how to write education on resume

What to Include in Your Education Section

The education section on a resume gives hiring managers a glimpse into your academic achievements , interests, and skills.

It can demonstrate your commitment to learning, your ability to succeed in a structured environment, and the relevant knowledge you've acquired.

The information you should include in this section, though, varies based on things like your career level, the exact job you're applying for, and how recent your education is.

This means you don’t always have to be super detailed. Some of the information about your education is optional, and some of it may even be redundant if you have relevant work experience, so you should only use it if you think it can give your resume a boost.

Let’s start with the details most employers expect to see:

Essential Information

• Degree Name. Include the type of degree and the relevant major. (E.g.: BFA in Graphic Design)
• University Name. Add the name of the institution you studied at. (E.g.: University of Saint Andrews)
• Location. If the university isn’t well known or the name doesn’t specify where it is, include the general location. (E.g.: St Andrews, Scotland)
• Years Attended. Usually, only the years you attend there are enough, but the mm/yyyy format is also popular. (E.g.: 09/2018 - 06/2021)

Optional Information

• Honors and Awards. If you’ve received any acknowledgments, list them here. (E.g.: Dean's List, Summa Cum Laude, Merit Scholarships, Valedictorian)
• Relevant Coursework. List three to five courses that directly apply to your target job. (E.g.: Marketing 101, Marketing Strategy, PR Basics)
• Thesis or Dissertation. We recommend including this for graduate-level degrees in research-heavy fields.
• Minor. If relevant, include any additional areas of study. (E.g.: BA in Creative Writing, Minor in Journalism)
• Grade Point Average. Only include your GPA if it's 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale. Anything lower can undermine your application.
• Extracurricular Activities. Mention any clubs or organizations that seem relevant. (E.g.: Debate team, Theater Club, School Newspaper)

Here’s an example of an education section that includes information from both categories:

Getting ready to find a job? Start by learning how to write a resume with our detailed guide!

How to Format Education on Your Resume

Now that you have an idea of what to include in your education section, let’s explain how you should do it.

In terms of structuring your education section, follow a reverse-chronological order ; this means, list your latest educational entry first and then go backward from there.

And remember – if you have a relevant university degree, there’s no need to waste precious space on your resume by listing your high school education .

As a general rule, if you’re an experienced professional and you have a Master’s degree, you can also omit your undergrad degree. Hiring managers are a lot more interested in your work experience section, so your education section should only focus on the basics.

However, if you’re a recent graduate , you might want to include more details to give your resume an extra kick. It’s always a good idea to leverage your education if you don’t have enough relevant work experience.

Now, regardless of your level of experience, add the name of your degree at the very top of the entry in your education section.

The same degree can be written down differently, for instance:

• Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Culture with a Minor in Teaching
• BA in English Language and Culture, Minor in Teaching
• B.A. English Language and Culture (Major), Teaching (Minor)
• BA, English Language and Culture

Here’s an example of what the formatting in your education section should look like:

If you graduated from a famous university with a good reputation, you can highlight that first. For example, list “Harvard University” before the name of your degree.

Where to Place Education on Your Resume

Another important thing to consider is where to position the education section on your resume.

This mostly depends on where you are in your career. Do you have a lot of relevant achievements in the field, or are you looking for your first job ?

As a rule of thumb, the top third of your resume should be reserved for your accomplishments , which are most relevant to the job you are applying for.

So before you place this section on your resume, ask yourself: is your education your biggest selling point to the hiring manager?

Most of the time, it won’t be. Work experience is way more important for just about any position above entry level, so it should be listed first.

Let’s look at an example of a resume that puts this into action:

As you can see, this architect resume starts by listing their relevant work experience and then includes a detailed entry of their most recent degree.

When Does Education Go Before Work Experience?

While your work experience section is generally more important, there are a few cases where you should list your education first.

