The curriculum vitae, commonly referred to as a CV, Vita, or Vitae, is a detailed biographical description of ones educational and work background. It differs from a résumé, a one-page description of ones work experience and educational background not only in length but also in detail. The origin of the term curriculum vitae is Latin and means the course of ones life or career. As such, a CV includes detailed information regarding ones academic coursework, professional experience, publications, and so on. The curriculum vitae, long in use among professionals in higher education, has gained currency among undergraduates applying for admission to graduate and professional schools, as well as among applicants for selected areas of employment such as those in research, teaching, and management. Moreover, because of the growing tendency to use brief application formsoften only two pages longsome graduate and professional programs actually encourage applicants to enclose a CV with their applications. For
these reasons, the curriculum vitae is often referred to as an academic résumé. We have included sample curricula vitae in Chapters 5, 6, and 7.