Ajay Kumar at 16:20, 28 August 2023

2023-08-28T16:20:56Z

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{{Short description|Educational document}}
{{About|documents awarded for graduation by colleges and universities|higher-education diplomas specialized in a particular field|Academic degree|the advanced academic degree in German-speaking countries|Diplom|the Gloc-9 album|Diploma (album)}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2008}}
[[Image:SheepskinDiploma.jpg|thumb|200px| Sheepskin diploma from [[Mexico City College]], 1948 (in Latin)|alt=Sheepskin diploma from Mexico City College, 1948 (in Latin)]]
A '''diploma''' is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has [[Graduation|graduated]] by successfully completing their courses of studies.<ref>{{cite web |title=diploma |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/diploma |website=Collinsdictionary.com |publisher=Collins |access-date=23 January 2022}}</ref> Historically, it has also referred to a charter or official document of [[diplomacy]].<ref name=OED>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/diploma|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131185719/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/diploma|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2017|title=Diploma|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|work=Oxford Living Dictionaries|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/diplomacy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925035043/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/diplomacy|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2016|title=Diplomacy|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|work=Oxford Living Dictionaries|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref>

The diploma (as a document certifying a qualification) may also be called a '''testamur''', [[Latin]] for "we testify" or "certify" (testari), so called from the word with which the certificate begins;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/testamur|title=Testamur|work=Collins Dictionary|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> this is commonly used in Australia to refer to the document certifying the award of a degree.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monash.edu/graduations/get-ready/documents/award-degree-certificate|title=Testamur (degree certificates)|publisher=[[Monash University]]|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ask.unimelb.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/5964/~/my-graduation-certificate/|title=My Graduation Certificate|publisher=[[University of Melbourne]]|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uow.edu.au/student/graduation/testamurs/index.html|title=Testamur (certificate)|publisher=[[University of Wollongong]]|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> Alternatively, this document can simply be referred to as a degree certificate or graduation certificate, or as a '''parchment'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parchment|title=Parchment|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> The certificate that a [[Nobel Prize|Nobel]] laureate receives is also called a diploma.

The term diploma is also used in some historical contexts, to refer to documents signed by a King affirming a grant or tenure of specified land and its conditions (see [[Anglo-Saxon Charters]] and [[Diplomatics]]).

==Usage==

===Australia===
In [[Australia]], there are three varieties of Diploma currently recognized by the [[Australian Qualifications Framework]] (AQF):
* a "Diploma", a level five qualification (Undergraduate Degree) granted by [[Australian Qualifications Framework#Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education sectors|vocational education and training]] (VET) sector or university. It is typically completed with 12 to 18 months of full-time study. When accepted for credit as part of a [[bachelor's degree]], it is usually deemed to be equivalent to the first year of the degree.
* {{anchor|AAD}}an "Advanced Diploma", which is equivalent to an Australian "[[Associate Degree]]" and is equivalent to the second year of a bachelor's degree.
* {{anchor|AGD}}a "Graduate Diploma", which is undertaken after completing a bachelor's degree (or being deemed to have equivalent knowledge). This can be in a field other than that covered by said degree (e.g., the [[Graduate Diploma of Education]] which was historically required to become a schoolteacher in most Australian states, since 2016 the schoolteacher requirement in Australia is now a master's degree in Teaching). It can also be a coursework-only qualification undertaken as additional study in a specialisation within one's degree area.

The Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Graduate Diploma are all forms of Degrees, with a Diploma (Level five) qualification, being the entry level for Higher Education. https://www.teqsa.gov.au/how-we-regulate/acts-and-standards/australian-qualifications-framework

