How to List Degrees on a Resume

First, let’s examine what goes into a typical resume education section. This section should be clear and simple so potential employers can scan your resume and understand it at a glance. When it comes to a professional resume, less is usually more, so don’t be afraid to stick with the basics.

Your education section should include:

Pro Tip:

While it’s generally a good idea to include dates for your degrees, if your most recent degree was more than 10 years ago, feel free to leave off dates altogether. It is unlikely to add any helpful context at that point and it may make you more vulnerable to age discrimination.

You may be wondering when to list your degree on your resume, but a more fitting question would be when not to list it. Most resumes will benefit from showcasing your education, even if your career path has gone in a different direction from the field that you studied. There are, however, good reasons to leave certain degrees out.

If you have a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, for example, there’s no need to include your associate degree. This is especially true if all three degrees are in the same major. There’s nothing that you learned in obtaining your associate degree that you can’t demonstrate with your bachelor’s or master’s.

The same is true for your high school diploma. Once you’ve earned an associate degree or higher, there is no need to include your high school education. Resumes are fairly short and real estate on the page is a valuable resource that you don’t want to waste by repeating yourself.

Pro Tip:

If you find yourself listing multiple degrees on your resume, you’ll usually want to start with the most recent one and work backward. There is one big exception. If you have degrees in different fields, you should instead start with the degree that is the most relevant to the role that you’re seeking. If you have a recent art degree and an older engineering degree, the engineering degree should come first if you’re applying to an engineering role.

There isn’t a huge world of difference between how you list a master’s degree and how you list a bachelor’s, but examples should help you get a feel for how each type should look on your resume. Let’s examine some examples!

How to list a bachelor’s degree on a resume:

A bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for a lot of lucrative and exciting careers. Here’s how your bachelor’s degree should appear on your resume:

How to list a master’s degree on a resume:

A master’s degree can be a significant upgrade to your career, opening doors to fascinating roles that your bachelor’s degree couldn’t access as easily. Let’s look at an example of how you can showcase your hard work and dedication by placing your master’s degree on your resume:

As you can see, there isn’t a lot of difference between listing one type of degree and another. As long as you have the key information that employers look for, there isn’t much else to it!

How to list an associate degree on a resume:

Obtaining an associate degree can be a big step toward leveling up your career. Let’s take a look at how to list one:

Pro Tip:

It’s okay to use abbreviations like “AA” or “AS” if you’re pressed for space, but it’s better to write out your degree if you can afford to.

Now that we’ve tackled how to list degrees on your resume under typical circumstances, let’s look at some special situations that might change the way you approach your education section.

How to list an incomplete degree on your resume:

There are a lot of reasons why you might’ve started a degree without finishing it. You might think that without the completed degree, your resume is out of luck. Fortunately, this isn’t true. An incomplete degree can still go a long way toward showing your expertise, so it may still be appropriate to list it. Here’s how to do it:

Pro Tip:

If your incomplete degree is not relevant to your career field, or if you’ve gone on to complete another relevant degree, it may be pertinent to leave it off, but some education is better than none. As long as you’re honest about the situation, don’t be afraid to list a degree, even if you didn’t finish it.

How to list in progress education on your resume:

Are you pursuing a summer internship? Starting the job hunt before you officially graduate? Taking night classes to earn a degree while you pursue the next stage of your career? There are a myriad of reasons why you might be looking for a job while your degree is still in progress. Just because you aren’t done yet, doesn’t mean you can’t include your degree. Just make sure you indicate that you haven’t graduated yet. Here’s an example:

Pro Tip:

If your education section feels sparse or you want your training to stand out, try pursuing professional certifications. Certifications demonstrate both initiative and competency and can be a great way to bridge gaps in education or experience.

Now that you’ve got your degrees all listed and neatly organized on your resume, it’s time to consider whether your education section is complete. Odds are, if you graduated more than a few years ago, you’re better off leaving your education section as-is. The extra space that you would use by adding information is put to better use in your skills and experience sections.

For a recent graduate, someone with an incomplete degree or a student whose degree is still in progress, it’s a good idea to add a bit of context, especially if you lack experience. If your GPA is over 3.4, we recommend including it with your degree because it demonstrates your expertise and ability to achieve.

Additionally, you should briefly summarize any coursework that has helped prepare you for the role that you’re seeking. This should be no more than one or two short bullet points. Let’s look at an example:

This applicant has included some of their achievements from their time at school. For such a recent graduate, experience is likely to be sparse.

Education is a major selling point for recent graduates, so don’t be afraid to expand on it. Just exercise restraint and don’t write more than a few short sentences.