How To List A Degree On A Resume

Adding Graduate School Or Doctoral Programs On Resume

• Graduate and doctoral students may feel inclined to always include this information however, it is important to be wary of including too much academic information in scenarios where it may render you overqualified for the position.
• Graduate and doctoral information is more likely to come into play for candidates seeking higher level positions at the management level.
• For candidates seeking jobs in academic or scientific fields, a CV-style resume and longer-form education section providing higher level of details regarding graduate or doctoral programs may be necessary.

What To Include In The Education Section Of A Resume

First things first. What should be included in your resume education section? Here are the basics:

• Name of Institution
• School Location
• Years Attended

From there, you can add academic honors, scholarships, and other achievements if applicable. You can also include coursework, but should only if its absolutely pertinent to the job for which youre applying. If you do include coursework, use the titles of each course as a description instead of the course numbers.

If coursework doesnt feel like the right fit, consider including relevant projects or groups that you really excelled in. For example, a senior thesis, an initiative to change a school policy, or an impressive on-campus group you headed up. Anything that exemplifies your passions and relates to the job is worth considering.

Adding in extra details like coursework and projects is best for job seekers who have recently graduated or have minimal work experience. Well talk more about how to format projects and coursework later.

A cover letter is also a great place to expand upon your relevant coursework.

As for naming your education section heading? Jobscan sampled a collection of resumes and found that 35% used unconventional titles for their education heading name. These can cause parsing errors in ATS, which lead to unnecessary disqualifications. A simple heading of Education is the best option. It doesnt take up a lot of space and ATS will know exactly how to parse it.

Should You Include A Minor On Your Resume

Obtaining knowledge in a secondary discipline makes you more marketable. Your knowledge either becomes more diverse or more specified, making you a unique job candidate. Minors not only supplement your education but also open additional doors for future advancement. However, inclusion on a resume is only required if there’s relevance to the position applied for. Not all students choose a minor as a supplement to their major. Instead, they choose another area of interest. The two degrees are often quite different and don’t pair well for positions.

For example, if you apply to a Therapist Assistant position and list a minor in marketing on your resume, it won’t make sense to the employer. There’s nothing wrong with earning an unrelated minor, but it might not always work on a resume.

Related:When a Professional Degree Will Help You Advance in Your Career

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Tips For Listing A Double Major On A Resume

Here are a few things to keep in mind when including your double major on your resume:

• Only list additional educational information, such as certifications or coursework, that are relevant to the position.
• If you are new to the workforce, list your education first on your resume. This helps to emphasize your education and the knowledge obtained through it rather than highlight the fact that you have little to no work experience.
• Be sure to preface your double majors with a signifier such as “double major in” to ensure the reader can clearly understand that you are listed two separate majors.

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Are You A Soon

Put your expected graduation date on your resume.

For a current student such as yourself, it’s considered a best practice to include your expected graduation date on your resume when applying for entry-level jobs. An expected graduation date tells potential employers how far along you are in your degree or diploma. It also helps employers understand the amount of flexibility you may need around your work schedule. Read on to find out how to add your expected graduation date to your resume.

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Option : Describe Projects

Yet another possibility is to actually describe any course projects which are related to your target job. This can be a good approach for candidates who don’t possess much or any related work experience.

For example, a person who is aiming for a job with a focus on information technology might describe a programming project which involved the creation of a complex Excel database. If you received any recognition for the project, or an outstanding grade, you could also mention those.

Coursework in Information Technology

Casleton High School, Castleton, VAHigh School Diploma, May 2019GPA 3.9, Honor Roll Each Semester

Should You Ever Leave An Unfinished Degree Off Your Resume

Yes, you may want to omit an unfinished degree from your resume in some cases. For example, if you are an experienced professional, you dont need to mention that you attempted to pursue an unrelated degree in your late teens.

Likewise, if your academic performance was exceptionally poor, or you were dismissed from school for cause, that may be best left unsaid.

In all other cases, its best to mention your unfinished degree, than not!

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How To Write Degree On Resume

First, check the job listingits the perfect cheat sheet.

Refer to your diploma the same way your future employer talks about it.

If they say BA, you say BA.

If they say B.A., add those periods.

