How to List a Double Major on a Resume

A double major is a single degree that indicates two areas of specialization. You can pursue a double major in:

• similar fields, such as Economics and Finance
• fields that are less obviously related, such as Biology and English Literature

If your fields are unrelated, your primary major defines the type of degree you receive (for example BA vs BSc).

Let’s go over how to put your double major on your resume.

1. Decide where your education section should go

How prominent the education section of your resume should be depends on how far into your career you are.

If you’re writing a recent college graduate, use a template like the Harvard resume format where the education section is placed at the top.

Alternatively, if you’ve already held numerous jobs and graduated many years ago, your education section should come after your work history.

2. Add your degree first, unless you went to a well-known college or university

When adding an entry to your education section, your degree title should be the first line, like this:

However, if you went to a prestigious institution (such as an Ivy League school), highlight this achievement by listing the institution first. Here’s an example:

3. List your most relevant major first

Consider which of your majors is more relevant to the job you’re applying for, and list that major first. If you’re applying to a variety of positions, tailor your resume to each position.

For instance, if you graduated with a double major in creative writing and Spanish, list creative writing first for a journalist position, whereas you should list Spanish first for a translator position.

Both majors should be written on the same line.

If you received a double major, do not write “Bachelor of Arts in French” and “Bachelor of Arts in Politics” on two separate lines. Writing your double major in this way suggests you graduated with a dual degree rather than a double major.

A dual degree awards you with two separate credentials (such as a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science).

Here’s how you can list a dual degree on a resume:

4. Add any minors

If you graduated with a minor in addition to your double major, you can include it on your resume to show your other area of specialization.

Here’s how you can format a minor and double major on a resume:

However, if you find you’re running out of space on your resume and the minor is irrelevant to the job you are applying to, you can leave out this information.

5. Include your GPA if it’s high

Include your GPA on your resume if it’s over 3.5. Otherwise, this information can be omitted. You can also list your major-specific GPAs if they’re higher than your overall cumulative GPA.

If you graduated with Latin honors (such as magna cum laude), these can be included as well.

Here’s an example of how you can include honors with your double major on a resume:

6. List any coursework relevant to the job

If you have coursework that’s relevant to the job you’re applying to, you can also include this relevant coursework on your resume under the respective major.

Adding relevant coursework is usually unnecessary if your resume already fills a page without it, but it can be useful to include if you recently graduated from college or high school, or if you lack professional experience.

Here’s an example of what it looks like to include coursework on a resume:

7. Add your senior thesis

If you completed a thesis as part of your degree, consider including it on your resume to give employers additional insight into your areas of expertise.

However, if the thesis topic isn’t relevant to the role, or if you already have several years of professional experience, focus on work experience instead.

List your thesis as a bullet point under your education section and keep the description concise. For example:

Or, if you wrote one thesis for each major:

8. Add your double major to your LinkedIn profile

Your LinkedIn profile should reflect your full academic background, so add your double major to the education section if it’s not already featured.

The same rules apply as when you write your resume. List your double major on a single line and put your most relevant major first. The only difference is that you don’t have to worry about space limitations, so include as much information as you can to provide a comprehensive overview of your academic experience.

If one or both of your majors are relevant to your career goals, highlight them in your summary or projects section as well.

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Our Expert:

Corissa Peterson

Additional resources

• Other parts of a resume you will need
• How to write a college graduate resume
• How to list projects on a resume