When you complete classes as part of a degree program or outside of a degree program, you can sometimes list that coursework on your resume to help demonstrate your experience. Learn how to list relevant coursework on a resume.
If you鈥檝e completed a course in a topic or field related to the job you鈥檙e applying for, it may be a relevant credential you can list on your resume. While listing relevant coursework on your resume isn鈥檛 always the best use of the limited space a resume provides, it can be evidence of your skills when you鈥檙e a recent graduate or have an unfinished degree. Once you start building relevant job-related experiences, you can remove details, such as coursework, from your resume to make space for more recent experiences.听
Learn more about how to decide when to add relevant coursework to your resume, including examples of how to include this information.听
Relevant coursework for your resume includes classes and other educational experiences you鈥檝e completed that speak to the transferable or technical skills you may need to be successful in your role. You can often identify this information from job postings, although you may need to conduct additional research. In addition, you can match the skills a candidate needs for a position with your transcript and coursework to find classes that illustrate your ability to perform those skills.听
Not all the classes you take while completing your degree will be relevant to the job you want. Many degrees require students to take various required courses regardless of their major or career goals. Since your resume has limited space, stick to the classes that most clearly demonstrate why you鈥檙e qualified for the particular role.听
In some cases, listing relevant coursework on your resume can help demonstrate your qualifications for a job. Three instances where you might decide to list relevant coursework on your resume include when you鈥檙e writing a CV, when you鈥檙e a recent graduate, or when the courses you鈥檝e taken play a role in how qualified you are for the job.听
When writing a CV: A curriculum vitae (CV) is similar to a resume and lists your education, skills, and other essential credentials. A resume is a tool you can use to give someone an at-a-glance view of your most relevant qualifications, while a CV is a longer, more comprehensive document you can use to detail the finer points of your education, experience, and skills. You can include relevant coursework, class projects or research papers, leadership experience, athletic involvement, or volunteer experiences when writing a CV.听
When you鈥檙e a recent graduate or have an unfinished degree: Relevant coursework can help demonstrate your skills through learning experiences when you don鈥檛 yet have relevant on-the-job experience. If you recently graduated or haven鈥檛 finished just yet, listing coursework can help show potential employers your educational background. Challenging courses also demonstrate your ability to work hard and overcome complex subjects.听
When your coursework plays a direct role in the position's requirements: If you鈥檙e applying for a job not directly related to your field, you can add relevant coursework to demonstrate why your unique skills are a good match for the role. You can also add relevant coursework to demonstrate that you鈥檙e proficient with technical skills you haven鈥檛 yet had the opportunity to use in your professional experience.听
Your relevant coursework helps demonstrate the experience you鈥檝e earned and why you鈥檙e a strong candidate for a job, but they aren鈥檛 as powerful as job experience. Once you start building professional experiences outside of school, you can remove relevant coursework and other academic information like GPA and replace it with more current professional experience. You can also consider removing relevant coursework when it's no longer directly related to the position you鈥檙e applying for, such as a course you took on a technology the industry no longer uses.听
To list relevant coursework on your resume, choose three to six of the most relevant courses you鈥檝e completed. You can list them in the education section on your resume in a bullet point under your degree or create a dedicated section to list courses. Creating a designated section may be helpful if you want to list courses you took outside of your degree program or online courses.听
In either case, you can summarize the learning objectives to clarify what skills you learned in the class. This is particularly helpful for courses with vague names. You can also choose to alter the course's name to clarify why the class is relevant to the reader. For example, some class titles have associated numbers, which is less interesting to your potential employer than a title that correctly identifies the course topic.听
It can be helpful to look at some examples of resume sections that include relevant coursework. Explore examples from computer science and business administration degrees.
Computer science is a broad field, and a computer science degree is relevant to many different careers. You may find it helpful to list relevant courses to specify what area of computer science you plan to work in before gaining experience in the field.听
For example, this format may work for an applicant with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science applying for a position as an AI developer:听
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science听
Harvard University, 2019 to 2024
Coursework:听
Artificial Intelligence with Python
AI Essentials for Business
AI in Business: Creating Value with Machine Learning
A computer science degree would also be relevant for a software developer. Consider this example of an applicant for a front-end developer position:听
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science听
Mid-State Technical College, 2018 to 2023
Coursework:听
User Experience Design听
Collaborative Application Development
Introduction to Psychology
Object Oriented Programming
Consider an example of adding relevant coursework to the resume of an applicant with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration applying for a position as a health services manager:听
Bachelor of Science, Healthcare Administration
Western Governers University, 2018 to 2023
Coursework:听
Emerging Trends in Health Care Administration
Health Care Policy and Governance听
Health Care Leadership and Community Engagement听
Adding relevant coursework to your resume can effectively demonstrate your skills before you build real-world job experience. Enrolling in online courses in your specific field of study, such as the Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate on 糖心vlog官网观看, can give you even more coursework to enhance your resume and strengthen your skill set.
Editorial Team
糖心vlog官网观看鈥檚 editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...
This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.