These include:

• You have no work experience. When you have absolutely no work experience yet, you should focus on your academic achievements instead.
• You just graduated college. If you don’t have relevant work experience, you’re often better off not listing it. For example, if you’re applying for an entry-level office job, the part-time teenage jobs you had won’t be anywhere near as relevant as your recently earned BA in Marketing.
• You are currently studying. If you’re in the process of earning a degree that’s relevant to your targeted field, it’s better to list education before work experience. For example, if you’re making a career change , you would want your new education to be the first thing the hiring manager sees.
• You recently earned a new degree. Getting a fresh MSc, Ph.D., or MBA in your field is worth showing off. For example, if you’ve been a line manager for years but earned an MBA to qualify for an executive position, your education section should go first.
• You are applying to academia. Usually, when applying for a research or teaching position in academia, you’ll need an academic CV , not a resume. In that case, your education will always come first.

Not sure if you need a CV or a resume ? Check out our guide to learn what the difference between the two is and when to use which.

Use a (Free) Resume Template

Creating a resume can be a hassle.

You have to find a template that works with your favorite text editor, set the page margins, adjust the line spacing, choose a professional font , and all while making sure you never go past page one.

What if there was an easier way?

This is where our resume builder comes in!

Novoresume lets you choose from 16 professional resume templates , each crafted with feedback from HR professionals around the world, and create the perfect resume in minutes.

Just look at how one of our resume templates compares to a basic text editor resume template:

16 Examples of Education on a Resume

Looking for inspiration?

We’ve compiled a list filled with real-life examples of how education can be listed on a resume, with practical examples for different types and levels of education:

#1. High School Education

If you’re a high school student, you might have some volunteer experience or extracurriculars you can show off. In that case, you can start by listing those sections, so long as they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for.

For example, if you volunteered with your local branch of the Red Cross, that’s a good experience to have when you’re applying to work at a shelter.

In most other cases, the education section would take the upper hand, and it would look something like this:

High School Diploma

Chapel Hill High School

2017 - 2021

• Courses: AP Science, Mathematics, Advanced Chemistry

If you’re still in high school, you can disclose it in your resume by writing down your expected graduation year or otherwise specifying that you’re currently still there.

2021 - Present

#2. General Education Development

If you were homeschooled or haven’t graduated high school, the previous example won’t apply to you.

But if you still received a General Education Development certificate, you can mention that in your resume in the following way:

GED Diploma

Durham Literacy Center

Just like with high school education, you can include the location of your school or GED center, as well as any relevant courses, if you have enough space.

#3. Associate Degree

If you went to a community college or opted for a vocational program, you can list it in your education section the same as any other undergraduate degree.

Associate degrees are typically cheaper and take less time than a bachelor’s degree. They tend to be focused on specific occupations and place more emphasis on daily job functions. Other than that, they follow the same formatting as any other educational entry.

Let’s look at some real-life examples of different types of degrees at this level.

First, an Associate of Arts degree:

AA in Business Designation

Community College of Denver

2015 - 2016

Summa Cum Laude

Next, here’s how you would list an ongoing Associate’s of Applied Science degree:

AAS in Medical Assisting

2018 - Present

Some associate degrees are what’s known as “transfer degrees.” Here, the long-term goal is to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program.

Similarly, if you’ve completed accredited courses at a community college that can go towards a degree, you can list them under your education section, like this:

Medical Assisting Certificate

• 30 credits completed

#4. Certificates

Certificates can be included on your resume, either as part of the education section or in a dedicated section.

Unlike broad academic degrees, certificates can show specialized expertise and commitment to professional development. They tend to demonstrate more focused, essential skills that are directly applicable to a particular job or industry.

Treat these entries the same as any other: list the name of the certificate, the institution or organization that issued it, and the year you obtained it.

Here’s an example of how to list a professional certificate in an education section:

Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

American Institute of CPAs

And here’s how they would look in a separate section:

CERTIFICATES

• Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) - National Academy of Sports Medicine, 2020
• Certified Nutrition Coach - American Nutrition Association, 2023

But there are also other certificates you could list , such as after specialized software courses:

• Maya Autodesk: Advanced 3D & Animation Udemy, 2022
• Creation of Pixel Art Scenes for Video Games Domestika, 2023

#5. Undergraduate Degree

There are different ways to list a bachelor’s degree.

Let’s take a look at three different cases for a candidate with an engineering degree.

