In short
Doctoral title abbreviations show the faculty and the subject in which you earned your doctorate. Dr. rer. nat. stands for natural sciences, Dr.-Ing. for engineering and Dr. med. for medicine. The suffix h. c. means the degree was awarded honoris causa, as an honour. Each university sets out the assignment in its doctoral regulations.
| Abbreviation | Latin meaning | Awarded by the faculty |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. phil. | philosophiae, philosophy | Faculty of Philosophy |
| Dr. theol. | theologiae, theology | Department of Theology |
| Dr. jur. | juris, law | Faculty of Law and Economics, Department of Law |
| Dr. rer. pol. | rerum politicarum, economics | Faculty of Law and Economics, Department of Economics |
| Dr. med. | medicinae, medicine | Faculty of Medicine |
| Dr. med. dent. | medicinae dentariae, dentistry | Faculty of Medicine |
| Dr. rer. biol. hum. | rerum biologicarum humanarum, human biology | Faculty of Medicine |
| Dr. rer. nat. | rerum naturalium, natural sciences | Faculty of Natural Sciences |
| Dr.-Ing. | Ingenieur (engineer), engineering | Faculty of Engineering |
| Dr. h. c. | honoris causa, as an honour | Honorary doctorate under the faculty regulations |
Status of the table: model doctoral regulations of FAU, section 3(1), sentence 4 and section 17, version according to the document from 2013. The assignment at your university may differ.
What do the doctoral title abbreviations say about the subject?
The abbreviation follows from the subject and the faculty, not from the content of your thesis alone. Dr. phil. is typical of humanities subjects, Dr. rer. nat. for mathematics, physics, chemistry or biology, Dr.-Ing. for engineering subjects and Dr. med. for human medicine. Dr. rer. pol. stands for economics, Dr. jur. for law. Whether your subject is assigned exactly this way is shown on your certificate or in your faculty’s doctoral regulations.
Subjects that sit between faculties are worth checking against your certificate. Computer science, for example, can sit in the natural sciences at one university and in engineering at another. Accordingly, the abbreviation may also differ, for example Dr. rer. nat. or Dr.-Ing. For agricultural sciences or veterinary medicine there are also their own suffixes, such as Dr. agr. or Dr. med. vet., which are common in specialist terminology.
What does the suffix h. c. mean?
The suffix h. c. stands for honoris causa, that is, as an honour. A Dr. h. c. is not earned through your own doctorate but conferred for particular academic achievements or merits. The faculty regulations govern the procedure. In practice you will also see the spelling h.c. without spaces; both are common. The important distinction is that a Dr. h. c. is not a qualification you earned through your own work.
Does the abbreviation change with gender?
No. The title can be conferred in the masculine or feminine form, but the abbreviation stays the same.
Why does the abbreviation come after the title?
The abbreviation is the shortened form of the Latin name of the degree. It follows “Dr.” because a doctorate is always awarded with a subject addition. Without the addition, it would not be clear in which subject you earned your doctorate. The form is the same in CVs, on business cards and in publications. Anyone who uses the title follows the spelling on the certificate. Your own translations or different abbreviations do not match the degree the university awarded.
In everyday life, people often just write “Dr.”. The subject addition is nevertheless part of the official title, even when it is left out. For applications to positions at universities or research institutions, it is worth using the spelling from the job advertisement.
Which other abbreviations exist?
There are further suffixes that do not appear at every university, such as Dr. rer. medic. or Dr. paed. The list at your own university is therefore decisive. If you are unsure, the doctoral regulations of your faculty or the dean’s office will help.
Common mix-ups
- Dr. med. and Dr. rer. medic.: Both sound like medicine, but they are different suffixes. Dr. med. is the degree in human medicine, while Dr. rer. medic. occurs at some universities for other subjects in the medical field.
- Dr. h. c. and Dr. rer. nat.: The suffix h. c. indicates an honour conferred honoris causa. A Dr. rer. nat., by contrast, is earned through your own doctorate.
- Dr. and Prof.: The doctorate is a degree, the professorship is a post. A title such as Prof. Dr. denotes both, but says nothing about the subject area of the degree.
How to read your certificate
- Find the abbreviation after “Dr.” on your certificate; it usually stands directly next to the title.
- Match the abbreviation to the subject and faculty using the table.
- Check whether a suffix such as h. c. appears, which marks an honorary doctorate.
- Compare the spelling with your doctoral regulations, so you copy the abbreviation exactly in applications.
- For foreign degrees, check comparability in our article on Dr. or Ph.D. (in German).
Frequently asked questions
What does Dr. rer. nat. mean?
Doctor rerum naturalium, that is, Doctor of Natural Sciences. The doctorate was completed at a faculty of natural sciences.
What is the difference between Dr. phil. and Dr. rer. nat.?
Dr. phil. comes from the Faculty of Philosophy, Dr. rer. nat. from the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Both are academic degrees, and the difference lies in the subject.
What does Dr. h. c. mean?
Honoris causa, that is, conferred as an honour. It is awarded for particular achievements or merits.
Is there a Dr. abbreviation without a subject addition?
For German doctorates, the subject addition is part of the degree. For certain foreign degrees, the form Dr. without an addition is permitted; see our article on Dr. or Ph.D. (in German).
Related articles
- Dr. or Ph.D.: Which doctoral title you may use (in German)
- Doctorate in Germany: paths, doctoral titles and requirements (in German)
- Financing a doctorate: position, scholarship or own funds (in German)
Sources and verification
- Model doctoral regulations of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), sections 3, 16 and 17, version 2013. The current version of your own university applies.
- Latin meanings of the abbreviations according to common specialist terminology, not taken from a primary source. The assignment to faculties is an example.
- Further abbreviations (for example Dr. rer. medic., Dr. paed., Dr. agr., Dr. med. vet.) are included only as a note, because they vary between universities.
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
Editorial team: Academycon
If you want to look at your doctorate in the wider context, the next step is the online check from Academycon.
Last updated: October 2026. This article is general information, not individual advice.
