Diploma

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This article is about the basic degree normally below a Bachelor's degree. For the advanced academic degree, see Diplom.

File:University Diploma Ukraine-01.jpg

Diploma from Kiev Shevchenko University, Ukraine, 2005

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A diploma (from Greek δίπλωµα diploma, meaning "folded paper") is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom. and Australia, the word diploma refers to a level of academic award.

In some countries, such as the UK and Australia, such a document is called a testimonium or testamur, Latin for "we testify" or "certify" (testari), and so called from the word with which the certificate begins.

In Ireland it is generally called a parchment.

1 Diploma styles
2 Usage
3 See also
4 References

Diploma styles

Sheepskin diploma from Mexico City College, 1948 (in Latin)

Originally, diplomas were made of thin sheepskin, as paper was difficult to create and also extremely delicate at that time.^[when?]^{[citation needed]} The entire diploma was written by hand due to the lack of printing presses. Soon, parchment was used for the diploma and at the turn of the 20th century^[when?], the diploma became bound in leather.^{[citation needed]}

Diplomas used to be printed on large paper, but it has become common to print diplomas on standard letter or A4 size paper.

Usage

In the U.S., the word diploma usually refers to the actual document received at the end of higher education. It also can refer to a specific academic award. An example would be in the field of Nursing where the Diploma in Nursing was offered by hospital based schools. In other parts of the world, diploma often refers to the actual education or is some indication of the amount of time spent in study.

In some countries, such as Australia, Pakistan and India a diploma is a specific academic award of lower rank than a bachelor degree (and in some areas an Advanced Diploma falls in between as well).

In India a diploma is a specific academic award usually awarded in professional/vocational courses e.g. Engineering, Pharmacy, Designing, etc. In such cases, a diploma is lower in rank than a specific Bachelor's degree of that discipline but equivalent to general degree in that discipline e.g. Diploma in Engineering of Electronics Engineering is lower than Bachelor of Technology in Electronics Engineering but is equivalent to Bachelor of Science in Electronics. Also Diploma are little bit specific in nature e.g. Diploma in Engineering of Electronics Engineering may be in Advanced Communication Systems (ACS) or Integrated Circuits (IC) or Industrial Electronics (IE).

In Pakistan a Diploma is a specific academic award usually awarded in professional/vocational courses e.g. Engineering, Nursing, Fashion, etc. In such cases, a diploma is lower in rank than a specific Bachelor's degree of that discipline. As diploma studies started on vocational route of study after school for 3 years, the Bachelor of Technology is the logical degree for diploma graduates if they want to complete the Bachelor. Also Diploma are little bit specific in nature e.g. Diploma in Engineering of Electronics Engineering or Industrial Electronics, Civil Engineering. graduates of Diplomas work as associates to Engineers and often called as Associate Engineers. Few Postgraduate Diploma or PGD are ranked higher than the Bachelor degree as they are completed after graduation. These are normally a year courses after a university degree.

In Ireland a National Diploma was awarded before 2004. It was at the same level as the ordinary Bachelor's degree and below the honours Bachelor's degree, whilst the Higher Diploma is taken after the bachelor degree.

In Germany, Ukraine, Serbia and other countries that adopted the German academic education system, diploma (in German Diplom) is the standard academic degree, comparable with the Bachelor's and Master's degree in one.

For more detailed information about the German Diplom, see Diplom.

In Hong Kong, higher diploma and associate degree are below the standard of the honours bachelor's degree. Certificate (not to be confused with postgraduate certificate) and diploma are below the standard of higher diploma and associate degree. Postgraduate Certificates and Postgraduate Diplomas are taken after the bachelor degree, and are more vocational oriented than a master's degree.

In Ontario, Canada, diplomas are awarded by colleges of applied arts and technology whereas bachelor degrees are awarded by universities. In Canada, depending on the provincial legislation, there may be a subtle difference between a college and a university.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is a pre-university qualification normally taken by students in the final two years of high school.^[1]

In the UK, diploma can refer to several different types of academic qualification. The Diploma of Higher Education is a higher education award below the standard of a bachelor's degree. The term can also refer to a Postgraduate Diploma or to the new 14–19 Diploma to be introduced in England in September 2008. Postgraduate Diploma award is higher than the Bachelor's degree.