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I'm actually writing my resume to apply in California. I'm French and I don't know how to translate my study.

I studied for 2 years at a French university (2ème année de Licence Maths/Physique-Chimie/Informatique)

Then, I went to a private computer science school (sandwich course) for 2 years again (Titre niveau 2 (bac +4) de Concepteur développeur informatique inscrit au RNCP). In total, I did 4 years after my high school diploma

Should I write :

  • 4 years of university study in software engineering
  • Bachelor's Degree (Bachelor Degree?)
  • Master's Degree (Master Degree?)
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    Can you add the name of the study in French?
    – Cronax
    Jun 27, 2018 at 13:56
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    Related, possible duplicates: "Having a degree in a non-english country, should I translate it to english in the cv?" and "Should I say I have a Bachelor Degree when actually my degree is another one?"
    – David K
    Jun 27, 2018 at 14:07
  • Does the school you received your last degree from have an way that it would translate your degree? I have a FM (Filosofian maisteri) that is reported as an Master's Degree by the university if you request records in English. Not that you would likely be called on it but if anyone checked you would not want the degree reported by the university to be different.
    – Ukko
    Jun 27, 2018 at 15:14
  • Are you applying for a job in industry or academia? Industry may accept an approximate conversion, academia would be much more strict.
    – Ben Mz
    Jun 27, 2018 at 15:57
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    Ben Mz, I want to apply in different company such as Google, Microsoft, Twitter...
    – JulienRcs
    Jun 27, 2018 at 16:11

2 Answers 2

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I have found this blog which state :

BAC+2 (Licence Maths/Physique-Chimie/Informatique) : In France it is a DUT but there is no correspondence in the US, you can write : "2 years technical degree in..."

BAC+4 (Alternance) : It is a "Maîtrise" BUT not a "Master" in France, so you can't say you have a Master Degree. The closest is Bachelor's Degree which is a 4 year university course.

The important part when translating from French diploma to every other country is to take the BAC+X denomination or the "Licence" name or the BTS.

Conclusion : I would add the two following lines to explain :

School name (city - Country) - 2 years technical degree in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science

School name (city - Country) - Bachelor's Degree (4 year course) in Computer Science

If you lack space, you can skip the first line as it does not match a proper degree in the US.

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  • Thanks for your answer but a "Maîtrise" in France is a "BAC+4", such as my study. Then, are you sure that I should write "Bachelor's Degree" on my resume?
    – JulienRcs
    Jun 27, 2018 at 14:39
  • You are right, "maîtrise" and "master" are 2 different things, i always assumed that was the same thing (as master is "maîtrise" in english...) As stated in the blog I posted, "Maîtrise" is equivalent to four university year then a Bachelor.
    – Valrog
    Jun 27, 2018 at 15:36
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    “Bachelor's Degree which is a 4 year university course” — where? this is highly location dependent. In many places it’s three years.
    – Konrad Rudolph
    Jun 27, 2018 at 16:21
  • The information used are specific from France to the USA... I could not find more precisely about California.
    – Valrog
    Jun 28, 2018 at 6:47
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    I have added some information on my answer. But basically yes this is the kind of line I would put. Don't forget to mention the country next to the city. For example, i'm in Lyon and there is a Lyon city in the US... As strange as it is
    – Valrog
    Jun 28, 2018 at 7:38
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I would suggest using https://www.wes.org or https://www.ece.org/ECE or one of their competitors, and then using whatever they say the equivalent credential is.

Degrees and certifications are mainly a way to get past HR, they aren't why you get the job. The goal of a CV/resume is to get an interview, which is where you convince them you are the best person for the job. Mainly in ways that aren't directly related to your paperwork.

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