First, if you’ve graduated from university and received the degree, list it according to the following template:

B.Sc. Mechanical Engine ering

University of California, Berkeley

2002 - 2006

If you obtained a double major, you would write it down as:

B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering

If you have two or more majors, keep in mind that you should list the major that’s most relevant to the job you are applying to.

For example, if you majored in Applied Languages and International Relations, you should focus on the languages for a job as a translator.

Lastly, if you’re still attending college, just omit the finishing year when filling in your education section and add “Present” instead, like so:

But there are also different ways you can specify that you’re still studying. Instead of “Present,” you could write:

• 2021 - Current
• Expected Graduation: 2024
• 2021 - 2024 (expected graduation)
• 2021 - In progress
• To Be Completed: 2024

#6. Graduate and Postgraduate Degrees

Graduate-level education is, in general, more detailed since it requires participating in a more focused area of research on top of your graduate-level work. 

At this level, you probably contributed to the field with a dissertation of your own, which you should include in your resume.

Here’s an example:

Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences

University of Rochester

Dissertation: Imaging, Computational Analysis, & Neural Representations in Young Children

Graduate and postgraduate education often includes scholarships , fellowships, or outside funding involved, which you might want to include in addition to all the general information about your degree.

Here are some real-life examples:

MBA in Business Administration

University of Maine

• Avangrid Scholarship
• Magna Cum Laude

When it comes to honors and awards, there are different ways you can list them to save space on your resume. Here’s an example that mentions them but leaves more space for the dissertation title:

MSc. in Information Systems

WU Vienna University of Economics & Business

Salutatorian, Summa Cum Laude

2015 - 2017

Dissertation: Leveraging User-Generated Content for Advertising Purposes Through Information Systems

And if you’re still studying, don’t forget to check out our student resume templates to get started on your job hunt.

#7. Unfinished Education

Even if you didn’t graduate from university, you can still mention it in your education section. Just be strategic about it.

If you have several years of relevant coursework from a degree program that relates to the job you're applying for, it can show that you’re knowledgeable even without the final credential.

B.Sc. in Civil Engineering

34 credits completed

2018 - 2019

However, if you only have basic courses or your degree isn’t relevant to the role, you might be better off skipping it altogether. There’s no need to draw attention to an unfinished degree if it won’t help you impress the hiring manager.

Need more examples? Check out our 90+ resume examples for different professions .

Do you still wonder something about education on a resume? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions here:

#1. How Do You Put Your Degree on a CV?

Adding your degree to your CV is pretty much the same as adding it to your resume.

List your degrees in reverse chronological order, with the most recent degree on top. Always include the essential information, such as the degree name, your major, the name of the university, and the years you attended. If relevant, you can include your GPA, thesis title, study abroad experiences, and academic honors.

#2. How Do You Write Down Your Bachelor’s Degree?

There are different ways that a bachelor's degree can be written down on your resume. Usually, there’s no need to spell out the full degree name, so there are ways you can abbreviate it for your resume. These include:

BA (Bachelor of Arts) BS (Bachelor of Science) BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)

Just use the specific abbreviation that matches your degree type. (E.g.: BSc Computer Science, BA History, BBA Economics, etc. )

#3. What If I Have an Education Gap or Took Time Off from Studies?

Treat any gaps in your education the same as you would treat an employment gap . Be upfront with the hiring manager and list the start and end dates to account for the time of the gap on your resume.

Use your cover letter to briefly explain the gap without going into too much detail. Hiring managers are understanding, and reasons like health, family, or professional experience are all common to justify education gaps.

#4. How Far Back Should I Go When Listing My Education History?

Generally, you only need to list basic information about your education if you graduated a long time ago. Your work experience and more recent achievements will have a lot more weight than details about your time in college 14 years ago.

For most professionals, listing just your highest degree is more than enough. However, an academic CV for scientific or research-heavy roles might need a more comprehensive educational background.

Key Takeaways

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of our article!

