should you include thesis on resume

How to Put Your Thesis on a Resume

In This Guide:

When it's appropriate to feature your thesis in a resume

A template and example on how to feature a thesis on your resume

Tips to list your thesis on your resume.

A thesis is a statement that explains the general point of a project. Typically, this statement gives the reader a clear idea of the primary points so they can have more context when working through the information to follow. It may also offer a definitive hypothesis, statement, or personal perspective.

The thesis also refers to an academic project that a doctoral candidate completes in pursuit of their professional qualification. We’ll focus on that usage today, looking at how to add this project to a resume.

In this article, you’ll learn

• When it’s appropriate to add a thesis to a resume
• Tips on adding your thesis to a resume
• Key takeaways

When it's appropriate to feature your thesis in a resume

Here are a few instances when you should add your thesis to your resume.

When applying for another degree

Thesis work looks good when you’re applying for other programs. It shows that you’re familiar with academic coursework and have completed significant challenges in your field.

When it’s relevant to the position

A thesis shows that you’ve earned specialized knowledge. When that knowledge pertains to a certain position, the employer must know that. Even if the relevance is a slight stretch, it’s still worth citing on your resume.

When you want to show transferable skills

Gaining a thesis requires refined skills. Those skills are likely transferable . Isolate those skills and think of ways they could apply to your intended position. If the skills relate directly, that’s a great reason to add the thesis to your resume.

Let’s see how you could add your thesis to a resume . It might be challenging to figure out where you should add the information. The following examples should give you some perspective.

Example of a thesis on a resume

Here’s an example of how to cite your thesis under “relevant experience.”

Doctoral Thesis

March 2019 - january 2020.

Produced an accepted thesis on the function of microorganisms in the onset of heart disease. Worked closely with University faculty to achieve insights that have since saved lives. Utilized intense research, communication, and organizational skills to complete the project.

A few concise sentences about impact, structure, and the effort required will help display the work you’ve done.

A thesis on resume template

You could cite your thesis in numerous places in your resume. However, it’s smart to find one place and stick to it.

In a template , you might find space for your thesis under “work experience,” “professional experiences,” “education,” or somewhere in an introduction.

Here are a few things you could note in your description of the thesis.

Make sure to mention your GPA

Your GPA holds a lot of weight. Noting that you could finish a thesis and maintain a solid GPA is smart. You can also note any grading that came from your thesis work, specifically.

List relevant research projects

Cite particular research projects that occurred within your thesis work. These will all highlight different skills or unique knowledge that you have.

A key thing to remember is that you can apply skills gained while earning your thesis. You can also use your thesis in numerous areas of the resume.

Understanding how to add a thesis to your resume intelligently can help you stand out and utilize the skills you gained through your doctoral process.

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Should applicants mention any dissertation or thesis in their CV?

I'm thinking to include my degree dissertations in my CV. I gather that this isn't the norm here in the UK, but they do seem somewhat relevant and seeing as I don't have much experience yet, it looks like a good way to beef up the resume a bit. Another answer suggests mentioning the dissertation as an example of a project that you've worked on, but not on the resume itself.

For example:

BSc in Computer Science 1981 - 1984 University of Oceania Dissertation: Efficient methods for republishing the Newspeak Dictionary

Have you ever done this as an applicant, or come across it as an employer?

• interviewing
• qualification

• 1 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about reviewing your personal Resume/CV. This is off topic. –  IDrinkandIKnowThings Commented Nov 14, 2013 at 18:17
• 6 @Chad I have not attended the University of Oceania, nor have I ever written a paper for the Ministry of Truth . –  rath Commented Nov 14, 2013 at 18:47
• 2 I mentioned my thesis on my CV, and that's the reason I now have my dream job, continuing that line of research. –  mhwombat Commented Jun 25, 2014 at 23:48

2 Answers 2

I have never done this as an applicant, but I have seen it a few times as a hiring manager reviewing resumes.

If the dissertation is directly relevant to the job at hand, I have found it interesting, and have followed up with the candidate during the interview. At the time, I just discussed it with the candidate, and didn't actually read the dissertation.

If the dissertation is not directly relevant to the job at hand, then I just considered it clutter.

