Majors, minors, GPA, coursework, awards … filling out the education section of your resume can seem complicated at times. But it doesn’t have to be! Here’s a short but comprehensive guide on how (and when) to list a minor on your resume — and when to leave it off entirely.

How to list a minor in your education section

First, let's start with how to effectively list a minor on your resume.

1. Create an "Education" section below your work experience (if you have relevant professional experience) or at the top of your resume (if you're currently a student or graduated very recently).
2. Start with the name of the university or college you attended and your date of graduation (optional).
3. List the degree you attained.
4. Include your relevant minor on a single line, either alongside your major or below it.
5. It's okay to list a double minor, but don't list more than two — if you have 3+ minors, choose 1-2 most relevant ones.
6. Add any other information you want to include, like major awards, study abroad, GPA, and relevant coursework (more on that below).
7. Use our free resume checker to find out whether your minor really belongs on your resume.

Example of listing a minor on a resume

Here’s a sample you can copy and paste:

Resume Worded University, May 2011
Bachelor of Engineering
Major in Computer Science; Minors in Consumer Psychology and Mathematics

And here’s a quick example of what your education section should look like (with a minor included):

The format should stay the same whether you're listing a single minor or a double minor.

Find out if your resume highlights your relevant minors

A good way to check if your education section highlights the right information such as majors, minors, study abroad, GPA and relevant coursework, is to upload it to the tool below — it’ll scan your resume and tell you which of these belong on your resume and which ones you should remove.

Should you list a minor on your resume?

When does a minor belong on your resume?

In short: When it’s relevant.

If your minor is directly relevant to the job you’re applying for, you should always list it. This can provide additional context for recruiters (especially if your degree or major is less relevant) and adds keywords that might help your resume get past Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Listing a minor on your resume doesn’t take up much space, so there’s no real harm in including it. That said, it’s fine to leave it off your resume if:

• It isn’t relevant to the position or to any of the duties mentioned in the job description. In particular, you might want to leave it off if it’s completely unrelated.
• You graduated more than 8-10 years ago. If this is the case, keep your education section short (you can also leave off your date of graduation).
• You have several minors — stick to listing no more than two.

It's okay if your college diploma doesn't list your minors — some colleges do and others don't, so employers will understand if it's not listed.

Can a minor really help you get a job?

A minor alone probably isn't going to land you a job if you lack other relevant experience, skills, or qualifications. If your minor is highly relevant to the job you're currently applying for, don't just list it in your education section and call it a day — capitalize on it by highlighting related skills.

For example:

• If you have a minor in data science and are applying for tech jobs, list hard skills like programming languages, include a link to a GitHub profile, or list any relevant short courses.
• If you have a minor in a foreign language, list your language proficiency in your skills section and any study abroad experience.

If you need help finding hard skills and keywords to help your resume get past Applicant Tracking Systems, use the tool below to search for the job you’re applying to and you’ll get a list of relevant skills and keywords.

What else can you include in your education section?

Here’s what you should always include in your resume’s education section:

The name of the school or university you attended

If you attended more than one school (for example, you transferred), it’s okay to only list the school you graduated from. You might want to list both schools if you previously attended somewhere particularly prestigious.

Your degree

This one’s a no-brainer. Always list what degree you studied, including whether it was a bachelor’s, master’s, or associate’s degree, or something else. If you have multiple degrees, list your most recent first.

Your major

If you’re applying for a software engineering role, simply listing your degree as a Bachelor of Science isn’t particularly helpful. Always include your major area of study. You can do that in a couple of ways:

• On a single line with your degree. For example:

Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering

• On a separate line underneath your degree. For example:

Bachelor of Science
Major in Software Engineering

• With both your major and minor(s) included. For example:

Bachelor of Science
Major in Software Engineering; Minors in Mathematics and Consumer Psychology

You can include more information than that, especially if you recently graduated or are still in school.

Optional extras you can include if you recently went to school

In general, the longer you’ve been in the workforce, the shorter your education section should be — listing your minor, GPA, and coursework when you graduated 15 years ago is going to look a little strange. If your degree is more recent, here’s what you can consider including in your education section:

Date of graduation

This used to be a must, but it’s increasingly fine to leave it off, especially if you graduated 8+ years ago.

Location

This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it can help identify your school if a recruiter isn’t familiar with it or if there are multiple institutions with similar names.

Awards

Major awards, including Dean’s List and Greek honors, can be listed in a single line beneath or alongside your major and minor.

Study abroad

If you participated in an exchange program, include the name of the study abroad school or institution, the location, and the dates you studied abroad.

GPA

Only include your GPA if you’re a very recent graduate and it was impressive (above 3.5).

Relevant coursework

Again, this should be taken off your resume once you have more relevant work experience to replace it with.

Resume education section example

Here’s a quick visual breakdown of what belongs in your resume education section:

This is a resume example showing what an expanded education section could look like if you’re a current student or recent graduate:

For a more detailed explanation of what to include in your education section, check out our guide on how to list your education on a resume.