The "Vocational Graduate Diploma" was a short lived AQF qualification equivalent to the "Graduate Diploma", intended to be delivered exclusively in the VET sector. On January 1, 2015, all such qualifications being offered lost the word "Vocational" from their title.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asqa.gov.au/news/2629/retitling-of-vocational-graduate-diplomas-and-vocational-graduate-certificates.html |title=News | Australian Skills Quality Authority |website=www.asqa.gov.au |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305054743/http://www.asqa.gov.au/news/2629/retitling-of-vocational-graduate-diplomas-and-vocational-graduate-certificates.html |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Canada===
In [[Ontario]], [[Canada]], diplomas are two and three year academic post-secondary programmes taught by colleges and institutes of applied studies, arts, and technology. Two year programmes are referred to as college diplomas, while three year programmes are called [[Ontario College Advanced Diploma]]s. Baccalaureate degrees in Ontario are commonly a year longer than an Advanced Diploma and are offered by both colleges and universities.
The Canadian school system uses credits to calculate the value of a course load towards a diploma. To graduate and earn a diploma, the school decides how many credits each course contributes towards the diploma. For example, one college course delivered over 14 weeks of a semester counts for 3 credits towards the 60 credits for a complete 2-year program.

===Germany and the German academic education system in Europe===
{{For|more detailed information about the German Diploma|Diplom}}
In [[Education in Germany|Germany]], [[Education in Ukraine|Ukraine]], [[Education in Serbia|Serbia]], [[Education in Croatia|Croatia]], [[Education in Hungary|Hungary]] and other countries that adopted the [[Germany|German]] academic education system, diploma (in [[German language|German]] ''[[Diplom]]'') is the standard academic degree, needing at least 3.5 years to complete it, being comparable with a [[bachelor's]] and [[master's degree]] in one.

===Greece===
{{See also|Diplom#Greece}}
In [[Greece]], diplomas can be awarded by educational institutes as a proof of a certain educational level. The diploma in engineering is a degree provided by Greek technical universities and universities after the successful completion of a five-year integrated study programme and it is equivalent to the Master of Engineering degree, which is awarded by the European universities.

Also in Greece there are the Vocational Training Diploma<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://proson.eoppep.gr/en/QualificationTypes/Details/56|title = Qualification Type}}</ref> (Post-Secondary Education EQF 5 level) provided by the National Qualifications and Vocational Guidance Organization (E.O.P.P.E.P.) to the Vocational Training Institutes [[IEK]], following certification exams carried out by the E.O.P.P.E.P.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eoppep.gr/index.php/en/|title = Home}}</ref>
[[File:Diploma-IEK.jpg|thumb|center|Greek Vocational Training Diploma]]

===Hong Kong===
In [[Hong Kong]], Diploma or Advanced Diploma/Certificate (Qualifications Frameworks Level 4), Professional Diploma/Certificate (Qualifications Frameworks Level 4), [[Higher Diploma]], and [[associate degree]] are below the level of the [[bachelor's degree]].

[[Academic certificate|Certificate]] (not [[Post-Graduate Certificate]]) Qualifications Frameworks Level 3 or below; are below the level of Diploma, Advanced or Professional Diploma/Certificate (Qualifications Frameworks Level 4), Higher Diploma or associate degree.

[[Postgraduate Certificate]]s and [[Postgraduate Diploma]]s are usually granted after the bachelor's degree. It's more vocational oriented than a master's degree.

===India===
{{main article|Diploma (India)}}
In [[India]], a diploma is a specific academic award usually earned in professional/vocational courses, e.g., [[Diploma in Engineering]], [[Diploma in Nursing]], Diploma in Pharmacy etc. Engineering diplomas are concentrated for the area of study, e.g., diploma in [[Electronics Engineering]], [[Electrical Engineering]], [[Civil Engineering]], [[Computer Engineering]] etc.

There are two types of diplomas/certificates that are issued in formal and non-formal education sectors: formal diplomas are issued by government-approved/recognized institutions, colleges and universities and non-formal diplomas are issued by [[NGOs]], companies and societies etc. outside the formal education sector.

===Ireland===
In the [[Republic of Ireland]], a [[National Diploma (Ireland)|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's degree. There is [[BTEC Extended Diploma]] also after which one gets progression to a Degree (University).
In Ireland a Graduate Diploma is a Level 9 degree, the equivalent of a master's degree, requiring the student to complete 60 credits instead of 90 and usually centring on the completion of a project rather than a written thesis.

