The university should be referred to as either SEU or Southeastern University. Please do not just use “Southeastern” by itself.
The preferred form is to spell out academic degrees and avoid abbreviations on first use. Subsequent uses can be abbreviated.
| Formal Use | General Use | Abbreviated Use |
| Associate of Arts | associate degree | AA |
| Bachelor of Arts | bachelor’s degree | BA |
| Bachelor of Science | bachelor’s degree | BS |
| Master of Arts | master’s degree | MA |
| Doctor of Education | doctoral degree | EdD |
Do not use periods when abbreviating degrees or certifications.
Though many bachelor’s and master’s degrees are formatted using “Bachelor of Science in”/“Bachelor of Arts in” or “Master of Science in”/“Master of Arts in,” there are some exceptions, including the following:
The Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Ministry (DMin), Doctorate in Strategic Leadership (DSL), and Doctor of Missiology (DMiss), are not PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degrees. It is still correct to refer to graduates as “Dr.” However, it is important to note that all doctoral degrees are not PhD degrees. (Of course, the PhD in Organizational Leadership and PhD in Education are.)
When referring to SACSCOC accreditation, it’s important to remember that the institution is accredited, not the degree programs.
Examples
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) pieces that discuss academic programs
How to use: When referring to SEU’s accreditation, the official accreditation statement must be used. This statement must not be altered, including its punctuation, word order and capitalization.
Shorter version—Used only when space is an issue: Southeastern University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate degrees.
Full version—Updated 2022: Southeastern University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Southeastern University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) once an academic program has been submitted for approval to SACSCOC and has been approved for marketing.
This program will launch in the <fall/spring> of <year> pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
In the summer of 2020, the School of Divinity (in the Barnett College of Ministry & Theology) was granted accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
One of these versions of the accreditation statement should be added to the footer area of printed pieces that refer to the programs offered within the School of Divinity. While not required, adding the accreditation verbiage gives additional prestige to the programs.
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) any time graduate level (master’s or doctoral) ministry programs are mentioned in a piece or online. This is a big selling point, so it doesn’t have to be tiny on printed pieces, but it can still be treated as a footnote. As of 2022, this designation does NOT apply to graduate degrees that fall under the Hoskins School of Mission (e.g. Doctor of Missiology and degrees in partnership with One Hope).
Shorter version: SEU’s School of Divinity is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
Longer version: The School of Divinity (graduate programs) within the Barnett College of Ministry & Theology at Southeastern University is fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) that discuss the BSW or MSW.
BSW version: The Bachelor of Social Work program at Southeastern University is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
MSW version: The Master of Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation.
Nursing degrees at the baccalaureate and master’s level fall under the accrediting body of Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the associate degree level falls under the Florida Board of Nursing.
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) that discuss the nursing programs.
CCNE
Bachelor’s level version: The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at SEU is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Master’s level version (as of Oct. 2024):
The master’s degree program in nursing at Southeastern University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.
Florida Board of Nursing
Associate level version: The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program has been approved by the Florida Board of Nursing.
Alumni refers to more than one alum; alumnus refers to one; alumna refers to one female
Only capitalize the word alumni if referring to a proper name, such as the SEU Alumni Association, Pansler Alumni-Student Union, SEU Office of Alumni Relations.
When referencing team activities, championship wins, playoffs, etc., defer to the phrasing used on SEUfire.com. Each sport carries its own terminology.
When in doubt, consult a member of the Fire Athletics staff (e.g. Donnie Smith, Darcee’ Roberts, Drew Watson)
This initiative, launched in fall 2019, includes the competitive eSports team and the eSports club. When used in text, do not capitalize the “e.” Fire eSports has its own logo.
This team’s inaugural season launched in fall 2023. (Note: At this time the team is referred to as both Fire Fishing and the SEU Bass Fishing team; further clarification is needed from Athletics.)
Bulleted lists/Bullet points
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Sentences
Example
SEU Tech offers three options for you to earn certificates in Software Development, Cybersecurity, or Data Science.
Rationale: Omitting the periods in the list is fine because each bullet point makes sense on its own. Using periods in this type of list isn’t wrong, it just usually looks cleaner in design without them.
SEU Tech offers three options for you to earn certificates in Software Development, Cybersecurity, or Data Science.
Rationale: Omitting a period at the end of these types of bullet points would look like an error.
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Itemized lists
Example
This program will teach you to:
Rationale: By putting the intro and the first bullet together, the sentence would read: “This program will teach you to find solutions.” Note that each bullet begins with a verb.
