Adding Associates And Bachelors Degrees On Resume
- When listing an associateâs or bachelorâs degree on a resume, always include the name and location of the institution, as well as the date or expected date of graduation.
- While the education section should still be kept short, inclusion of any collegiate level academic achievements, such as honor societies or deanâs lists, can be useful to include.
- Donât go too crazy including coursework of extracurricular information â stick to including the most relevant information.
When Should You List Your High School
The decision to list your high school in your resume education section comes down to the stage youre at in your life. If you’re currently attending high school or college, or if you just graduated from school, definitely list your high school on your resume.
It’s also customary to include your high school information on resumes in some countries outside the United States. If you’re applying for a job abroad, make sure you research whether this information is likely to be important.
Employers Perform An Education Background Check
Many prospective employers will do a background check on job-seekers so you should avoid lying on your resume. They will verify an applicants education and degrees as a part of that process.
Unfortunately, some applicants will lie about earning a degree. Furthermore, some candidates will present a phony diploma to an employer. This dishonestly is why employers have to make sure you have the educational credentials you claim to have.
Heres a list of other things you should avoid putting on your resume.
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What If You Attended Multiple Schools To Finish One Degree
Only list the school where you graduated or finished yourdegree. Educational institutions require transferring students to submit theirtranscript, along with a detailed list of the subjects they completed withtheir previous school.
Your school records will be consolidated where you graduate,so thats what you should list on your resume. If you put the wrong school, youmay get a negative result from an employers pre-employment background check.
How To List Education On A Resume In 2021
Not sure what degree to list? If you should include a GPA? It just so happens that there’s a variety of ways to effectively list your eduction.
The education section of a resume may not always be the star of the document but knowing how to properly list your education can be essential for advancing into the next phase of the hiring process.
In this guide, we will cover all the ins and outs of crafting an education section for your resume.
We’ll cover the following:
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Education For A Recent Graduate
If you graduated less than five years ago, put your education section below or in line with work experience. Give your work experience a prominent position on the resume to show your readiness for the demands of a professional environment. Include your schools, attendance dates, awards and honors, and your GPA , but keep it short.
Example of the education section for a recent graduate:
Michigan State University, Michigan 2012-2017
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics
Statistical Analysis Certificate
Sloane Scholar
Kicks Two Cents: How To Make Your Education Section Stand Out
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How To List Incomplete Or In
In-progress educationIf youre not finished with your degree, you can still include work youve done and when you plan to graduate. Employers are interested in what youre studying and any specific coursework or special recognitions relevant to the job. If youre still a student, place the education section just below your contact information and summary statement.
Be sure to include the following information:
- Name of institution
If appropriate, consider adding these pieces of optional information:
- Honors or other academic achievements
- Your GPA, if its a 3.4 or above
- Relevant coursework
- Extracurricular activities or organizations
Here are a couple of examples of high school and college student education sections for reference if this is applicable for your situation:
Waters High School | Waters, VAExpected Diploma, 2019 National Honor Society, Vice President
University of Kentucky | Lexington, KYB.A. in Accounting candidate | Diploma expected 2019Prominent Coursework: Intro to Risk Management, Actuary SciencesHonors: Member, Phi Mu EpsilonJohnson Academic Achievement Scholarship
University of Alabama | Birmingham, AlabamaCompleted Coursework: Calculus, Accounting for Nonprofits, Finance 101 & 102
General Education Development CertificateCertification in Grant Writing, Notre Dame Online
Valley High School | Valley, MaineProfessional Development: Online Coursework on Photography Basics, Advanced Photography, Photography in History
You Recently Graduated From College
Once you graduate from college and start searching for your first entry-level position, it’s assumed that you’ll remove any information that refers to your high school activities and focus on your new undergrad degree.
If you’re new to the workforce and your new degree is your best selling point, the Education section should appear toward the top of your resume. This is because you most likely have limited professional experience and your education is the core competency that you wish to highlight for an employer. After you have a few years of relevant experience under your belt, the education section gets shifted to the bottom of your resume, and your work history will get pushed farther up on the page.
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Resume Education Section Format
Many ATS parse the information from an applicants resume into a digital applicant profile. If your education is formatted incorrectly theres a very good chance that information will be parsed incorrectly or left out altogether.
Typically, the degree is listed before the school, but if you went to an impressive, Ivy League university, leading with the name of the school cant hurt.
Remember, a solid education section will include the name of the school, the degree earned , location of the school, and the date of graduation. For example:
Bachelor of Arts: Theater, Shakespearean, 2016Columbia College, Chicago, IL
Masters of Business Administration, 2014University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
You can add societies, activities or relevant coursework if it makes sense to the job for which youre applying. This information can be included at the bottom of your education section, like this:
Bachelors Degree, Elementary Education and Teaching, 2013Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, INSocieties: Delta Delta Delta, Habitat for Humanity, Student Support Group
If you are still completing your degree, you can list your expected graduation date, but be clear that you havent yet graduated. Like the above examples, you dont need to list the start date . For example:
Bachelor of Science: Civil EngineeringWashington University, St. Louis, MO.Expected Graduation Date 2019
University of Miami, Coral Gables, FLEnglish Composition, 65 Credit Hours Obtained
Why Include An Education Section On A Resume
Theres a good chance that every resume youve ever seen had an education section. But why?
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What To Include In Your Education Section
When reviewing a job posting or job description, be sure to look for educational requirements usually listed under requirements or qualifications. This information can provide insight into what the organization is looking for in potential candidates regarding training or certifications. You can then use this information to customize your resume for each application process.
