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Contents What is an education section? Why write one? Where should you place this section? How can you build this section? Questions to ask Tailoring for your audience Samples

Writing the Education Section of Your Resume Education sections vary tremendously on resumes--sometimes they are only a couple lines while other times they span half a page. What's the best way for you to approach yours? Read below for some options. What is an education section? An education section highlights your relevant schooling and academic training. If you have substantial work experience,this section may be very brief, simply listing the information below. If you are a currently enrolled college student or a recent graduate, however, you may want to build this section substantially. The education section usually includes information about schools you have attended such as universities and 4-year colleges, junior and community colleges, as well as professional and technical schools (rarely high schools, unless somehow relevant) location of schools date of graduation, actual or anticipated degree(s) earned grade point average (GPA) Some people choose to withhold their GPA because they feel it is irrelevant or not high enough. If a company specifically requests your GPA, however, you may want to include it regardless. In such cases, not including your GPA may, ironically, call attention to it. Sample: Bachelor of Science in Management May 1999 Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana GPA: 2.9/4.0 Please see the section below on how to build this section for ways to develop additional content.  back to top Why write an education section? to persuade employers your educational background will help you do your job more effectively to provide evidence of your qualifications to foreground your areas of expertise   back to top Where should you place this section? Education sections, like experience sections, are usually placed in the middle of a resume, somewhere between the objective statement and the honors & activities section. If your educational background is your strongest qualification or may help your resume "stand out," then you'll probably want to put it near the top. Especially if you are a recent graduate, this section may be a major focus for recruiters. On the other hand, if your experience sections are stronger, then you'll probably want to move your education section below them. back to top   How to build your education section If you have the space on your resume and/or if your educational background is particularly relevant, you may want to expand this section by including some of the content listed below as it applies to your experiences and career goals. NOTE: If you have enough information, you may wish to turn some of the content below into subsections or even into separate sections. For example, if you know several relevant computer technologies, you might want to list them under the heading "Computer Proficiency" rather than tuck them under your Education section. Other content to consider Samples major/minor grade point average (GPA) Major GPA: 2.9/4.0 Minor GPA: 3.1/4.0 major and minor areas of study, concentrations, emphases or specializations Minor: Management Information Systems Concentration: Professional Writing Emphasis in Individual and Family Development special projects Special Course Project, Business Writing determined feasibility of upgrading communication technologies in local business Thesis: "Diversity Training in the Workplace" relevant coursework Relevant Coursework: Structured Programming Client/Server Computing, Object Oriented Programming, Local Area Networks familiar computer applications Computer Literacy: Internet; E-mail; Windows: Microsoft Office; Macintosh: Pagemaker continuing education courses, programs, training units, etc. In-House Training Workshops: Diversity Training, Crisis Management academic honors Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy (Magna Cum Laude) Graduated with distinction funding B.S. in Aviation Technology (provided 100% of funding) Full-ride scholarship certifications First Aid Certification Teacher Certification back to top   Questions to ask About you About the company or organization What instititutions, programs, schools, etc. have you attended? What can you expect the company to know about your degree program, coursework, training background, etc.? What might you need to describe or elaborate? What educational training beyond traditional schooling and coursework have you had, if any? What non-traditional educational experiences would the company want to know about? back to top   Tailoring for your audience To improve the effectiveness of your education section, you will want to know what content will be most valued by the company hiring. You can get a good sense for which of educational qualifications are most relevant by analyzing job ads and company literature as part of your job search. You may tailor your education section in three main ways:  Select and include only your most relevant educational content: Based on your career goals and the qualifications called for in job ads, you may choose to include or omit certain kinds of information. For example, if you earned a degree in a very specialized field (one employers may need to know more about) or have taken specific courses directly relevant to the position, then you'll want to include a listing of coursework. However, if your degree is self-explanatory and employers likely will know your more specific credentials, then you may omit this section. Emphasize content through placement and design: Since the eye is drawn to section headings and the uppermost portion of sections, you may choose to put your most impressive and relevant educational experiences in either (1) their own sections/subsections, or (2) near the top of a section. For instance, if you have substantial computer skills or have undertaken a special project, you may choose to put this information in its own section rather than simply list it beneath "Education." List most relevant schooling first: While you may wish to use reverse chronological order (most recent schooling first), you also have the option of placing your most relevant educational experiences first.  back to top

Created and Designed by Bryan M. Kopp and the Business Writing Consulting/Tutoring Staff.

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