My feeling has always been that one should include only items which they feel are relevant to the job on their CV/Resume. (If "Republishing the Newspeak Dictionary" is something that could happen in the job for which you are applying, then it's directly relevant.)

If irrelevant items are included, I tend to wonder why, and mentally "take off points" from my rating. I know people are rightly proud of their accomplishments and want to share them widely, but I don't believe a resume is the proper place for that.

I feel the same way about things like Hobbies, Outside Interests, etc. If they are directly relevant and will help you get that job, include them. If not, leave them off.

• 3 I pretty much agree with Joe S. on this issue, but I would never consider a line about your dissertation to be 'clutter'. That may be because when I interview people I'm looking for their capability to grow an adapt to change. So I'm not bothered if the disseration is not directly related to today's job opening. Someone else may just be looking for the peg that exactly fits today's hole and not want to know anything beyond that. Big companies are often looking for perfectly formed pegs. –  Jim In Texas Commented Nov 14, 2013 at 19:06
• Unless you're applying for academic positions, a few jobs after graduation, it is probably clutter. –  user8365 Commented Nov 14, 2013 at 19:10
• 2 @JeffO but for a masters/phd the thesis is the major part of the work involved in a degree why would you not put the subject of your thesis. –  Neuromancer Commented Nov 14, 2013 at 19:35

If you are at a standing start as a post-grad and creating a thesis and doing the research to support it, you are carrying out a process that looks suspiciously like system design and requirements gathering for a software project. These are nearly identical processes, up to the point where you have to 'make things work' - typos might get past your advisor, but software tolerance for that is zero.

I sent a job application to a research institution in the late 1990s, they sent back a form asking me to list every submission I've had published in an academic journal. In some roles, such work is a baseline employment requirement.

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How To Put Research On Your Resume (With Examples)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

Research experiences and skills are an incredibly important aspect of many job applications, so it’s important to know how to put them on your resume correctly. Hiring managers and recruiters want employees who can help drive innovation by being able to apply research skills to problem solve and come up with creative growth solutions. If you’re a job seeker looking to include your research skills on a resume , we’ll go over how to list research on resume, where you can include it on a resume, and give you some examples. Key Takeaways: If you don’t have traditional research experience, highlight the skills used for research that you’ve used in past jobs. Consider creating a separate research section in your resume if you have a lot of research experience or merge sections, depending on which section you want to bolster with research. Research experience is one of the best assets to include on a resume so be on the lookout for more opportunities. In This Article    Skip to section What are research skills? Where to put research experience on your resume How to include research on your resume Examples of research on a resume How to put research on your resume FAQ References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What are research skills?

Research skills are any skills related to your ability to locate, extract, organize, and evaluate data relevant to a particular subject. It also involves investigation, critical thinking , and presenting or using the findings in a meaningful way.

Depending on what job you’re applying for, research skills could make or break your ability to land the job. Almost every job requires some research skills and you probably already have some of those skills mastered by now.

For most careers, research is a vital process to be able to answer questions. “Research skills” are not a single skill, but multiple ones put together.

Some skills that are necessary for research are organization, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and specific technical skills, like coding, Excel, and copywriting.

Where to put research experience on your resume

Including research experience and skills on a resume can be incredibly flexible. When thinking about how to add it to your resume, you want to consider how the research experience adds to your resume.

Your research experience can be included in a few different sections of your resume. Some of those sections include:

Academic accomplishments

Research experience

Work experience/history

College activities

Volunteer work

Presentations and publications

Skills section

If you’ve had smaller research roles but no “official” research experience, you can highlight the skills associated with the types of research mentioned above in your job description under the work history section in your resume.

If your job history is a research position, then naturally, you would include research under the work history section. You can also merge your sections depending on what type of position you are applying for.

For example, you could create a “Research and Education” section or a “Research and Publications” section. If your research is not related to your education and you don’t have any publications, you can also detail it in a separate “Research” section in your resume.

How to include research on your resume

To include your research on your resume, you should gather all the necessary information and then quantify your accomplishments to fit into specific sections. Here is a more detailed list of how to write about research experience in resume:

Gather all the necessary information. The first step is to collect all of the important details like the title of the research project, the location of the research project, the principal investigator of the project (if applicable), and the dates of the project. You will list these details much like you would list a company you have worked for in the past.