There are specific details a hiring manager is looking for in your educational section that include:
- Your most recent degree, or education in progress
- The name of the school
- The location of the school
- Your field of study or degree major
- Graduation year, or expected graduation date
- Your GPA, if above 3.5
- Any academic honours or accolades
Your educational section is often the smallest part of your resume. Based on the job description, you want to provide varying amounts of detail, but an education section is typically 15-30 words. Customize your education section to reflect the requirements of the position. Ensure that your education section is truthful and accurate, as employers who complete background checks may also confirm your schooling.
How To List Education In Progress On Resume
Perhaps youre still in school now, looking for a job to make ends meet.
This means that you should add high school below, like so:
Townsend Harris High School, Flushing, NY
Graduated 2017
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Where To Put The Education Section Of Your Resume
Current students or recent college graduates will likely want to put the education section towards the top of their resume. This is because students typically have limited work experience and want to highlight academic success.
If you have been out of school for at least a couple years, you might move this section towards the bottom of your resume. By this time, you have enough work experience to highlight that you dont need to rely on your education.
How To Write An Education Section If Youre An Experienced Professional
Once you become an experienced professional, your education section takes a back seat to your professional experience.
Your interviews will revolve about your work experience and professional achievements rather than your academic career.
Which means that you can get away with simply listing your degrees in reverse-chronological order and leave it at that.
You can remove more specific details about your education such as GPA, extracurricular activities or related coursework. Or even the attendance dates.
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How To List Education On A Resume
At first glance, theres nothing profound or too complicated about listing education on your resume.
You insert all the schools you have ever attended in chronological order, and bam, youre done.
Easy, right?
Well, let me ask a question:
Do you list education before work experience if you are still in school but also have worked a bit?
Not sure?;
How about:
Should you still list your GPA next to your education entry when all you did in college was skip classes, drink, and swipe right on Tinder?
Yeah, we know youve got your stuff together now and want to get everything right.
So read on and well answer both those questions and more!;
In this guide, were going to teach you:
- High school education
What Employers Look For In The Education Section Of Your Resume
Each employer searches for different things in your education and what they look for depends on the requirements for the job. If youre applying for an entry-level job, the hiring manager might want to see that you have a high school diploma or college degree. A recruiter seeking a director of a department might be looking for business or managerial training, like an MBA.
The educational requirements of a job are often listed under a requirements or education section on the job description, so read carefully to see if your background is a good match.
There are some professions such as finance or healthcare where specific certifications or degrees are essential to getting the job. If you know a potential employer will need to see that you have the right credentials before considering your other experience, place your education at the top of the page just below your contact information and professional summary.
The most important thing to keep in mind as you document your education is honesty. Potential employers may conduct a background check before offering you a job. If they come across information thats different from whats on your resume, this could hurt your chances of getting the job.
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Where To Put Gpa On A Resume
You should put your GPA in your education section, next to your major. If youve earned honors at your university , those honors should be listed below your majorin italicswith your GPA beside them.
Heres how it should look:
DePaul University | Chicago, IL | December 2009-March 2013
Bachelor of Arts in English Composition
Bear in mind, you should only list your GPA on your resume if it is over a 3.5 and if youre a recent graduate. If youre a recent graduate and your GPA is below 3.5, use the space to talk about an impressive senior thesis project instead.
What Employers Look For In An Education Section
Employers can gather a variety of information about a job candidate from an education section, including:
- A job applicantâs work ethic, reflected through GPAs or other grade-related information
- Relevant skills or training an applicant has received through their schooling
- Name recognition of specific universities, such as ivy leagues, that may give a candidate a leg up on the competition
- Insight into a candidateâs interests or talents based on academic-related extracurricular activities included
Understanding what employers are looking for in an education section included on a resume is key to understand how much or how little information to include.
What an employer is looking for will vary depending on the nature of the job being offered.
For instance, an entry-level communications job at a corporation is likely to require a bachelorâs degree in communications or a related field.
Comparatively, a job in the welding industry may require the completion of a trade school program but not require a four-year degree.
It is of the utmost importance when you are applying to various jobs that you read the job descriptions provided carefully, as this is where you will find the necessary information regarding what educational credentials are required of eligible candidates.
This will also help you to tailor your education section according to what credentials or qualifications you have that meet the requirements of the job.
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High School Gpa On A Resume
If youre currently a high school student or just graduated, you should consider including your GPA on your resume.
But not always.
You can include it with no regrets if your GPA is higher than 3.5.
You should think about leaving your GPA off your resume if:
- Your GPA is lower than 3.5
- You are a college or university student long enough to list that GPA instead
- You have a couple of years of relevant work experience
Organizing Multiple Degrees On A Resume
When organizing the different schools you attended, list them in reverse chronological order. In other words, the highest degree earned should be at the top. For example, your masters degree should be listed above your bachelors degree.
Have you attended college? If so, you dont need to list your high school degree. Your high school information should only be included if you are still attending high school or college. If youve graduated from college, the higher degree can take the place of your high school degree on your resume.
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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
Didnt Quite Earn The Degree Mention It Anyway
Last week, I counseled a woman who had completed her masters program, but not the thesis. She wondered if it was OK to list that shed completed the coursework, or if would it appear deceptive. Um, mention it. Absolutely mention it. Id frame it something like this:
Master of Business Administration Degree Candidate, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR
Thesis under development; anticipated completion June 2013
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