Graduate Diploma vs Diploma
Difference between graduate diploma and diploma may be a little unclear as different countries give them different significance. Normally, the term diploma refers to a certification from a college or university that testifies that a student has successfully completed a course. The term diploma is common in all parts of the world though different countries attach different significance to diplomas. There is another word called graduate diploma that confuses many as they find it hard to differentiate between the two. This article will look into differences between diploma and graduate diploma so as to enable students in choosing the right kind of certification for higher studies.
In general, the difference between a diploma and a graduate diploma is that while a diploma can be taken at any stage of one’s career like a diploma in beauty treatments, a graduate diploma is undertaken after one has completed his undergraduate course.
What is a Diploma?
In general, a diploma is considered as having lesser of value and significance than bachelor’s degree. This is because it is of shorter duration and does not cover the subjects in an in-depth manner as is the case with full-time bachelor’s degree courses. However, in countries like US, diplomas are considered as certifications of qualification in vocational courses such as diploma in nursing or diploma in pharmacy. In different countries, the term Diploma is used in different manners. Sometimes, diploma is used for academic qualifications and sometimes for vocational qualifications as in US. If you take Australia, a diploma in Australia can mean three things. It can be either an advanced level course that is equivalent to a few years of the bachelor’s degree course with equal professional status or a graduate diploma that is taken after completing a degree at an undergraduate level or a type of post-graduate diploma.
In US, High Schools offer High School Diplomas.
What is a Graduate Diploma?
To understand graduate diploma let us take an example. Let us consider a student who has done his undergraduate course in arts and wishes to add a qualification against his name, but is not keen to go through a full-time graduate level course. If he enrolls for a post graduate diploma in management studies, he is increasing his chances of absorption into industries where management qualified candidates may be given a preference over simple undergraduates. Alternatively, such a diploma helps a student in preparing him for a master’s degree in the subject of the diploma. Thus, a student who has a diploma in management can go in for a master’s degree in management if he so desires after getting his graduate diploma.
University of Westminster offers graduate diplomas.
Such a diploma allows one to go in for higher studies at master’s level without having received Honors along with Bachelor’s degree. This is particularly the case in countries like Australia.
In Canada, successful completion of a graduate diploma allows one to progress automatically into master’s degree course with the facility to take credits got in graduate diploma course along with him.
What is the difference between Graduate Diploma and Diploma?
• While a diploma is a general certification in any field of study, graduate diploma is undertaken after completing undergraduate course and allows one to progress to master’s degree course easily.
• A diploma helps people acquire additional skills in his career and helps in moving up in acareer. Diplomas in nursing or management are examples of such certifications. Graduate diploma helps people to continue to master’s level without much trouble.
• The situation becomes confusing when the word diploma is used to refer to a certification at the end of higher studies in US. In US, at the end of high school one is awarded the High School Diploma. Then, in India, diploma refers to an academic award given for vocational or professional qualifications.
• A diploma is of a shorter duration than full-time bachelor’s degree course and also carries lesser significance and value than a degree. However, this may be different in different countries. Nevertheless, at all times, graduate diploma is usually considered as a qualification with higher value than the diploma.
These are the differences between graduate diploma and diploma. As you can see, graduate diploma, usually, can only be studied after a bachelor’s degree. A diploma can be studied right after the secondary education.
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