We’re confident you’re an expert on how to list education on a resume by now, but before we part ways, let’s quickly wrap up our main points:

• Your education section belongs after your work experience section, though there are some exceptions.
• If you don’t have any work experience, recently earned a relevant degree, or if you’re applying for a research-oriented position or in academia, the education section should be listed first.
• When listing your educational entries, use a reverse chronological order. Start with the most recent degree you have and go backward from there.
• If you have some sort of higher education, there’s no need to list your high school education.
• Unless your GPA is exceptional, don’t list it. It might undermine your resume otherwise.
• There are different ways to list your education, depending on the type of school you went to and what you want to highlight. Scroll back up if you want to see some examples.

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• Resume and Cover Letter
• How to List Education on Your...

How to List Education on Your Resume (with Examples)

10 min read · Updated on March 27, 2024

Use your education to show you have the knowledge to land the job

Your education is an essential detail to include on your resume, as it indicates that you're trained in your field. Even if your formal education isn't directly related to your current career path (perhaps you made a career change, for instance), it's still worthwhile to show that you succeeded in a high-level learning environment.

As with much of resume writing, the content and format of your resume Education section is fluid and will depend on where you are in your career. Still, it's important that you get it right to prove you're qualified for the job you want.

In this article, you'll learn how to list education on your resume and see examples that you can use for inspiration as you craft your own. 

What to include under Education on a resume

It sounds simple – you list the degrees you've obtained and the schools where you got them. 

But, wait! There's more.

In some instances, it may be appropriate to include your GPA, some relevant coursework, or even give a nod to some major project you worked on. Much of this depends on whether you're fresh out of school or have some experience under your belt. 

Here are some other things to consider when writing the Education section of your resume:

Does your education section go at the top or bottom of your resume?

Do you include a degree if you're still working on it?

Does high school belong on my resume?

Let's start with the basics.

1. Degree earned

When you finally graduated and received your diploma, what did it say? For example, you may have achieved a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Whatever it was, it's the most important education detail you can put on your resume, because it's the official evidence of your education.

One of the most important things to remember is that you should list your degrees in reverse chronological order. That means you start with the most recent one (which is likely to be your highest) and work backward. Also, once you get into college there is no reason to add high school. Employers know that you have to finish high school to get into college, so they'll assume you graduated. 

Remember that one degree type can be applied to a variety of fields of study. For example, a Bachelor of Science degree can be earned for both physics and computer science. Therefore, in addition to the degree itself, you must include the major for which the degree was earned. This way, a hiring manager knows exactly what topics you've studied.

If you completed any minors or concentrations, you can include those too.

3. University, college, or institution

Add some context to your education by listing the university, college, or institution where you went to school. This is especially important if you attended a well-respected program in your field, because it will make you seem all the more impressive.

4. Years attended

The timeframe that you were in school is generally something you don't need to worry about including unless you're still in school or graduated within the last year. Additionally, you might add the dates you were in school if you need to take care of a gap in employment. Outside of these conditions, you should leave off the timeframe you were in school.

Whether or not you include your GPA in the Education section of a resume depends on many factors. If you earned your degree 20 years ago, your GPA is likely a defunct measure of your current abilities. If you earned your degree recently, however, adding your GPA can be a great move – but only if it's 3.5 or higher. You can also indicate any distinctions you earned based on your grades, such as summa cum laude , if applicable.

6. Extracurricular activities

If you were in an honors society, you can list your membership. If you were part of a fraternity or sorority, it's a toss-up. While you might think this is a good inclusion because it demonstrates you were participating in service-related activities or so on, Greek rivalries can extend way past college years and you wouldn't want to accidentally tip off your hiring manager that you belonged to a rival group.

7. Certifications 

Outside of formal education, you may also have taken the initiative to earn supplementary certifications or complete online courses that are relevant to your field. Highlight these in your resume Education section, especially if they are on niche or high-level topics that prove your expertise far beyond a more generalized curriculum.

Here's an example of what all that looks like:

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

Bachelor of Business Administration | ABC University | 2021-2024

Dean's list - summa cum laude

President - Marketing Club

Certifications:

Project Management Professional (PMP) | Project Management Institute

Conditions to consider, aside from the basics

Some of those basics may be optional - as we mentioned, you wouldn't include the dates of your degree program if you've been out of school for more than a year. When you begin to craft the Education section of your resume, there are other things to consider as well.

