Degree Listings on Resumes

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Maniac Craniac, Dec 29, 2009.

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  1. For anyone who is either an Excelsior student (like myself) or a COSC student, it seems that listing a degree on a resume could get a bit complicated, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience in how to format it.

    For example, eventually I want to graduate with a Psychology/Sociology double major from Excelsior, however, this degree will be officially called the mouthful of: "Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with a Double Major in Psychology and Sociology."

    Would it be acceptable to embreiven it and simply list it like:

    Bachelor of Arts, Pschology/Sociology

    or some other standard format while removing the Liberal Arts tag?

    This gets even more complicated with COSC, because they offer only a General Studies degree with a concentration... but some other schools use "concentration" to mean a minor, not as COSC does, where it is their version of a major. I would like a degree in Foreign Languages and Lingustics... but after talking to admissions, they explained to me that the only way to self-design that program of study would be to have Liberal Studies as the concentration and to pick a focus... so the official degree would be:

    Bachelor of Arts in General Studies with a Concentration in Liberal Studies with a Focus in Foreign Languages and Linguistics.

    WOW... does anyone have experience with listing such COSC degrees to make it clear that Concentration or Focus is akin to a major... without making any technical errors in the listing (IE, it could not say Bachelor of Arts, Foreign Languages and Linguistics).
     
  2. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I list my COSC degree as follows-
    •BS – Individualized Studies (Technology & Business)

    My diploma reads "Bachelor of Science" and my transcript reads "Bachelor of Science - Concentation : Individualized Studies" It does not say General Studies anywhere.
     
  3. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    My Excelsior (actually a pre-Excelsior USNY diploma) diploma does not mention liberal studies. I use the following notation on my resume:
    "BS - Excelsior College - 1992." If anyone asks for more information (which is rare) I explain it is a degree combining engineering, business, and general education courses completed at various colleges and universities in the UK and USA.
     
  4. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    I would think either of the following representations should be fine.

    1. Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts (Psychology and Sociology), or
    2. Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Sociology), or
    3. Bachelor of Arts

    Your diploma will either say,
    1. Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts, or
    2. Bachelor of Arts

    My degrees from Thomas Edison State College say,
    1. Associate in Applied Science, and
    2. Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences/Mathematics
     
  5. Thanks- good tips from both of you. After reading what you wrote, I've been thinking about:

    BS - Psychology, Sociology
    Excelsior College

    BA - Liberal Studies: Foreign Languages and Linguistics
    Charter Oak State College
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 30, 2009
  6. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Looks good but for COSC it does not say "Liberal Studies" any place (at least on mine).
     
  7. Liberal Studies is a different program from Individualized Studies. According to the admissions office, it's to make a concentration that Charter Oak doesn't already have. So a concentration in that program would be Liberal Studies with a Focus in: (Your Field Here).
     
  8. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Got it - thanks
     
  9. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Funny this should come up, I've been debating this myself. My BS is decidedly in Criminal Justice, but it looks odd on my resume being that I work in IT now and my grad degree is in Business. My BS diploma simply says Bachelor of Science and gives an honors distinction, nothing else. My transcript has the degree as Bachelor of Science then in a seperate heading under major lists Criminal Justice.

    So I guess I've been debating as to whether or not to list my major on my resume (not that I'm job hunting, just general purpose).

    Something like: degree--->honors--->school
    I'm pleased to say my "education and training" section of my summary resume is getting full so I really don't say anything about subject matter studied, GPAs or anything else.

    Just...

    2006
    Bachelor of Science
    Honors: Magna Cum Laude
    Southwestern College

    2008
    Master of Business Administration
    Concentration: Organizational Leadership
    Ashford University

    It just seems cleaner.
     
  10. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    What if the degree of a person is Bachelor of Technology in EE.

    What is the abbreviation for such degree on resume.

    This is not BSc. is it BTech or BT?
     
  11. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck


    Many schools list faculty credentials without any indication of the field.

