How to List Relevant Coursework on a Resume [Examples + Tips]

You’re hoping to land an entry-level job so you can get professional experience, but every entry-level job seems to require some experience. Frustrating, right?

Yet employers hiring for entry-level roles likely don’t expect you to have full-time work experience. Instead, they’re looking for experience that relates to the role you’re applying for—whether that’s previous internships, part-time work, volunteering, extracurriculars, or coursework.

This guide discusses how to add relevant coursework to your resume, including why you should include it, what courses to include, and how to format this additional experience.

Need to add relevant coursework to your resume? Make a free resume in Teal today. 

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What is relevant coursework?

Relevant coursework refers to any academic courses or classes you’ve taken that align with the requirements, and skills needed for a particular job. 

For example, if you’re applying for a software engineering role, you might list computer science coursework you’ve completed that demonstrates your experience with programming. Or, if you’re applying for a public relations role, you might list coursework in communications and English to show both your interpersonal and writing skills.

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How to choose relevant coursework for your resume

Listing relevant coursework on a resume is an effective way to show you’re qualified for the role with the right skills and experience—especially if you don’t have professional experience yet, but how do you know which courses to add to your resume?

First, make a list of all the relevant classes you think could apply to the roles you're evaluating. Then, for each role, consider:

• Relevance to the required job experience: Does the course demonstrate you have the expertise the recruiter or hiring manager is looking for?
• Relevance to the required skills: Did any of these courses teach you skills listed in the “requirements” section of the job description?
• Impact and achievements: Are there specific projects, research, or presentations that you did as a part of the course that are relevant to the role?

Relevant coursework on your resume should be additive to the value of your resume. Each course serves a purpose—whether that’s demonstrating a specific expertise, skill, or knowledge gap not otherwise identified in your resume qualifications.

Should you put relevant coursework on a resume?

Including relevant coursework on your resume can offer several benefits for candidates. Here are some of the advantages from listing relevant coursework on your resume:

• Demonstrates skills and knowledge: Relevant coursework can showcase your skills and knowledge in a particular field, making you a more attractive candidate to potential employers.
• Enhances credibility: Including relevant coursework on your resume can enhance your credibility and demonstrate your commitment to your field of study.
• Fills gaps in experience: For students, entry-level professionals, or candidates that lack the required experience, adding relevant coursework can fill gaps in experience and demonstrate your potential to perform well in a particular role.
• Shows relevance to the job: Relevant coursework can show that you have the skills and knowledge required for the job, making you a more competitive candidate. 

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Where to put relevant coursework on a resume

Depending on your experience level and the type of job you’re applying for, there are two places where you can list relevant coursework on a resume:

• Education section: Add relevant coursework to your existing Education section. This is the most common approach and keeps your academic achievements organized.
• A dedicated Coursework section: If you have a lot of relevant coursework or if you’re applying for a job that requires a strong academic background, you can create a separate section for your coursework underneath your most recent education or degree.

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How to list relevant coursework on a resume

There are a few different ways to add relevant coursework to your resume, but all involve adjusting your Education section. Let’s break down how to add relevant coursework in your “Education” section, or in a separate dedicated “Relevant Coursework” section. 

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Adding relevant coursework to the Education section

1. Add a new line in your Education section

The most straightforward way to add relevant coursework on your resume is to simply list out your classes underneath your degree information. Simply add a line called “Relevant coursework,” then write a list of the courses you’d like to include.

Course titles should be capitalized; however, you don’t need to include the full or exact name of the class you took. For example, if you took “Computer Science III: Data Structures and Algorithms,” you can shorten it to “Data Structures and Algorithms”.

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Here's an example of how to add relevant coursework in a simple format:

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2. Create a bullet point list underneath your most recent Education

If you have room to include a bullet point list, adding relevant coursework to your resume in this format can be more readable and bring further attention to the courses you’ve listed. 

Here's an example of how to list relevant coursework as bullet points:

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Create a dedicated Relevant Coursework section

If you think it would be beneficial to provide context on the courses you’ve taken, you can choose to create a dedicated section for your relevant coursework. Adding a dedicated section can be helpful for those who have extensive coursework to add, or for individuals who pursued continuing education after completing their degree.

