreviations, https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/
- ↑ NBA, Registeraccountant (RA), https://www.nba.nl
- ↑ NBA, Register-Expert Accountant, https://www.nba.nl
- ↑ NOREA, Register EDP-Auditor (RE), https://www.norea.nl
- ↑ Vereniging van Operational Auditors, https://www.voa.nl
- ↑ VRC, Register Controller, https://www.vrc.nl
- ↑ NIRV, Register Valuator, https://www.nirv.nl