===Japan===
{{main article|Diploma (Japan)}}
In [[Japan]], a diploma may be a Japanese original academic degree or a Certificate of Graduation issued at several levels from elementary school to university.

===Latin America===
In [[Mexico]] and other Latin American countries, a diploma may be awarded for short courses of vocational training. The university-issued diplomas finalizing higher education are most often called ''título'' (title) or ''certificado'' (certificate). A "Diplomado" can also be a short, specialized executive education program for experienced professionals.

===New Zealand===
In [[New Zealand]], there are five different types of diploma according to the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF):<ref>{{cite web |title=The New Zealand Qualifications Framework |url=https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/Studying-in-NZ/New-Zealand-Qualification-Framework/requirements-nzqf.pdf |website=New Zealand Qualifications Authority |publisher=New Zealand Government |access-date=12 March 2023 |date=May 2016}}</ref>
* Diploma level 5, which are level 5 qualifications according to the NZQF. They require a minimum of 120 credit points from level 4 or above and 72 from level 5 or above.
* Diploma level 6. They require a minimum of 120 credit points from level 5 or above and 72 from level 6 or above.
* Diploma level 7. They require a minimum of 120 credit points from level 5 or above and 72 from level 7 or above.
* Graduate diploma. To enter a graduate diploma programme a student typically requires another degree (not necessarily a bachelor's degree), or strong evidence of both interest and academic capability.<ref>{{cite web |title=Graduate Diploma |url=https://www.waikato.ac.nz/study/qualifications/graduate-diploma |website=www.waikato.ac.nz |access-date=12 March 2023 |language=en-NZ}}</ref> They require a minimum of 120 credit points and 72 from level 7 or above.
* Postgraduate diploma. These degrees require a bachelor's degree to enter them. They require a minimum of 120 credit points from level 7 or above and 72 from level 8 or above.

===Pakistan===
In [[Pakistan]], a diploma is a specific academic award usually earned in professional/vocational courses e.g. [[Diploma in Engineering]], [[Diploma in Nursing]], Diploma in Pharmacy etc. Engineering diploma is called [[Diploma of Associate Engineering]] (DAE) and is concentrated for the area of study, e.g., [[Electronics Engineering]], [[Electrical Engineering]], [[Civil Engineering]] etc. DAE holders are often called associate engineers in Pakistan.

[[Postgraduate Diploma]] or PGD are ranked higher than the [[bachelor's degree]] as they are completed after graduation. These are normally a year's worth of coursework after a university degree.

===Singapore===
In Singapore, most [[Polytechnic (Singapore)|diplomas]] are awarded after a three-year course, offered by the five polytechnics ([[Singapore Polytechnic]], [[Ngee Ann Polytechnic]], [[Temasek Polytechnic]], [[Nanyang Polytechnic]] and [[Republic Polytechnic]]) or the two arts institutions ([[Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts]] and [[LASALLE College of the Arts]]).

Other private schools like [[Kaplan, Inc.|Kaplan]], [[Singapore Institute of Management|SIM]], [[PSB Academy]] and [[Management Development Institute of Singapore|MDIS]], also offer diploma programmes between a period of six months and two years.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.mdis.edu.sg/graduate-diploma-in-public-service-management | title=Diploma | accessdate = 13 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Diploma|url=https://sipmm.edu.sg/courses/diploma|publisher=SIPMM|accessdate=12 Feb 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Diploma|url=https://www.tp.edu.sg/schools-and-courses/students/all-diploma-courses.html|publisher=TP|accessdate=13 Feb 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Diploma|url=https://www.lasalle.edu.sg/programmes/diploma|publisher=LASALLE|accessdate=12 Feb 2022}}</ref>

===Spain===
In the [[Kingdom of Spain]], university diplomas are issued in the name of the [[King]]. As such, they are Public Official documents, strictly regulated and protected by the law. They are internationally recognized by the [[Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents|Hague Convention]] of October 5, 1961.

