Diploma of Higher Education


A Diploma of Higher Education is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. It is awarded after two years of full-time study at a university or other higher education institution. Rated at a Level 5 qualification on both the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the European Qualifications Framework, the DipHE was once seen as the more academic equivalent of the then perceived vocational counterpart, the Higher National Diploma. However, Universities have since seamlessly intergrated both qualifications into the first and second year of an undergraduate honours degree and can now be interpreted as both being equivalent academically.

Overview

The Diploma certifies that a student has achieved the minimum standard after conclusion of a second year course of tertiary education in science or liberal arts. If a student is undertaking a full Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma of Higher Education marks two-thirds of their undergraduate degree. This suggests that the British Diploma ranks ahead of an American Associate of Arts. That being stated, American universities generally consider UK Diplomas equivalent to a college level Associate of Arts even though a British student typically holds more credit hours in the arts, humanities and/or sciences.
In Scotland, a DipHE is worth 240 credit points on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
They are accredited by the universities, except in the case of nurse and community and youth work education where the curriculum is prescribed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, students are permitted to use the postnominals DipHE after their name, sometimes followed by the course name in brackets and the University from which they earned their qualification.
Sometimes, having a DipHE can exempt the holder from some of the requirements of a bachelor's degree; for example, it might reduce the length of study or number of courses necessary to complete the qualification. This typically allows a Diploma holder to obtain a BA/BSc in one-third of the time.
Diplomas are generally awarded on a pass/fail basis, and occasionally are awarded with honours when a student has distinguished themself. The two highest honours are Merit and Distinction.