Have you ever seen someone with a fake college diploma?

jym is correct. I intended to affirm some of the other posts re: “earning a PhD” when one is ABD. That “earning” distinction is totally baseless.

@Pizzagirl, that is actually a good question. I think there are suggestions floating around, but I haven’t come across a clearly standardized way to state that professionally. I have seen a degree program, with coursework years listed, and then a “no degree” distinction appended for academic CV’s.

In alumni literature, I’ve seen a terminal degree program attendee listed as “MBAx”, for example (but I don’t think that would be appropriate for a professional resume). I reckon stating the degree program, years attended, and coursework en route to the degree would be appropriate, so long as its clear you didn’t attain the degree. It certainly counts for something.