Diploma

A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or official document of diplomacy. 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; this is commonly used in Australia to refer to the document certifying the award of a degree. Alternatively, this document can simply be referred to as a degree certificate or graduation certificate, or as a parchment. The certificate that a 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). 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 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. an "Advanced Diploma", which is equivalent to an Australian "Associate Degree" and is equivalent to the second year of a bachelor's degree. 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.