The Diploma reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Diploma

A diploma (from Greek diploma) is a document issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that is one of the following:

• A certificate testifying that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study,
• A deed conferring an academic degree.

Note that in some countries, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, such a document is called a testamur or testimonium, whilst in Ireland it is generally called a parchment.

As an academic award

In some countries, such as Australia, a diploma is a specific academic award of lower rank that a academic degree. In Ireland a National Diploma is below the standard of the honours bachelor degree, whilst the Higher Diploma is taken after the bachelor degree. In Germany and Austria the diploma is the standard academic degree, comparable with the Master's degree.

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