 Whether you title it “Continuing Education”, "Coursework" or "Relevant Coursework” is up to you, however you’ll want to make sure the section is relevant to your target role, and not an exhaustive list of all the courses you’ve completed. 

While you don’t need to add course descriptions, it can be helpful to show hiring managers how the coursework relates to the job requirements. To do this, create a relevant coursework section underneath your Education. For each course added, in one or two sentences create a description about the course topic, area of study, or what you learned.

Here's an example of a dedicated relevant coursework section:

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Relevant coursework resume examples

Now that you know how to add relevant coursework to a resume, here are a few relevant coursework resume examples for inspiration as you write your own.

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Example of relevant courses on a resume #1

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Relevant coursework on resume example #2

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Relevant coursework resume example #3

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How to tailor relevant coursework to the job description

When listing relevant coursework on your resume, it’s essential to tailor it to the job description. Here are some tips:

• Read the job description carefully: Study the job description and requirements to identify the skills and knowledge required for the job. Pay attention to the keywords and phrases used by the employer. (Pro Tip: Teal automates this step with its Resume Job Description Match feature)
• Identify relevant coursework: Identify the coursework that is relevant to the job and highlight it on your resume. Focus on courses that align with the skills and experience mentioned in the job description.
• Use keywords: Use keywords from the job description to describe your coursework and make it more relevant to the job. This can help your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and catch the attention of hiring managers

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Best practices for adding relevant coursework on a resume

Ready to start adding relevant coursework on your resume? Here are some best practices to keep in mind as you update your resume.

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1. Only include relevant coursework that aligns with the job description

Relevant coursework is described that way for a reason—it’s relevant to the job that you’re applying for. That means that the courses you list are related to the role’s required experience and skills. 

Teal’s Job Matching Tool can help you identify gaps between your resume and a given job description. The tool can tell you what keywords you’re missing for both hard and soft skills—which can then help you figure out if there’s a course you can add to fill that gap.

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2. Adjust the course name to provide context

College course names have a variety of structures depending on the institution you attend. Don’t worry about including the official name of the course you took; instead, focus on using language the hiring manager is looking for.

For example, if you took “Introduction to Microeconomic Theory,” you may opt to list the course as “Microeconomics.” This is a simpler, to-the-point version that addresses the main focus of the course.

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3. Include academic projects to further highlight your coursework

While relevant coursework on your resume demonstrates you have academic knowledge of the topic, you can highlight specific projects to provide tangible examples of how you put that knowledge into practice.

Again, these projects should be relevant—meaning they align with the job you’re applying for. For example, if you're applying for a data analyst position, you could highlight a data analysis project you completed in a statistics course by adding a project link to your resume. 

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Common mistakes to avoid when adding relevant coursework to a resume

When listing coursework on your resume, there are several common mistakes to avoid. Here are some of them:

• Listing irrelevant coursework: Only list coursework that is relevant to the job you’re applying for. Irrelevant coursework can make your resume look cluttered and unprofessional. Focus on courses that directly relate to the job description.
• Not tailoring coursework to the job: Failing to tailor your coursework to the job description can make it seem like you’re not a good fit for the job. Customize your resume for each application to highlight the most relevant courses.
• Not using keywords: Not using keywords from the job description can make it harder for your resume to pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and for hiring managers to see your relevance to the job. Incorporate relevant keywords to improve your chances of getting noticed.

By avoiding these common mistakes and following the tips outlined above, you can create a strong and effective resume that showcases your relevant coursework and helps you land your dream job.

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Start adding relevant coursework on your resume with Teal

Adding relevant coursework to your resume can be an effective way to demonstrate skills and expertise—especially when you’re a recent graduate or changing careers.

Adding relevant coursework to your resume is efficient and effective with Teal’s AI Resume Builder. Not only can you easily format and customize the design of your relevant courses, but you can also ensure the coursework you’re adding is relevant with Teal’s Analysis Mode and Job Matching tools.