Education

        Education should usually appear on the first page right below qualifi­cations. If you have a college degree or a certificate in a technical field, it should be obvious why you would want education to appear early in the resume. You can design the section so that just a glance will tell the reader what degree(s) or certificate(s) you hold. Perhaps you don’t have a college degree or a certificate but have very strong experience in your field. In that case, you would still place education right after qualifications because you’ll want the reader to see quickly that while you don’t have a great deal of education, you have a wealth of qualifying experience.

        There are a number of reasons for placing education on the first page of your resume. For one thing, employers are curious about education. If education does not appear on the first page they will often flip immediately to the second page. Also, not putting your education on the first page can give the impression that you are hiding or burying your education. For these reasons, I rarely place education at the end of the resume, although it can be placed at the end of a one-page resume.

        I like to see education right after qualifications. Most readers will merely glance at education and notice only that a person has a degree. The more curious will note the school, major, and year of graduation. Since employers are curious about education, and since the section takes only 3–6 seconds to read, I believe it belongs at the top.

        Occasionally education is left off entirely. This most often happens when a person with 20 or more years of experience in his or her field lacks a college degree and simply decides to leave the education section off. One option is to include an education section which lists professional seminars as well as any college courses taken.

        A top-quality resume must be easy to read. The first example below is easy to read and you obtain the key information almost instantly. The next two education sections are difficult to read. Notice the difference.

Easy to read:

        EDUCATION

            B.A. ‑ Business Administration, University of Washington (1978)

        The above example represents the best way of describing a college degree. “B.A.”—instantly a reader can see that you hold a degree. The next most important fact is your major, then your school, followed by the year of graduation.

        The following bad examples show you what not to do:

Hard to read:

        EDUCATION    Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana.

        Received a B.A. in Business Administration in December, 1995. Curriculum emphasized Marketing and Financial Management, with field of specialization Real Estate. Grade point average 3.21.

Harder to read:

        EDUCATION

        Central Michigan
University

        Mount Pleasant, Michigan

        September 1975    Bachelor of Arts, Majored in Sociology with
    to        a minor in Psychology
June 1980

        Both are hard to read. The reader has to look carefully just to learn whether the person has a degree.

HOW TO BEST DISPLAY YOUR EDUCATION

        The following section reveals the best way to show your education, de­pend­ing on just what your educational background is. Highlight or place a mark by the one that matches your situation.

High School Graduate, No College

        EDUCATION

            Graduated ‑ Roosevelt High School, Chicago, Illinois (1976)

Some College, No Degree

        If you have attended college, there is rarely a reason to include your high school.

        EDUCATION

            University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Business, 136 credits (1974‑1977)

        In the example above, credits were included to show that although a degree program has not been completed, the person was at least a serious student, accumulating 136 of 180 quarter credits necessary to graduate. A major is given to show the emphasis of study. When determining what major to include, try to make sure it is related to the type of work you’re seeking. If you have 20 or more credits in each of three fields, pick the one which will best sell you.

Certificate From A Technical School

        EDUCATION

            Certificate ‑ Welding Technology, Davis Technical School (1975)

or

        EDUCATION

            Certificate ‑ Computer Programming, Sims Business College (1998)
Graduated ‑ Norcross High School, Norcross, Pennsylvania (1994)

No Degree, Attended Several Colleges

        Some people have acquired credits at four or more schools. If this is your situation, you need not list all schools on your resume; it may give the impression of instability.

        EDUCATION

            Cheboit Junior College, Castlerock Community College, Riverside Com­munity College, 98 credits.

        The person in the above example actually attended three other colleges, which are not mentioned because only a few credits were obtained. The credits are included in the total, however. Attendance was very sporadic over a ten‑year period, so no dates are given. There is rarely a need to mention the cities and states where the colleges were located.

