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Why do some people not mention their undergrad degree on their CV?

I have started to notice that a lot of academics and lawyers, will usually not put their undergraduate degree on their CV but instead their masters.
For instance if someone has a LLB and then did an LLM, they simply put:

Qualifications:
LLM - University of Oxford.

Why do some people do this? and does it mean that they also received their LLB from the same uni in which they got their LLM from?

Strange question but I am curious!

Reply 1

tcameron

I guess because a masters is better than a bachelors academically, so they want to put their stronger qualification & it's more recent & saves space putting both

Reply 2

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by billy_k

............!

Because they know the reader isn't going to care. They have professional experience that is far more important and whether they've got an undergrad in Law from Oxford or Zoology from Hull isn't going to make any difference to their application with an LLM from Oxford and 5 years of relevant professional experience.

Reply 3

Blue_Cow

My headteacher did this. She had a BA (Hons) but when she got her MEd from Cambridge, she dropped the BA in the school letter heads and replaced it with just MEd (Cantab). I'm no expert, but I'm guessing the assumption is, that if you put down a Masters qualification, you consequently must have a Bachelors degree.

Reply 4

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Usually if the degree is in the same subject area, only the highest degree for that subject is stated for post nominal letters - this same idea carries over to CVs in some peoples minds. It depends on the degree(s), but for the given example the only way to study an LLM is to have an LLB or equivalent Law qualification. Therefore it's already assumed they have that background if they have an LLM.

Now, if they did say, Physics as an undergrad, but Maths as a master's (or vice versa), then it's more likely they would list both if applying to say, industry, or an academic position in mathematical/theoretical physics for example. In that case, they're different courses, but they are both relevant (potentially) for different reasons, so interviewers etc may want to see their background in both areas. You can go into either from the other (in theory) but neither is a necessary prerequisite for the other. Similar to the above case though, if they just listed a master's in Maths, it would be reasonable to assume they studied the same as an undergrad.

It's really a stylistic choice more than anything, and in some cases where putting both doesn't add anything, it can help the overall clarity of the CV to not include the "redundant" information - since ideally it should fit on a single page. But it's up to the writer, and of course they can always explain in interviews etc if there is confusion. Also these days most positions require applicants to enter all their educational background individually into a webform or similar, as well as include a CV. So it'd be accessible to them regardless in those cases as well.

Reply 5

Richard0328

there is no point in cluttering a CV with unnecessary qualifications. They want a complete work history but they don't care what academics you have if they are not related to the job and a higher qualification trumps a lower qualification which makes it irrelevant.

Reply 6

username2799682

Original post by Blue_Cow

I'm no expert, but I'm guessing the assumption is, that if you put down a Masters qualification, you consequently must have a Bachelors degree.

This is what I mean, but I assumed that if someone just put their masters down (e.g. MA (Cantab) ) that the undergrad would be from the same university

Reply 7

Blue_Cow

Original post by billy_k

This is what I mean, but I assumed that if someone just put their masters down (e.g. MA (Cantab) ) that the undergrad would be from the same university

If you get an MA from Cambridge it is automatically assumed that you did your undergraduate studies there, as the MA is given to you (without examination) 6 years after your first term (I think it's six years). Same goes for Oxford.

Reply 8

Beth_H

The CV has only one real purpose, which is allowing employers to decide whether they want to interview you. Any information that's not on the CV which the employer wants to know can be asked for at interview, so it makes sense to only include your most recent (and likely most 'impressive') qualifications on your CV.

Reply 9

username2799682

Original post by Blue_Cow

So let's say that I get a BA from leeds, and then get a MA from Oxford, would I not be able to put on my cv:

Education:
MA - Oxford

Reply 10

Blue_Cow

Original post by billy_k

So let's say that I get a BA from leeds, and then get a MA from Oxford, would I not be able to put on my cv:

Education:
MA - Oxford

AFAIK, Oxford don't do MAs for people who didn't do their undergraduate degree there (I could be wrong though, not a student there!) but instead do MPhil degrees. In which case, if you wanted a condensed CV, and you did your postgraduate studies at Oxford, you would do MPhil(oxon). This will differentiate you from an Oxford alumni who did undergraduate studies there.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 11

Reality Check

Original post by billy_k

So let's say that I get a BA from leeds, and then get a MA from Oxford, would I not be able to put on my cv:

Education:
MA - Oxford

That's not how it works. The Oxbridge MA isn't a degree - it's a status within the university. It would be impossible to get an MA from Oxbridge unless you'd done your first undergraduate degree there. Masters Level degrees at Cambridge are things like M.Phils, M.Res and M.Sci from the Part III in certain NatSci tripos subjects.