You completed high school

Attending college may not be among the goals you've set for your life. That's okay!

If you decide to graduate high school and go straight to work, your career can still be rich and full. At this point, though, a lot of people ask if they should include high school on their resume. 

A few rules of thumb about adding high school to the Education section of your resume:

Exclude high school altogether if you go to college

Exclude high school if you've attended trade school

Include high school if you have no additional education, professional development, or certifications

Include high school if the job description specifically mentions that you need a high school diploma

Include high school if you're applying for a job while still in high school

This is what the Education section of your resume would look like if all you have to put in it is high school:

Diploma or GED [whichever is appropriate] | DEF High School

Graduated: 2023

Relevant courses: Accounting, Business Law, and Ethics

Just because high school is the highest education you've obtained, doesn't mean you can't take the opportunity to inject some relevant keywords into your resume. 

PRO TIP: Check out our article on tailoring your resume to different jobs to understand how important relevant keywords are when writing your resume.

You have an undergrad degree

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.

Go back to the basics to build your Education section when you earn your Bachelor's degree. 

Include your degree and major

Add the name of the school where you obtained the degree

Throw in some extras, like achievements, coursework, and affiliations

The last point – about adding extras – is extremely important if you have little to no work experience . Adding that you were a Resident Advisor or won first place in a robotics competition could be the thing that puts your resume at the top of the yes pile. 

You have an advanced degree

Once you enter the world of Master's degrees and PhDs the Education section of your resume becomes more robust and might include things like the title of a dissertation, fellowships or internships. 

As before, always start with your highest degree and work backward. Here's an example of an Education section with advanced degrees:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – Leadership Studies | CCC University 

International Student Scholar

Dissertation: Exploring the Relationships of Principal Preparation Programs and Leadership Styles on School Accountability Indices

Master of Arts (MA) – Counseling | BBB University 

Bachelor of Science – Psychology (cum laude) | University of AAA

You started college at one place but finished somewhere else

If you attended college at one institution – perhaps a community college – and then completed your education in another place, you only need to list the university where you completed your degree. All the employer wants to know is which college supplied you with your degree at the end of your education; they don't necessarily care or need to know how you arrived at this place. Save that resume space for more important information.

You didn't attend or finish college

If you attended college but didn't graduate, you may want to list the relevant courses you took, especially if you made it to some of the higher-level classes, to demonstrate the skills you built or the disciplines you were exposed to during your coursework.

You're still pursuing a college degree (undergrad or grad program)

If you're still attending college for either your undergraduate or graduate degree, you can simply add an expected graduation year to this information. You can add a list of a few courses you've completed if 

They're higher-level courses that are relevant to your job goals

You don't have a lot of relevant work experience to market on your resume.

You earned your degree more than 5 years ago

If you earned a degree or certification more than 5 years ago, place your Education at the bottom of your resume and remove the graduation date. It's important to demonstrate you've earned the degree, but there's no need to draw attention to how long ago this occurred.

Doing so will allow you to focus your resume on your skills, accomplishments , and professional history. For those who have many years of professional experience, education becomes less important because you should be moving forward in your career.

Where does the Education section of your resume go?

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 , because 

You most likely have limited professional experience to list on your resume

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.

Key takeaways

Presenting your education on your resume in a thoughtful way will open a lot of employment doors. Here's what you should keep in mind as you write the Education section of your resume:

You list education on your resume in a certain way based on what stage of your career you're at

The main components of your Education section are degree, major, school, years attended, and certifications

Tailor your Education section based on keywords and qualifications mentioned in the job description

Be honest about ongoing education or degrees you've decided not to complete

Your Education section is fluid

Remember, there isn't one resume format that fits all job seekers. Be strategic when placing your Education information by considering where you are in your career and how it will help you to land the jobs you're after. 

Find out if you are showcasing your education on your resume - get a free resume review from TopResume.

This article was updated in December 2023. It contains work by Amanda Augustine and Lauren Settembrino  and Heather Rothbauer-Wanish .

Recommended reading:

Resources for In-Demand Job Skills You Can Learn Online

How To Speed Up the Resume-Writing Process

The Most Essential Trait You Need to Land Any Job

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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