Should I Include Relevant Coursework on My Resume?
Yes, you can and often should include coursework that directly relates to the position you’re applying for on your resume. Doing so highlights your relevant expertise, and helps you include resume keywords that can ensure your resume gets past applicant tracking system software.
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When to Include Relevant Coursework on a Resume
The four main situations where you should include relevant coursework on your resume are when you:
- are graduating high school or college soon (or have recently)
- lack professional experience
- can’t fill a resume without it
- want to change careers, and think your relevant coursework is related enough to the new industry that it’s worth mentioning
Recently Graduated (High School or College)
Whether you’re entering the workforce or are writing a resume for graduate school, the best time to include relevant coursework on your resume is if you’re a recent college graduate. If this is you, you’ve spent the last four or more years studying and completing difficult assignments. Showcase the skills you developed from this experience on your resume.
Putting relevant coursework on your resume is especially important if you’re writing a resume with no work experience. Doing so demonstrates you have knowledge related to the position, even if you lack experience in the workforce.
Grad Student Changing Careers
If you attended graduate school to make a career change, you should also include applicable coursework on your application. Courses you took in graduate school may have given you more of an insight into your new career path than any unrelated previous work experience.
And if your resume doesn’t quite fill a page, include other relevant experiences you’ve accumulated in life in addition to your coursework.
For example, your time spent doing volunteer work and extracurricular activities can help showcase certain soft skills you’ve developed over time. Additionally, highlighting your role in student government can demonstrate to employers that you’re reliable, work well with others, and are diplomatic.
When Not to Include Related Coursework on a Resume
Does your resume already fill a page without relevant coursework on it? If so, you don’t need to include any. The perfect resume should include your most relevant work experience first and foremost.
Take a careful look through your resume. If your relevant work experience is enough to fill your resume, leave the coursework off.
How and Where to Put Relevant Coursework on Your Resume
How much coursework you fit into your resume depends on the following three factors:
- How many relevant courses you’ve taken
- How much detail you want to include
- How much space you have to fill
For an example of how to put relevant coursework on your resume, check out this video where our career expert Eva gives you all the information you need about writing your resume education section:
How to Put Relevant Coursework in Your Resume Education Section
Most people include coursework in the education section of their resumes. To go this route, write “Relevant Coursework” beneath the degree name, and then use commas to separate the titles of the courses:
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
New York University, New York City, 2018Relevant Coursework: Language and Identity, Culture and Society, Medical Anthropology, Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality, Humans Rights and Culture
If you have plenty of space, turn your relevant coursework into a bulleted list so each course is on its own line:
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
New York University, New York City, 2020Relevant Coursework:
- Language and Identity
- Culture and Society
- Medical Anthropology
- Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
- Humans Rights and Culture
And if you want to create a functional resume with a large education section, consider formatting your relevant coursework like you would format your work experience section:
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
New York University, New York City, 2020Relevant Coursework:
- Studied qualitative research methods by reading and discussing 10+ academic articles
- Designed an online, 20-question qualitative research survey about language and identity formation
- Conducted a qualitative survey with 147 college students using an iPad
- Aggregated and interpreted survey results in a 10-page paper and 5-minute presentation
How to Put Relevant Coursework in Your Resume Work Experience Section
Including coursework in your work experience section allows you to share detailed information about what you did for each course.
In this instance, you should pick the most relevant courses and create a bulleted list for each, and format them as you would past jobs you’ve had.
Ideally, your course descriptions should include quantifiable information. For example, you can say you conducted 40+ hours of field work, interviewed 3 professionals about their fields of expertise, and gave a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation to 32 classmates.
Here’s an example:
Online Marketing, MARK 160, Fall 2020
- Keyword Research: Used Ahrefs’ marketing tool to gather and analyze 500+ keywords for my final semester project
- Content Creation: Created 7 SEO-friendly articles for a potential dental implant website
- Survey Creation: Ran a survey using Google Surveys to discover what users think about dental implants
- Search Engine Optimization: Optimized 3 pages using tools including Page Optimizer Pro, Elementor, and Marketing 360
- Web Publishing: Explored the WordPress, Wix, and Joomla! content management systems, and made at least one piece of content per CMS
Takeaways
Highlighting job-relevant coursework on your resume is a fantastic way to demonstrate your knowledge in any given field, and improve your resume if it’s lacking in substance. Additionally, selecting the right resume format will help this kind of important information stand out better.
Including such information on your resume is particularly useful for if you’re a student applying for your first job, or if you simply have little relevant professional experience for the job you’re applying for.
Now it’s time to apply what you learned and create your own resume. You can begin by downloading one of our professional resume templates, or if you’d rather not start from the beginning, use our free resume builder and create an interview-winning resume in under 5 minutes.
