Step 9: List Education

Education is important. Learn what to do if you have a relevant degree, an unrelated degree, a degree pending, or no degree at all.

The Education section is usually positioned at or near the end of the resume. Here are some instances, however, when it is better to place it under the Summary of Qualifications section near the beginning of the resume:

• If your education is highly relevant to your new position.
• If you’re a new graduate.
• If you have no employment experience in the field you are going into, but have a degree or training in that field.

Following are some tips on how to create your Education section.

If you have one or more college degrees…

• State where each degree was received. It is not necessary to list all the different schools you attended leading up to achieving your degree.
• Dates are optional. They sometimes indicate how old you are and how current your knowledge is, so be conscious of that when deciding whether or not to include them.
• Majors, minors, theses, dissertations, internships, and coursework should be listed only if they are relevant to your job objective.
• You can spell out the degree (e.g., Bachelor of Arts) or use the representative letters (e.g., BA or B.A.).

If you went to college but do not intend to get your degree in the immediate future…

• Write your area of study and the name of the college. For instance: Liberal Arts, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH.
• If you attended several schools without completing your degree requirements, list only one or two schools. Listing more than that might make the reader think you tend to move around a lot without finishing things.

If you are currently in a relevant educational or training program but have not yet finished…

• List the program and name of the institution you are attending, followed by the date you intend to finish, or a phrase such as “currently enrolled,” “anticipated completion, Spring 2012,” “in progress,” or “six months completed.”

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