Read the job description carefully. Every resume and cover letter you write should be tailored to the job you’re applying for. When a hiring manager puts a necessary qualification in their job posting, you must be sure to include it in your resume.

Make sure that you highlight the right types of research skills on your job applications and resumes.

Quantify your accomplishments. When describing your role on the project, you will want to summarize your accomplishments and deliverables. Hiring managers and recruiters love seeing numbers. When you write out the deliverables from your project, make sure you quantify them.

Incorporate into your work history section. If there were times when you used your research skills in your past employment opportunities, include them in your work experience section. You can also include publications, conferences you may have presented at, and any awards or recognition your research had received.

If you have completed research in an academic setting, then presentations (oral and poster) are an important part of the research process. You should include those details along with the titles of your publications.

Add to your research section. Other aspects of research that you can detail to make your application more competitive are adding skills specific to your project to the skills section of your resume.

These skills will vary depending on the subject matter, but some examples include coding languages, interviewing skills, any software you used and are proficient in using, managerial skills , and public speaking if you have presented your research at conferences.

Add research to your skills section. If the specific research you did is less important than the skills you used to perform it, highlight that in your skills section. That way, you don’t have to take up a lot of work or education history with slightly irrelevant information, but hiring managers can still see you have research skills.

Just be sure you’re more specific about a research methodology you’re an expert in because the skills section doesn’t give you as much room to explain how you leveraged these abilities.

Sprinkle research throughout your resume. If you have a lot of experience performing research in professional, volunteer, and educational settings, pepper it in a few different sections. The more hands-on experience you have with research, the better (for jobs that require research).

Examples of research on a resume

Let’s look at some examples of how research can be included on a resume:

University research example

EDUCATION Undergraduate Thesis, University of Connecticut, Dec. 2017-May 2018 Worked alongside UCONN English Department head Penelope Victeri to research the poetry of New England writers of the 20th century. Explored common themes across the works of Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens, and Robert Lowell. Performed online and in-person research on historical documents relating to each author , including information on the political, religious, and economic landscape of the US at the time. Analyzed poetic works of each author and drew on similar contemporary regional authors’ works. Prepared 20,000 words thesis entitled “Place, Allegory, and Religion: Three 20th Century New England Poets” and defended my written arguments to a panel of English professors.

Customer service research example

WORK EXPERIENCE Conducted interviews with 20 customers each week to gain insight into the user experience with company products Used Google analytics to determine which pages were driving most web traffic, and increased traffic by 11% Reviewed thousands of customer surveys and compiled findings into monthly reports with graphic findings Presented at weekly marketing meeting to inform marketing team of trends in customer experience with our products

Laboratory research example

RESEARCH Conducted experiments on rat brains by introducing various novel chemical compounds and levels of oxygen Ran electricity through brain slices to view interaction of different chemical compounds on active brain cells Prepared sterile samples for daily check and maintained 89% percent yield over the course of a 3-month study Presented findings in a final 15 -page research report and presentation to the Research and Development team

Examples of common research skills to list on your resume

Here are examples of research skills in action that you may have overlooked:

Searching for local business competition

Sending out customer satisfaction surveys

Summarizing current policies and laws in effect for a particular topic

Creating lesson plans based on current education standards

Reading literature reviews and implementing changes in clinical practice

Attention to detail

Problem-solving skills

Critical thinking

Project management skills

Communication skills

How to put research on your resume FAQ

Why are research skills important?

Research skills are important because they can help you identify a problem, gather information, and evaluate that information for relevancy. Including your research skills on a resume will show hiring managers that you have the ability to suggest new ideas and help their organization adapt and change as the industry changes.

What are research skills?

Some common research skills include:

critical thinking

Computer skills

Can I list research as a skill?

Yes, you can list research as a skill on your resume. Including your research skills in your resume can help show a potential employer that you have the ability to suggest new ideas and use critical thinking to find solutions to problems. Most research skills will use attention to detail, problem-solving, and project management skills.

California State University San Bernardino – Incorporating Research Project Experience on Your Resume

University of Missouri – How to Put Research on Your Resume

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Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.

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