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Curriculum Vitae

Your curriculum vitae (CV) is your professional biography. It is the main source of information about you that is provided to reviewers, both internal and external, who may be making a judgment on your future. Therefore, it is critical that you communicate your activities and accomplishments as clearly and comprehensively as possible in your CV. Make sure that your CV presents you in the best possible light.

The UMass Chan Format for the Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The UMass Chan CV Format is strongly recommended for appointment, promotion and tenure. The purpose of a standard format is to promote consistent and fair review of all faculty. The UMass Chan CV format prompts faculty to comprehensively report activities and accomplishments, and is aligned with the current Academic Personnel Policy.

The UMass Chan CV Format is organized into sections. Delete any sections that do not apply to you. If you have activities that are not included in the CV format or a set of activities that you wish to highlight, you may add sections as appropriate. List information in reverse chronological order. Each activity should only be listed once in the CV.

  • Download a description and guide to the UMass Chan CV Format
  • Download an Example CV in the UMass Chan CV Format

Templates for the UMass Chan CV Format

The Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) provides templates for the UMass Chan CV format in Microsoft Word. Use of a template is not required, but your CV should reflect the organization of the UMass Chan CV Format.

Standard CV Template. This template uses tables for formatting and contains "hidden instructions". It is designed for use with desktop versions of Microsoft Word. It is not recommended for use with Google Docs or the browser version of Word. Please read the instructions (linked below) before using the template.

Simplified CV Template. This template uses tabs for formatting. It can be used with Google Docs and both desktop and browser versions of Microsoft Word.

  • Download the Simplified CV template

CV Template with Headings. This template consists of the section headings for the UMass Chan CV Format. Text can be copied-and-pasted into the appropriate section from other documents. It is designed particularly for newly-appointed faculty members and those with long CVs. It can be used with Google Docs and both desktop and browser versions of Microsoft Word. We strongly encourage faculty members using this template to convert their CVs subsequently to the UMass Chan CV Format using the Standard or Simplified Templates.

The information in your CV should be current, complete and accurate. Most of the information in a CV is in the public record and is easily verified. You should maintain a current file of your CV on your computer with a back-up copy on another server. We recommend that you add new items as soon as they occur, so that you can provide a current copy of your CV immediately on request.