
Struggling to get interviews?
Highlighting relevant coursework on your resume is an effective way to demonstrate transferable skills and experience. In this article, we explain when you should list coursework on your resume and provide several examples.
When to include relevant coursework on a resume
You should include relevant coursework on your resume in these situations:
If you’ve recently graduated or will graduate soon
The best time to include relevant coursework on your resume is if you’re a high school student or recent college graduate.
If you’ve spent the last few years studying and completing difficult assignments, you can show the skills you’ve developed from that experience on your resume.
Including relevant coursework is especially important if you’re writing a resume with no work experience, because your coursework shows that you have key skills and knowledge, even if you haven’t held a formal job yet.
If you’re a grad student changing careers
To write a great career change resume, include relevant graduate coursework on your resume to demonstrate the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired that apply to your new career field.
When you don’t yet have work experience in the industry, your coursework helps bridge the gap between your past roles and your new direction.
When not to include related coursework on a resume
If you already have several years of experience in your field and your resume fills a full page, you don’t need to include coursework from your studies. The perfect resume should prioritize your most relevant work experience over your coursework.
How and where to put relevant coursework on your resume
The most effective placement for your coursework is in your education section or work experience section.
Example of relevant coursework in an education section
Most people include coursework in the education section of their resumes.
If you want to expand your education section, write “Relevant Coursework” under your degree name and list 3-6 relevant courses, using commas to separate the names of the courses. For example:
How to list relevant coursework in your education section
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
New York University, New York City, 2018
Relevant Coursework: Language and Identity, Culture and Society, Medical Anthropology, Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality, Humans Rights and Culture
To improve readability, simplify or rebrand academic course names. For example, list “Microeconomics” rather than an official registrar title like “Introduction to Microeconomic Theory.”
If you have plenty of space, turn your relevant coursework into a bulleted list so each course is on its own line:
How to list relevant coursework using a bulleted list
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
New York University, New York City, 2020
Relevant Coursework:
- Language and Identity
- Culture and Society
- Medical Anthropology
- Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
- Humans Rights and Culture
Alternatively, consider formatting your relevant coursework like a work experience section. Include specific academic projects to provide evidence of your applied skills, like this:
How to list relevant coursework similarly to work experience
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
New York University, New York City, 2020
Relevant Coursework
Social and Developmental Psychology:
- 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 Qualtrics
- Aggregated and interpreted survey results in a 10-page paper and 15-minute presentation
Example of relevant coursework in a 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 courses most relevant to the job you’re applying for, 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:
How to list relevant coursework with quantifiable information
Online Marketing, MARK 160, Fall 2020
- Keyword Research: Used Ahrefs’ marketing tool to gather and analyze 500+ keywords
- Content Creation: Created 7 SEO-friendly articles for a 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: Became proficient in content management systems like WordPress, Wix, and Joomla!, and made at least one piece of content per CMS
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