Education
The education section of your resume serves a different purpose depending on your level of experience.
- For students: it provides an opportunity to highlight their achievements and potential.
- For professionals: it's more of a formality. A mental checkbox for the recruiter.
The level of detail and formatting of the education section should be tailored to your experience level and the specific job they are applying for.
Basics
At a minimum, you should include the following information in your education section:
- The name of the institution where you earned your degree
- The field of study for your degree
- The degree you earned (e.g. Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science)
Formatting
The formatting of your education section should be simple, and consistent with the rest of your resume. Make sure to adhere to the following and you'll be in good shape:
- List your degrees in reverse chronological order. You may choose to break this order to include a certificate or less important degree lower in the list.
- Include the years of enrollment, using your expected graduation date if you're currently pursuing the degree.
- You don't need to include months if the degree was many yars ago.
Details to Include
The level of detail you include in your education section will depend on your experience level and the job you are applying for. If you are a recent graduate with limited work experience, include detailed information about your coursework and relevant projects. If you are an experienced professional, focus on the name of the degree, field of study, and institution where it was earned. If you have pursued advanced degrees or certifications relevant to the job, include those as well.
Advice for Students
As a student, consider including your GPA if it is high (generally 3.5 or above). Include information about relevant extracurricular activities, such as clubs, organizations, or sports teams. Once you have gained more work experience, omit this information from your resume.
Certifications
Including information about certifications and non-degree programs in the education section of your resume is a good way to highlight these qualifications and show that you have gained additional skills and knowledge. List certifications and non-degree programs in the same way you would list a degree. Research the value and reputation of the qualification before including it on your resume. Consider the relevance of the qualification to the job you are applying for.
Examples
Computer Science Student
- BSc. in Computer Science, expected graduation date: December 2022
- Coursework: Data Structures and Algorithms, Computer Networks, Machine Learning
- Extracurricular activities: President of the Computer Science Club, member of the Women in Computing organization
Mid-Level Software Engineer
- BSc. in Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley (2015-2020)
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect, earned September 2021
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
- BSc. in Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2008-2012)
- MSc. in Computer Science, Stanford University (2012-2015)