But here’s a great trick: when talking about diplomas, use the preferred abbreviation and the whole form: Bachelor of Arts .

If the ATS expects to see bachelor not BA, this will double your chances of being understood by those annoying robots.

How To Write An Education Section If You Never Graduated

If youre a college dropout, or if youre taking aleave of absence, this part is for you.

You should always include even unfinished education on your resume. Employment gaps always make hiring managers a bit suspicious.

Just because you dont have a degree yet, it doesnt mean you cant put it on your resume. All you have to do is emphasize that youre still working towards attaining it.

The same holds true if you dont plan on ever finishing your studies. After all, you put some effort into them. Even more importantly, you paid the tuition.

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How To Write An Education Section If Youre Changing Careers

True, your education is important. But its not as big of a selling point as your skills or professional experience. Because of that, you should probably put your skills and experience first. Its okay if you position your education section near the end of your resume.

If you feel like your education isnt related to the job youre applying to at all, write the name of the institution first. By doing so, you can first draw attention to the fact that you attended a prestigious university. It is only then that recruiters notice your somewhat unrelated degree.

But you need to impress the hiring manager with your education section anyway. Besides listing key information such as name of the institution, degree and dates, you should also consider including related accomplishments.

Think of any coursework related to your new career, student clubs and organizations where you gained transferable skills. You can also mention academic awards, even those that arent related to your new job. They can help you impress the hiring manager.

How To List Education In Progress On Your Resume

ZipJob Team

6 min read

Are you unsure about how to list your in-progress education on your resume? Many people are, including current students, students taking online classes, and people taking a break from their degree programs.

Is it acceptable to include unfinished degrees on a resume?

ZipJobâs career experts agree that education in progress should usually be included on a resume. A degree in progress is still important to employers, as well as a degree that was started and holds relevance to a position. However, it needs to be included in an honest way so itâs an accurate reflection of your learning and accomplishments.

If youâre currently pursuing a degree, here is how you can include it on your resume .

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Be Consistent In Your Formatting

Whatever format you decide to use, make sure each entry follows the same template. A break in formatting will be distracting and make your resume look less professional. Along the same lines, choose a format that will fit well with the rest of your resume. The formatting of each section will not be identical, but it should be similar.

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When To Include Latin Honors On Your Resume

The fact that you graduated with honors matters more when you are first entering the job market as a student or recent graduate. At this stage, you may not have much professional experience to list on your resume, so mentioning that you graduated with honors will help show employers that you are highly motivated, intelligent and hardworking. Once you have gained more experience, your academic performance becomes less important. Some employers will care about your GPA and honors, while others will not. Either way, its a good idea to include them on your resume. At best, they will weigh in your favor, and at worst, theyll simply be ignored.

What Does And Doesnt Belong In The Education Section

Everything on your resume should have a single purpose: Demonstrating that youre a good fit for the position youre applying to. This means:

• Tailor your resume. Add or remove experiences and qualifications from your experience section as necessary to fit each specific role.
• If you don’t have much work experience: Expand your education section when you dont have a lot of work experience, or if the experience you do have isnt particularly relevant. On the other side, if your work experience is extensive or impressive on its own, anything else you add risks taking focus away from the parts you want to highlight.
• If youre a career changer, fresh qualifications can help bridge the gap between your old industry and the new role you want.

Dont waste space with irrelevant information. Its better to keep your resume brief even if its under one page than to pad it out with fluff.

• Tags:

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Adding High School And Ged On Resume

• If your highest level of education is a high school diploma or a GED, this should still be included as there are many jobs that are open to high school graduates as well as college graduates.
• Generally, this type of education section should be kept short and sweet. Listing that you have received either a diploma or a GED should be sufficient.
• If you have recently graduated high school or received your GED, including additional high school-related achievements may be beneficial

Should I Include My Gpa

If you’re wondering when should you put your GPA on a resume, you shouldn’t typically include it unless you’ve just recently graduated and don’t have much experience to show.

“If you earned your degree twenty years ago, it’s expected that you’ve done plenty in the meantime to demonstrate your relevance in the workplace and that your GPA is pretty much a defunct measure of your abilities. If you earned your degree recently, however, including your GPA can be a great move, but only if it is 3.0 or higher. You also can put down your major specific GPA if that was higher than you overall GPA . A lot of employers don’t actually care about your GPA, though there are some who will only consider you if you exceeded a certain level.”

