| Curriculum vitae |
|
A curriculum vitae (singular),
meaning "course of one's life, is a document that gives much
more detail than does a resume about your academic and professional
accomplishments. Curricula vitae (plural) are most often used for
academic or research positions, whereas resumes are the preferred
documents in business and industry. |
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Note about plural / singular
forms:
"Curricula vitae" (vee-tie) is the plural form; "curriculum
vitae" is singular.
The informal shortened form, "vita" standing alone, meaning
a brief autobiographical sketch (Webster's), is singular, while "vitae,"
is plural.
The abbreviation is often used: CV or CVs. |
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Curricula vitae are commonly
used in applying for the following: |
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- Admission to graduate school or as part of an application
packet for a graduate assistantship or scholarship.
- Grant proposals.
- Teaching, research, and upper-level administrative positions
in higher education.
- Academic departmental and tenure reviews.
- College or university service appointments.
- Professional association leadership positions.
- Speaking engagements.
- Publishing and editorial review boards.
- Research and consulting positions in a variety of settings.
- School administration positions at the superintendent, principal,
or department head level.
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While your resume - even
for most graduate students - should be kept to one page, vitae are
usually two pages at the shortest, and can be many pages in length.
Common lengths for curricula vitae are one to three pages for bachelor's
and master's degree candidates; two to five pages for doctoral candidates;
and five or more pages for an experienced academician or researcher.
Even though it's a longer document, write it concisely and give it
a clean, easy-to-read layout. |
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A curriculum vitae includes
information about professional publications, presentations, committee
work, grants received, and other details based on each person's experience. |
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You can include: |
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- Education
- Master's thesis or project
- Dissertation title or topic
- Course highlights or areas of concentration in graduate study
- Teaching experience and interests
- Research experience and interests
- Consulting experience
- Internships or graduate practica
- Fieldwork
- Publications
- Professional papers and presentations
- Grants received
- Professional association and committee leadership positions
and activities
- Certificates and licensure
- Special training
- Academic awards, scholarships, and fellowships
- Foreign study and travel abroad
- Language competencies
- Technical and computer skills
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Although curricula vitae
are often similar to resumes, the preferred style, format, and content
varies from discipline to discipline. Before writing a CV, you should
become familiar with the requirements of your academic field by asking
faculty members in your department and consulting professional associations
for additional guidelines and examples. Career Services advisors can
review your curriculum vitae and make suggestions. |
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See a Ph.D. candidate's
sample
curriculum vitae (MS Word document). |
|
Career Services advisors
can review your vitae and make suggestions through walk-in
advising or an individual
advising appointment. |
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| Also see: |
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Purpose of the resume |
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Resume formats and samples |
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Resume software and templates |
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Length of your resume or
vita |
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Content / sections of your
resume |
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"Should I include
my GPA?" and other FAQs |
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Most frequent resume mistakes |
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Scannable resumes |
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Resume critiques |
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E-mailing resumes |
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Printing, photocopying
& mailing resumes and vitae |
