Education Section Examples

Modify the below scenarios as appropriate to include in the Education section on your resume

A resume is a professional document that highlights experiences, articulates strengths and transferrable skills, and shares key accomplishments. Think of your resume as a marketing tool that should be tailored to specific jobs to help you secure interviews.

General

  • One page in length; keep all four margins consistent (1 inch – 0.5 inch range)
  • Times New Roman Font (text size 10 – 12 only); black text color only
  • No abbreviations or acronyms (month, year, company names, degree title, etc.)
  • Alignment, spacing, and bullet points need to be consistent throughout
  • Be consistent with use of periods at end of sentences (if applicable), and use of dashes/spacing (e.g., May – June 2015)
  • List experiences in reverse chronological order
  • Leave white space – make sure your resume is easy to skim
  • If printing, print on white paper only and always PDF before you submit/send via email
  • Make sure your resume is ERROR FREE (double check grammar, formatting, spacing, etc.)
  • Leventhal School of Accounting majors should use the Leventhal Resume template. Marshall and Leventhal double majors may use the Marshall Resume template or Leventhal Resume template.

Header

  • Name and contact information must be right aligned
  • NO hyperlinked email address in blue text, objective statement, or links to LinkedIn profiles should be included

Education (see next page for examples of Education sections)

  • Only provide your cumulative USC GPA, listed with two decimal places (no major, semester GPA, combined USC/transfer GPAs, etc.). If your GPA is a 3.3 or below, you may consider leaving your GPA off your resume.
  • Do not include “Expected” before your graduation date.
  • If you do not have any Honors or Relevant Coursework to list you can remove those lines.
  • Study abroad must be included in the Education section. Other international experiences like LINC and GLP can be included in the Leadership & Involvement section.
  • If you are including SAT or ACT scores you may list them on a line in the Education section.
  • Do not include concentrations; Marshall no longer offers these. If BCA, BAIR, or BREF – you may include Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Emphasis in Cinematic Arts (or International Relations or Real Estate Finance).
  • Transfers: Listing your previous institution and/or degree program is optional and is not recommended after one year of attendance at USC. If you are including, list transfer institution below USC section and only include a USC GPA after completing your first term. All information within the USC section must be USC specific (coursework, GPA, etc.). Include relevant coursework, honors, and GPA from your previous institution within the transfer section.
  • Freshmen: You may keep your high school information on your resume but begin to transfer the content off as you gain experience at USC (aim to transition all high school information off by sophomore year).

Other Headers & Resume Sections (you do not need to include all the sections below – choose as appropriate for you)

  • Experience
  • Work Experience
  • Professional Experience
e.g. Internships, Work Study, Part-Time Work
*Include locations /
  • Leadership & Involvement
  • Leadership Experience
  • Activities & Leadership
e.g. Student Organizations, Community Service/Volunteer, Athletics, LINC/GLP/Other International Experiences
*Do not need to include locations /
  • Academic Projects
  • Research Interests
Include if relevant, and/or if you are short on work/leadership experience /
  • Honors & Awards
  • Honors & Recognition
Include this section if you would like to provide explanations; then remove Honors from Education section /
  • Skills & Interests
*See below for common lines in this section. List as individual lines with bolded title and do not use bullets.

Languages: If you speak multiple languages list here and indicate proficiency (Optional)

Computer Skills: If you have computer skills list here (Recommended)

Certifications: If you have certifications that are relevant to employers and the job you are applying to list here (Optional)

Interests: List interests that demonstrate well-roundedness (Recommended)

Bullet Point Advice (see Marshall Career Source for additional resources)

  • Do not include a laundry list of everything you have ever done but instead highlight your key contributions, transferrable skills, and relevant experience for the job you are applying to
  • Follow the ACR Bullet Structure: Action (Past-tense verb describing your individual contribution), Context (details of contribution/why you did something), and Result (outcome or impact of contribution, quantify if possible)
  • Use all past tense verbs (except when appropriate to use present tense)
  • Be concise and use professional language. Keep each bullet point to 1– 2 lines and vary length of bullets.
MARSHALL MAJOR WITH SAT SCORES

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business Los Angeles, CA

Bachelor of Science in Business AdministrationMonth Year

Honors: List any honorsGPA: X.XX

Relevant Coursework: List relevant coursework

SAT Scores: 2300 (99th Percentile – Math: 780, Writing: 760, Verbal: 760)

MARSHALL MAJOR WITH MINOR

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business Los Angeles, CA

Bachelor of Science in Business AdministrationMonth Year

Minor in (list your minor if applicable)GPA: X.XX

Honors: List any honors

Relevant Coursework: List relevant coursework

MARSHALL MAJOR WITH TRANSFER INSTITUTION (only include USC GPA after completing first term)

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business Los Angeles, CA

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration MonthYear

Relevant Coursework: List relevant coursework GPA: X.XX

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC

Honors: List any honors Month Year – Month Year

Relevant Coursework: List relevant coursework GPA: X.XX

DOUBLE MAJOR

University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marshall School of Business MonthYear

Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencesGPA: X.XX

Minor in (list your minor if applicable)

Honors: List any honors

Relevant Coursework: List relevant coursework

MARSHALL MINOR

University of Southern California, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Los Angeles, CA

Bachelor of Arts in EconomicsMonth Year

Minor in Business FinanceGPA: X.XX

Honors: List any honors

Relevant Coursework: List relevant coursework

MARSHALL MAJOR WITH HIGH SCHOOL(only applicable for freshmen)

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business Los Angeles, CA

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration MonthYear

GPA: X.XX

Los Angeles High School Los Angeles, CA

Honors: List any honors Month Year

GPA: X.XX