No Degree, Two Colleges Attended

        EDUCATION

            Northeastern Illinois University, Business, 70 credits (1981‑1983)

            University of Illinois, Circle Campus, Business, 30 credits (1978)

No Degree, No or Few College Courses Taken

        EDUCATION

            Total Quality Management, Dreyfuss & Assoc., 24 hours (1997)
Implementing Just in Time, Bob Huston & Assoc., 40 hours (1995)
The Problem Employee, Dreyfuss & Assoc., 8 hours (1994)
Principles of Management, University of Texas, 5 credits (1991)
Motivating Employees, Dreyfuss & Assoc., 16 hours (1990)
Introduction to Marketing, University of Texas, 5 credits (1987)

        This person has been taking seminars for years but has little formal educa­tion. He has taken college courses for personal benefit, but not with a degree in mind. By combining seminars with a few college courses, this type of education section works well and demonstrates that he is a growth-oriented person.

Degree, Two Or More Colleges Attended

        Unless you have a special reason for including all of your schools, list only the college you graduated from. If you got an Associate of Arts (A.A.) and then moved to a four‑year college, still mention only the four‑year college. Everything else is superfluous. Since you did not attend four years at the college mentioned, state only the year of graduation.

        EDUCATION

            B.S. ‑ Physics, Rhode Island University (1976)

Will Soon Graduate

        If you will graduate in just a few months you might show education like this:

            B.A. - Political Science, University of Arizona (June 2002)

        In the above example the assumption is that the resume has been written in the fall of 1999, and you are scheduled to graduate in June, 2000.

        If you expect to graduate in the coming year, but don’t know which quarter, you might express it this way:

            B.A. - Chemistry, University of Toronto (Expected 2000)

        Another possibility would be:

            Economics, University of Maryland, B.A. to be completed by June 2000

Bachelor’s Degree Plus Graduate Studies, But No Graduate Degree

        EDUCATION

            Graduate Studies, Public Administration, University of Georgia (1996‑1998)

            B.A. ‑ Political Science, University of Georgia (1990‑1994)

or

            M.S. Program, Psychology, UCLA, 30 credits (1977‑1979)

            B.A. ‑ Psychology, Eastern Washington University (1972‑1976)

Recent College Graduate, Little Work Experience

        You may want to include some of your coursework to demonstrate the extensiveness of your training. If you are a liberal arts graduate seeking a management trainee position, you could list economics, accounting, and business courses. The person with a technical degree is also often benefited by listing courses. Although the reader knows your major, that information alone is not always adequate. For the person with few summer or part‑time jobs, listing coursework will make your resume, and therefore your experience, look fuller.

        In the following example, the person was looking for an entry-level position in advertising.

 

        EDUCATION

            B.A. - Journalism/Advertising, University of Hawaii ‑ 3.39 GPA (1999)

            Coursework included: Advertising Copywriting, Public Relations Writing, Media Planning, Media Representation, Production Graphics, Advertising Layout and Design, Media Aesthetics, Principles of Design, Principles of Color

Graduate Degree(s)

        In the first two examples below the people merely listed their degrees. The third is the same except that the person chose to include his thesis. A more elaborate description of the thesis can be very effective. It could be described right after the thesis title, or an entire section could be devoted to it called Thesis.

        EDUCATION

            M.A. ‑ Counseling, UCLA (1972‑1974)
B.A. ‑ Psychology, Oregon State University (1966‑1970)

 

 

        EDUCATION

            Ph.D. - Industrial Psychology, Stanford University (1975‑1977)
M.A. - Psychology, Northwestern University (1972‑1973)
B.A. - Sociology, Northern Illinois University (1967‑1971)

        EDUCATION

            Ph.D. - Physics, University of Washington (1990-1995)

                Thesis: Interlinear Regression Analysis of Wave Length Dichotomy

            M.S. - Physics, University of Washington (1985-1989)
B.S. - Physics, University of Manitoba (1981-1985)

        In addition to listing the title of your thesis, it may be useful to provide a brief description. This is especially true if you think that even people in your own field may not fully understand what the title of your thesis means. Even if they will likely understand the terms, they won’t fully appreciate the value of your thesis or research without a short description.