===United Kingdom===
In the [[UK]], ''diploma'' can refer to several different types of qualification but is never equivalent to a degree. A degree is higher than a diploma. One can never say that he finished a degree when he is only given a special diploma. A Diploma can be a qualification worth 37 or more [[Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme|credits]] on the [[Regulated Qualifications Framework]], e.g. Entry Level Diploma, Level 3 Diploma. The [[Diploma of Higher Education]] is a higher education award equivalent to the second-year of a bachelor's degree. The [[Higher National Diploma]] is a vocational qualification at the same level. A [[Graduate Diploma]] is a one-year qualification at bachelor's degree level, normally taken by those who have already obtained a degree. A [[Postgraduate Diploma]] is an award at the level of a master's degree, but normally taking less time to complete.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels|title=What qualification levels mean|website=Gov.uk|date=25 October 2016|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref>

Some universities may offer other qualifications, such as the [[University of Cambridge]]'s and the [[University of Oxford]]'s Undergraduate Diploma (a 1-year, part-time course at the same level as a Diploma of Higher Education)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-certificates-and-diplomas|title=Undergraduate Certificates and Diplomas|publisher=University of Cambridge|website=Institute of Continuing Education|date=19 May 2016|access-date=18 January 2017}}</ref> and Undergraduate Advanced Diploma.

The document certifying the award of a degree is normally called a degree certificate in the UK, and details are printed in English, not in Latin.<ref>{{cite web|quote=It has not been practice for UK providers to issue degree certificates in Latin for at least 10 years. Contemporary certificates are in English. Latin versions are occasionally issued as mementos, but are supplementary to the English version.|website=Higher Education Degree Datacheck|url=http://cdn.prospects.ac.uk/pdf/Advice%20and%20Guidance%20on%20Degree%20Fraud%20for%20HE%20Providers.pdf|title=Advice and Guidance on Degree Fraud|publisher=Prospects|date=2016}}</ref>

====Undergraduate Advanced Diploma====
The [[Undergraduate Advanced Diploma]] (UGAdvDip or UGAD) is a [[FHEQ]] Level 6 award, the academic level is the equivalent to the final year of a [[bachelor's degree]] and they are generally accepted as equivalent to a bachelor's degree or a Graduate Diploma.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/graduate/diploma/|title=Advanced Diploma in Economics|publisher=University of Cambridge|website=Faculty of Economics|access-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218053829/http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/graduate/diploma/|archive-date=18 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/undergraduate-advanced-diplomas|title=Undergraduate Advanced Diplomas|last=Oxford|first=University of|website=Oxford University Department for Continuing Education|language=en|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/educationcommittee/documents/policyguidance/University_awards_framework.pdf|title=A to Zs|access-date=2020-03-25|archive-date=2020-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801072703/https://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/educationcommittee/documents/policyguidance/University_awards_framework.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> An advanced diploma is an undergraduate degree that prepares students to enter into a specific career or further study in an advanced degree, like a Master of Arts.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.academiccourses.com/United-Kingdom/|title=Best 17 Advanced Diplomas in United Kingdom 2020|website=www.academiccourses.com}}</ref> After graduated from an Undergraduate Advanced Diploma, it enables student to apply for postgraduate studies such as master's degree or Postgraduate Diploma.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-certificates-and-diplomas|title=Undergraduate Certificates, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas|last=Davison|first=Tim|date=2016-05-19|website=www.ice.cam.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto1"/> Even though they are considered equivalent to a bachelor's degree they usually have a duration of two years and they can be offered both on a full-time and a part-time basis. Students are eligible to apply for College Membership and they are considered alumni of the universities they attended.

===United States===
[[File:Arlington Training School diploma certificate for Lyda Elizabeth Smith for completion of Classical Course (10013166).jpg|thumb|1915 [[Arlington Training School]] diploma]]

[[File:Robert Weil MA Diploma.jpg|thumb|Typical U.S. college diploma]]

In the United States, the word ''diploma'' usually refers to the actual document, especially in the context of academic degrees earned at the college or university level. That is, Americans normally draw a distinction between a diploma as documentary evidence of the award of an academic degree, and the underlying degree itself (which is not called a diploma).

