Okay, this should be a fairly straightforward question for a few indiviuals well versed in human-resource issues.
To make a long story short, I’ve been completing coursework for the past three years at CU Boulder and I’m trying to move into a competitive post-grad program. I’m in the middle of the alternate list for this program right now and in case I’m not accepted this year I want to gain some work experience that will make me more attractive to these programs in the future.
A large number of the positions that I’m applying to require a bachelor’s degree.
I completed all of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in psychology in December, but I never “applied for graduation” because I may choose to come back to school in the fall to earn a degree in biochemistry as well. So, to summarize, the coursework is finished but I don’t have a diploma and no one is planning on handing me a diploma in the near future. I could apply now and probably receive one in August but I really don’t want to wait that long to start applying for jobs.
So, on my resume or cover letters, is it appropriate to say that I have:
A. Earned a Bachelor of Arts from CU Boulder in Psychology
B. Will earn a BA from CU Boulder in Psychology (degree expected in August)
C. Am attending school at CU Boulder towards a BA in psychology and biochemistry
D. Some other option that HR people understand about a similar situation.
I’m trying to be as straightforward and direct about this as possible, but I don’t want HR people to direct my application to the circular file because I don’t hold a diploma from CU.
I’m a bit confused here. Are you currently attending school working towards your degree in biochemistry, or is this just something that theoretically might happen in the future? How are you applying to Post-Grad positions without having graduated from an undergraduate institution?
C and D are right out. The squirrels on the HR assembly line are trained to throw those nuts right out. They don’t try to deeply understand everyone’s life circumstances before they throw it in the garbage.
A sounds the best and B isn’t horrible however they contradict each other. Do you feel confident you “earned” the degree yet? If so, use A.
I’d go with B. In my opinion, until you’ve got the degree in your hot little hands, you’ve not yet earned it. You’ve done the course work, but technically the awarding of a degree rests with the college/university, and until they give it you, you shouldn’t say you’ve got one.
I’ve been on the hiring committee at work. We do check references and call the university. If we got an applicant saying they’d earned the degree, and then we called the university and were told that the applicant had not yet been awarded the degree, I think we’d call it resume padding and re-consider whether to hire that applicant.
My father used to put this on his resume: “Completed all required courses for a MASTER in Engineering Science”. I don’t recall why he did not actually get the degree. I’d ask, but he has since passed away.
If it’s any consolation, in 20+ years of jobs and job interviews, no one ever bothered to check whether I had a degree (my school keeps records of degree verification requests).
I did about 6 months recently between finishing the degree requirements, and getting the sheepskin in my grubby little fingers. On my resume, I noted it as requirements complete, and awaiting formalities.
It was a 2nd degree, BTW, so it didn’t cause me any problems with HR departments, or anything like that.
I’m guessing that if threemae were to graduate now, a degree in biochem would be considered a second bachelor’s degree. Some schools are funny about such things - either the second bachelor’s wouldn’t be permitted at that school, or else threemae would have to reapply to the school and/or redo a bunch of core curriculum credits (because of limits on the number of previous credits that could be applied to the new degree). By not graduating now, the OP could just complete a double major if they choose, and avoid some hassle.
Thank you for everyone’s replies, I think I have a winner. I’ve held off on “graduating” because this would risk a scholarship, my employment as an RA, my College Opportunity Fund (weird way that Colorado chooses to fund undergrad education), and generally be a pain in the ass, so says my advisor. I don’t know, she could have been making stuff up; she often is.
Just another slightly related anecdote, I recently interviewed a candidate who put on her resume “PhD, all but disseration.” Well, if she didn’t complete the dissertation, she doesn’t have a PhD. When my boss found out that she did not even plan to finish, that’s when he decided not to hire her (other factors at work too, but that pushed him over the line.)
It is pretty well accepted that due to the length of time to complete a dissertation that All But Dissertation (ABD) is usually accepted in lieu of an earned doctorate. Of course being ABD after a year or two may be grounds for dismissal if a doctorate is required for the job.