Example
Program Benefits
Rationale: Neither the intro nor the bullets make sentences; it is simply a list.
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Spell out the names of the 50 states. When a state is listed following a city, use a comma both before and after the state.
Note: This format is commonly used when listing Fire Athletics schedules.
While the below words may have multiple accepted spellings, note that the below spellings have been adopted for the sake of consistency in writing.
Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of five or more letters.
Italicize the names of the following:
See Punctuation section below
Spell out months and days of the weeks. Do not use abbreviations unless space is extremely limited. If an abbreviation is necessary in a printed piece, do not use periods (e.g., Oct. rather than Oct).
Place a comma between the month and the year when the day is mentioned. Dates following a day of the week should also be set apart by commas.
Do not place a comma between the month and year when the day is not mentioned.
Use the year, an en dash and the year to refer to a period of time. If the period is preceded by “from,” use “to” rather than the en dash.
When specifying the time zone for the time of an event (especially an online event), be sure to use the correct abbreviation. If you’re not sure, use ET.
Originally coined by SEU President Dr. Kent Ingle, the use of the term Divine Design refers to the God-given calling placed on a person’s life. Divine Design and the phrase Discover & Develop Your Divine Design are now being woven into SEU’s visual and verbal identity as a core component of our branding.
As of fall 2023, Divine Design also refers to a set number of credit hours that have been established within each undergraduate major. See the Divine Design Resource Center web page for additional details.
In order to establish consistent usage, please refer to the following guidelines for capitalization and punctuation:
Note: As of March 8, 2023, SEU carries the trademark (standard character mark) for the phrase Discover Your Divine Design. (see TESS Serial Number 97828258)
As much as possible, care should be taken to use the correct diacritics (accent marks) of words and names.
Examples: André (name), Reykjavík and Stykkishólmur (cities in Iceland)
If needed, refer to this article in the Merriam Webster dictionary for guidance.
Mission is used as an adjective, is usually singular, and is often accompanied by a noun (such as trip, work, or field)
Examples:
Missions is a noun.
Examples:
SEU Missions is a proper name and can be used as both an adjective (to describe a trip) and as a noun (to describe the department/organization).
Examples:
(These uses are unique to mission work/mission field…not other uses, such as the mission of a department, going on a mission, a mission statement, etc.)
Note: In the name Hoskins School of Mission, mission is used in singular form.
Write out a person’s first and last name in headlines and on first mention. Refer to the person by their last name on subsequent mentions.
Example: Alexis Fennimore, director of campus visits and events, loves the interactions that visit events provide. “Prospective students really enjoy seeing SEU from the perspective of a current student,” explained Fennimore.
In general, spell out numbers one through nine and general numbers in copy. Use figures for 10 and above.
Use figures for zero and above in the following exceptions:
When a number is the first word of a sentence, spell it out or recast the sentence.
In general, don’t use suffixes with a number, such as “st” and “th” (ex: when writing out a date, you would say November 19, not November 19th)
Use the % sign for percentages.
For large numbers (1 million or greater), spell out million or billion.
Do not italicize or enclose in quotation marks the names of books, magazines, journals, newspapers, etc.
Use quotation marks to offset the titles of albums or songs (e.g, “For this Purpose” and “Found in You.”). Use quotation marks for book titles, the titles of works of art, speech/lecture titles, movies, plays, poems and radio or TV programs/series.
We refer to class terms as semesters and sessions and use the following designations. Do not capitalize the season name or semester unless it falls at the start of a sentence.
Use PascalCase (two capitalized words, no space) for internal systems, such as: MySEU, SFNet, OneLogin, MyPortal (JICS), MyFire
MyPortal (JICS)
See the Common Word Usage & Spelling section for the correct use of derivatives of the word “alumni.”
Title IX
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web)
How to use: This Title IX verbiage is required on any mass-produced piece as well as the website. It should not be altered. Please contact the Office of Title IX Compliance with questions.
Full version: In compliance with Title IX and Section 504, Southeastern University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the Title IX officer at 863.667.5236. All other nondiscrimination questions may be referred to the director of human resources at 863.667.5248 or to the Office of Civil Rights at 404.974.9406.
Use the shortest URL possible. Omit the http:// and www.
When referring to an SEU website, always capitalize the university’s acronym, but generally do not capitalize words after the slash unless absolutely necessary for readability.
Whenever possible, use a shortcut URL in written text..