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If You’re In College Or Just Graduated

At this stage, you probably have more credentials related toyour target job as a student, than as a working professional.

So if you havent had a job, project, or volunteer workrelated to the position youre applying for, put education before workexperience on your resume.

You might argue that its better to list the odd andpart-time jobs you did first. Maybe you think these job entries show thatyoure employable and at least know what its like to work for a living.

Perhaps some hiring managers might consider that fact.

But what if they dont read past your job title as Waitress, Cashier, or Barista? Allthe qualities and achievements you list below the job title will be ignored,too. Even if those skills are related to the job at hand.

For now, list education before your work experience first. Justconsider it your first step in convincing employers that you have thequalifications they need.

How To Include A Degree In Progress On Your Resume

When you include work toward a degree you have not yet received on your resume, it pays to be precise. As to how you present the information formally, you have a couple of options. Your resume includes a degree section where you can list the unfinished degree.

Example:

Bachelor of Arts : University of California, Berkeley, 2001-2005

Graduate studies in Education: University of San Diego, 2007-2008

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Should I Include High School On Resume

A dilemma exists regarding when to include high school on your resume. Many candidates often wonder, Should I put high school on resume? The short explanation is it depends. However, following the below tips will help resolve the question:

• Current high school or college students younger applicants enrolled in high school or college likely lack experience. List all your education to back up your skills.
• Recent college graduate by graduation time, applicants have more experience or internships to demonstrate skills. However, a recent college graduate still fits into the entry-level category. Include high school if you graduated from a prestigious or well-known one.
• Entry-level applicants if you are starting your career and do not have an associates or another type of degree, include your high school diploma.
• Wording in the job posting if the job requires a high school diploma, but the position does not require college education, include this.

Consider removing high school if:

• Other forms of education take its place this means you have licenses, certifications, or additional training.
• You are an experienced applicant work experience and skills, along with soft skills that complement your background, make you a compelling potential employee based on merit.
• Including the information may result in age discrimination.

Resumesbot Advice:

SEE RESUMES BOT GUIDE:

Should You Put High School On Resume

If high school is your only education, thats fine!

Just add it as your sole education entry, exactly as in the previous example.

Here is an example of high school education on resume:

Heres how to list GED on your resume:

GED High School Equivalency Diploma

Bronx Adult Learning Center, Bronx, NY

Or a Test Assessing Secondary Completion :

TASC High School Equivalency Diploma

Brooklyn College Adult Literacy Program, Brooklyn, NY

Finally, heres the California High School Proficiency Examination :

CSBE Certificate of Proficiency

Clayton Valley High School, Concord, CA

Expert Hint: We dont recommend dates on finished degrees and diplomas, especially if theyre more than 10 years in the past, but they are useful when the program remains unfinished.

Also Check: Gpa Resume Example

If Its Relevant To The Position

If your unfinished degree is relevant to the job youre applying for, include details that show your hiring manager the experience and knowledge youve gained from your education.

Include any relevant coursework or the number of credits completed in your education section. You should also include any academic achievements that demonstrate excellence in your field of study.

Heres an example of how to list unfinished college on your resume if its highly relevant to the job:

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Ann Arbor, Michigan2018-2020, GPA: 3.8/4.0Completed 75 credits towards a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a specialization in Urban Planning

• Awarded the Abrams Family Internship Scholarship for my internship at Ann Arbor City Government Planning and Development Department.

How To Include A Double Major On A Resume

The following are steps to follow when including a double major on your resume:

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Should I Include Other Information About My Degree

Finally, you may want to consider whether you should list relevant coursework on your resume. In general, work experience is more compelling than education, but either way you should include keywords on your resume. Check out the related read for more advice on the subjects of classes and class projects.

Related read: Relevant Coursework on a Resume: Good or Bad?

Dont Be Overly Cutesy

Most of us have stuff in our past that wed like to disguise on our resumes. If it happens that your Achilles heel falls in the education section, be strategic, of course, but not cheesy or dishonest. It probably wont end well. If you feel your education section is a little light, load this section with continuing education and professional coursework.

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