The reason this distinction matters is that many American universities do not print diplomas until several weeks, months, or even up to a year ''after'' the dates on which graduates were formally awarded their degrees on their academic [[Transcript (education)|transcripts]]. In other words, when a diploma says on its face that so-and-so degree was "given at [city] on [date]", the diploma itself was not physically handed to the holder on that date. (For ceremonial purposes, the documents handed out at graduation are simply certificates of participation in the graduation ceremony itself.) Thus, asking alumni when they received their diplomas is usually pointless; what really matters for most purposes (e.g., [[occupational licensing]]) is when they received their degrees. This important distinction can lead to some confusion when persons who obtained degrees at American universities are presenting their academic credentials in other countries.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

There are two major exceptions where Americans have merged the document with the qualification it represents (as seen in other countries). The first is the [[high school diploma]]. Second, the term "diploma" can refer to a specific academic or training award. For example, the [[Diploma in Nursing]] was offered by hospital-based nursing schools.

Historically, American universities emulated their European counterparts by issuing diplomas written in the [[Latin]] language. That is now the exception today: "While most colleges and universities now issue English diplomas, some prominent holdouts—including [[Yale University|Yale]], [[Princeton University|Princeton]] and the [[University of Pennsylvania]]—still use Latin."<ref name="Francese">{{cite news |last1=Francese |first1=Christopher A. |title=Opinion: A Degree in English |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/opinion/15Francese.html |access-date=24 July 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=14 May 2009}}</ref> At [[Harvard University]], undergraduate degrees began to be written in English in 1961, leading to a street protest by students known as the "Diploma Riots".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Usher|first=Nikki|date=2004-01-09|title=Making Diplomas Modern|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2004/1/9/making-diplomas-modern-im-more-than/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-31|website=The Harvard Crimson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602081016/http://www.thecrimson.com:80/article/2004/1/9/making-diplomas-modern-im-more-than/ |archive-date=2010-06-02 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2001-07-01|title=The B.A. Diploma from A to Z|url=https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2001/07/the-ba-diploma-from-a-to.html|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Harvard Magazine|language=en}}</ref> However, as of 2021, some Harvard graduate schools continue to issue degrees in Latin, including [[Harvard Law School]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Diploma Information|url=https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/registrar/diploma-information/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Harvard Law School|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311022515/http://hls.harvard.edu:80/dept/registrar/diploma-information/ |archive-date=2015-03-11 }}</ref> and the [[Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences]].

The term ''diplomate'' (always ending with an ''e'') is used in the United States to refer to a person holding a specialized certification in a professional field, although the documentary evidence of this is traditionally called a "certificate" and not a "diploma". For example, [[Board certification|board-certified]] physicians in the United States traditionally indicate their board-certified status on their letterhead and business cards with the title "Diplomate", a comma, and then the name of their certifying board.

===International===
The [[IB Diploma Programme|International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma]] is a pre-university qualification normally taken by students in the final two years of [[high school]].<ref name="IBDiploma">[http://www.ibo.org/diploma/ "International Baccalaureate] Diploma Programme". Retrieved 2007-05-08.</ref>

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Diplomas}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* [[Bologna process]]
* [[Certificate (disambiguation)]]
* [[Diploma thesis]]
* [[Diploma de Estudios Avanzados]]
* [[Diploma mill]]
* [[Diploma of Biblical Studies]]
* [[Diploma of Education]]
* [[Diploma of Imperial College]]
* [[Diploma of Journalism]]
* [[Diploma in Computer Science]]
* [[Diploma in Engineering]]
* [[High school diploma]]
* [[Postgraduate Diploma in Education]]
* [[Professional Graduate Diploma in Education]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Academic degrees}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Qualifications]]
[[Category:Documents]]

Diploma - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 16:20, 28 August 2023