    I think that for a resume the major (or concentration) is important, especially if you consider listing the degree as a position qualification. However, I see nothing wrong with listing what is on your diploma. Without declaring the major I'm not sure what "credit" an employer would give to the bachelors unless any bachelors would satisfy the position requirement. I personally like to see degrees in varied areas as it demonstrates adaptability and a breadth of learning. But then I'm always impressed by folks who continue their education as a means of self improvement and to improve their worth in the job market. My recommendation is to list the major.
     
  12. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    My TESC diploma just states Bachelor of Arts with no listing of concentration. My transcript shows BA concentration in Psychology. When I list this degree on my resume I list it as BA in Psychology.

    I've seen a lot of resumes listing just the degree BA or BS without conectrations or majors listed. I assume that these people are just listing the degree itself and that whatever the major was, is just not relevant to the position to which they are applying.

    Cory
     
  13. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    I'm wondering if you should maybe list the MBA first on your resume, since that's the credential you want to highlight, so you'd want that to be the first thing the potential employer sees?
     
  14. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I agree - I would list the MBA first. I would not list the "Honors: Magna Cum Laude" but that is just me. If you are fresh out of school and do not have any experience that might matter more but I would think it could be removed as it just takes up space and makes things look crowded.

    My BS says "With Honors" and my MS says "Summa Cum Laude" but I never considered listing it.
     
  15. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Funny, I never knew they gave honors for grad degrees. Pitty, my MBA GPA was perfect.

    Anyhow that's not exactly how I have them listed. I always list the highest degree, more recently earned first. So in my case it'll be...

    (Currently in Process)
    Master of Science (MS)
    Major: Management Information Systems
    Concentration: Project Management
    Bellevue University

    2008
    Master of Business Administration (MBA)
    Concentration: Organizational Leadership
    Ashford University

    2006
    Bachelor of Science
    Southwestern College

    The major is in criminal justice, which is about as useful as any liberal arts degree in IT...which means it fills the check box but doesn't wow anyone. Since my graduate studies actually apply to my field I list the major and concentration, plus since they are the most recently awarded and highest level obtained, it's kind of obligatory.

    Edited to note the (MS) and (MBA) I usually include and bold to both catch the eye and because a lot of HR types use those automated filters with keyword searches like "MBA" or "MS" or "computer science" etc. to churn up what they are looking ideally when staring at a pile of emailed resumes. It helps to get mine past the initial screening.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 30, 2009
  16. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member


    It depends on the school that granted it;

    Normally the abbreviation is B.Tech. or BTEE.
    Excelsior has a Bachelor of Science, Electronic Engineering Technology (BSEET?)
    The best way is to spell it out to avoid confustion..

    There is an abbreviation list here
    http://www.abbreviations.com/acronyms/DEGREES/5
     
  17. consultco

    consultco New Member

    Double Major

    I would strongly encourage you to make the double major clear on your resume. It would likely be acceptable to show something like: BA, Double Major: Psychology, Sociology - however, I also graduated from Excelsior, and when I had a question about how to describe the Area Of Focus on my resume, they were very helpful. Here's a link you may find useful: http://www.collegegrad.com/forum/257.shtml

    As for your COSC degree, you might consider: BA, Liberal Studies: Foreign Languages and Linguistics. Again, the advisors there may have suggestions for you, but it is most important to convey a clear image to an employer of what it is that you studied, and rigid definitions sometimes have a negative impact on clarity.
     
  18. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I think the key is to refrain from making any material mis-statements. For example, if you have an MA in Business and list it as an MBA, that's material (IMHO). Or if you have a DBA but list it as a Ph.D. in Business, say. (Granted, in most cases, they're either similar or identical, but the degree designations are very distinct.)

    On the other hand, is there a material difference between USNY's BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Sociology (which I hold) and a BA in Sociology? In most cases, certainly not. But there might be a situation where concentrating in an area is not acceptable and it is specified that one must have that area as one's major. In that case, the difference would be material and the distinction should be made.

    I run into this all the time with my Union Ph.D. Technically, it is a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, with a Concentration in Higher Education and a Specialization in Nontraditional Higher Education. That's a mouthful, and I normally truncate it to a Ph.D. in higher ed, and I may or may not mention the specialization.

    You'd think I'd simply this with the NBT, but I'm only making it worse. :D
     

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