How to List Degrees on Resumes: Tips & Examples for Every Career Stage

The correct way to list a degree on a resume is to include the full degree name, major, school, and graduation date in a clear, consistent format. When done properly, your education section strengthens your qualifications, supports keyword matching, and makes your resume easier for employers to scan.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

Why Listing Your Degree Correctly Matters

How you write your degree on your resume can influence how quickly a recruiter understands your qualifications, if your resume stands out, and whether your application moves forward.

The way you format your degree can impact:

Standard Education Format for Resumes

Use a professional, simple, and consistent formula when writing your degree on a resume so hiring managers and ATS can easily identify your education.

This is the standard format most resumes follow:

Here’s what this looks like all put together:

There are special situations where you may also include details like minors, GPA, honors, or coursework, which are covered in later sections. And if you’re unsure how to structure your education section, starting with professionally designed resume templates can make formatting easier.

Where to Put Your Degree on a Resume

Where you place your degree on a resume depends on your experience level and how relevant your education is to the role.

If you want to maintain a traditional, chronological resume format while still highlighting your degree early on, you can mention it in your professional summary.

Example:

What to Include When Listing a Degree on Your Resume

When listing a degree on your resume, always include the type of degree, your major, the school, and its location. You’ll usually also include your graduation or expected graduation date, though there are some cases where you may leave dates off, along with other optional details covered below.

Full Degree Type & Abbreviation (Required)

When listing your education, use the official full name of your degree followed by the abbreviation, such as BA or PhD, and your major. Including both the spelled-out degree and abbreviation can help your resume match keyword searches from employers and ATS.

Examples:

Major & Minor or Concentration, If Applicable (Required)

List your major directly after your degree name. If you have a minor or concentration that’s relevant to the role and strengthens your qualifications, include it after your major. If your minor or concentration isn’t relevant, omit it to keep your education section concise and focused.

Examples: 

School Name & Location (Required)

Include the full name of the college or university you attended, along with the city and state. This provides context and helps employers verify your educational background quickly. You don’t need to include the street address, only the city and state.

Examples:

Graduation Date or Expected Graduation Date (Sometimes Optional)

Include your graduation date, or if you’re still in school, add your expected graduation date so employers understand your timeline. In some cases, such as when you graduated more than 10 to 15 years ago or want to avoid age bias, it may make sense to leave the date off.

You can list the month and year or the year alone as long as formatting remains consistent. 

Examples:

GPA (Optional)

Include your GPA if it’s strong (3.5 or higher), especially if you’re a recent graduate with limited experience. A strong GPA can help reinforce your academic performance and work ethic. Once you gain more professional experience, GPA becomes less important and can usually be removed.

Examples:

Honors & Academic Achievements (Optional)

Include honors or academic achievements that highlight strong performance or recognition. Examples include Latin honors (e.g., cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude), Dean’s List, scholarships, or other academic awards.

Keep this resume section concise and only include achievements that strengthen your candidacy.

Examples:

Relevant Coursework (Optional)

Relevant coursework can be helpful if you’re a student, recent graduate, or changing careers. Include courses that directly relate to the role or demonstrate key skills that support your qualifications.

As you add more professional work experience to your resume, coursework becomes less important and can usually be removed.

Examples:

Special Situations When Listing Education on a Resume

Not every education path is straightforward, and most employers understand that. If you have multiple degrees, unfinished education, career certifications, or international credentials, the tips below can help you list your degree(s) professionally.

Listing Multiple Degrees

If you have more than one degree, list them in reverse chronological order with your highest or most recent degree first so employers can quickly identify your education level.

When your degrees are from different schools, continue to list them in reverse-chronological order to maintain clarity and highlight your highest or most recent degree first. When multiple degrees are from the same school, list the school once and stack the degrees beneath it to keep your education section clean and easy to scan.

If your degrees show progression, such as a bachelor’s degree followed by a master’s degree, listing them together highlights academic growth.

Example with multiple degrees at the same school:

Example with multiple degrees from different schools:

In-Progress Degrees or Unfinished Education

If you’re currently working toward a degree, include it with an expected graduation date to show employers your timeline.

If you started a degree but didn’t finish, you can still list it when the coursework or training supports your qualifications. Remove unfinished education if it’s outdated or no longer relevant to your career goals.

Example of an in-progress degree:

Example of an unfinished degree:

Online Degrees & Certifications

Treat accredited online degrees the same as traditional degrees when listing them on your resume.

Certifications can appear in the education section when they’re closely tied to your field or required for the role, or in a separate certifications section if you have several.

Example of an online degree:

Example of a certification:

International Degrees & Equivalencies

List international degrees like you would a U.S. degree, including the full university name, location, and, if helpful, the U.S. equivalent. Credential evaluations may be included if requested by employers or required for certain roles.

Example:

When to Omit Certain Education Details

Your education section doesn’t have to stay the same forever. As your experience grows, it should become shorter, more focused, and tailored to the roles you’re targeting.

Here are a few common education details you can remove or adjust as your career progresses:

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Listing Degrees

Avoid these common mistakes when listing your degree to keep your resume polished and ATS-friendly. Even small mistakes in your education section can create confusion, weaken your credibility, or cause issues with ATS scanning.

Resume Templates for Listing Degrees

Use these templates to format your education section clearly and consistently, no matter your degree type or career stage. You can copy and paste the format that fits your situation and customize it with your own details.

Degree Listing Examples by Career Stage

How you format your education can vary depending on your experience level, so use the examples below as guidance for what to include and what to leave out at each stage of your career.

Degree Listing Examples by Industry & Job Type

How you present your education can also vary by industry, especially when certain credentials are expected or required. Use the examples below as guidance for formatting your degree in a way that aligns with employer expectations in each field.

Business or corporate role:

Executive or leadership role:

Tech or IT role:

Healthcare role:

Education role:

Creative role:

Trades or skilled labor role:

Government or nonprofit role:

Key Takeaways

• Your education section should be clean, consistent, and easy for both recruiters and ATS to understand at a glance.
• List your degree using the full formal name, include the abbreviation after the degree, and follow it with your major for clarity and keyword matching.
• Place your education strategically based on your experience level, with recent graduates featuring it higher and experienced professionals keeping it concise.
• Include only the details that strengthen your candidacy, such as GPA, honors, or coursework, and remove outdated or unnecessary information as your career grows.
• Use the same format across every entry so your resume looks polished, professional, and easy to scan.

Get the Most Out of Your Education

You’ve worked hard on your education, so don’t let messy formatting or too much information water it down and cost you an opportunity. Use a simple and consistent format, include only what adds value, and place your education where it best supports your experience to help employers quickly see what you bring to the table.

If you want a little extra help, Monster’s Resume Builder gives you structured guidance to format your education section correctly, so you can feel confident your resume is polished and move one step closer to your next role.