        EDUCATION

            Ph.D. in Physics, University of Nebraska   1992

                Major: Theoretical solid state physics and mathematical physics

                    Thesis:    Analytical Solutions for Flux Phase Analysis

                    Research obtained the first analytical solutions for the flux phase which was derived from high temperature superconductivity models. Proved assertions from early numerical calculations.

            M.S. in Physics, University of Nebraska   1989

            B.S. in Physics, University of Science and Technology of China   1987

        You can also create a Projects  section which would incorporate a description of your thesis as well as other projects you’ve worked on. In a projects section you can usually devote more space to the description than you could in the above example.

All But Dissertation

        If you have completed all requirements for a graduate degree, except for the dissertation or thesis, it might read:

            Master’s Program, Physics, Iowa State University, completed all but dissertation (1978-1981)

        or

            Master’s Program, Physics, Iowa State University, completed all coursework (1978-1981)   

TIPS FOR STRENGTHENING YOUR EDUCATION SECTION

        The following tips will help you put the finishing touches on your education section.

Listing Major and Minor

        You may want to list both your major and minor if you believe the minor will also help to sell you. In the case below the person wanted to become a labor relations negotiator and felt the economics minor strengthened her credentials.

 

 

EDUCATION

            B.A. ‑  Major: Industrial Relations. Minor: Economics. Syracuse University  (1988)

Degrees and Abbreviations

        If you hold a B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., or Ph.D., it is best to abbreviate since everyone knows what they stand for. Many people are not familiar, however, with B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts), so it is better to spell out the term. The same is true of M.P.S. (Master of Professional Studies), B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration), and others. Almost everyone knows A.A. stands for Associate of Arts, but many do not know A.S. stands for Associate of Science or that A.T.A. stands for Associate of Technical Arts. If you think some people will not know what your degree stands for, spell it out.

When to Use GPA (Grade Point Average)

        Generally GPA is listed only if it is over 3.0. Some experts suggest not listing it unless it is over 3.5. GPA usually is dropped from your resume after you’ve been out of school for five years. By that time your work record will reveal much more about you than your GPA. It’s interesting to note that most follow‑up studies have revealed virtually no correlation between a high college GPA and success on the job. Many who were mediocre in school begin to shine only when they enter “the real world.” If your overall GPA was below 3.0, but your GPA in your major was above 3.0, you might want to list it this way:

            B.A. ‑ Geography, 3.3 in major, University of Oregon 1998

When to List Honors

        If you graduated with honors or with a title like Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude, you could include it like this:

        EDUCATION

            B.A. ‑ Cum Laude, History, Brigham Young University (1978)

        EDUCATION

            B.A. ‑ with honors, English Literature, George Washington University (1988)

City and State of College

        The city and state in which your college is located is usually not included in your resume. This is particularly true if your college is well known in the region in which you are conducting your job search. If you think employers might be curious, however, include the city and state.

            B.A. ‑ Business, Griffith College, Austin, Texas 1989

Order of Schools

        Normally schools are listed in reverse chronological order, beginning with your most recent school. Typically this would also mean that your highest level degree would appear first.

Whether to List Major

        People should usually include their major, even if that major did not directly prepare them for the field they are now in. There are presidents of Fortune 500 companies who graduated with degrees in history or literature. I say keep your major in, but if you feel strongly about removing it, it might look like this:

            B.S. - University of Calgary (1982)

Don’t Claim Degrees You Don’t Have

            Don’t fib on your education. It’s the easiest part of a resume to confirm and often takes only a few minutes on the phone to learn the truth. Don’t even claim you attended a college if you didn’t. While claiming a year or two at an undistinguished college is unlikely to cause an employer to check your record, it just isn’t worth the risk. It can and has led to terminations when it was discovered a person had lied on their application.