Analytic Quality Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Home
Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2004-24, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/
This is a dynamic glossary and the author would welcome any e-mail suggestions for additions or amendments.
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Diploma supplement
A diploma supplement is a detailed transcript of student attainment that is appended to the certificate of attainment of the qualification.
There is growing demand for supplements to enable employers and institutions to be able to identify the abilities of students for recruitment processes for jobs or further educational study.
In summarising the Bologna Process, Word Education News (WEN, 2012) notes:
Diploma Supplement: A document attached to a higher-education degree or diploma that provides a detailed description of the studies undertaken and successfully completed by the individual named on the original qualification.
The official Bologna website 2007–2010 states that:
The Diploma Supplement is an instrument developed jointly by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO that aims to describe the qualification in an easily understandable way and relating it to the higher education system within which it was issued.
The Glossary to the Berlin Summit of 2003 (ENQA, 2003) optimistically states
The European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO developed the Diploma Supplement in order to improve international transparency and to facilite academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates etc.). The document - attached to a higher education diploma - describes in the respective national language and in English the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully completed. The Diploma Supplement provides additional information on the national higher education system, in order to fit the qualification into the relevant educational context.
The Diploma Supplement (DS) accompanies a higher education diploma, providing a standardised description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies completed by its holder.
New qualifications proliferate worldwide and countries are constantly changing their qualification systems and educational structures. With an increasing number of mobile citizens seeking fair recognition of their qualifications outside their home countries, the non-recognition and poor evaluation of qualifications is now a global problem. Since original credentials alone do not provide sufficient information, it is very difficult to gauge the level and function of a qualification without detailed explanations.
The Diploma Supplement is a response to these challenges, aiding mobility and access to lifelong learning opportunities. It promotes transparency in higher education and fair and informed judgements about qualifications. It also accommodates rapid changes in qualifications.
National higher education institutions produce the supplement according to a template jointly developed by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO.
It has eight sections of information identifying the holder of the qualification; the qualification, its level and function; the contents and results gained; certification of the supplement; details of the national higher education system plus any additional information.
A description of the national higher education system within which the individual named on the original qualification graduated has to be attached to the Diploma Supplement. This description is provided by the National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARICs).
The supplement is designed as an aid to help recognition – it is not a CV or a substitute for the original qualification, and it does not guarantee recognition.
The 48 European countries taking part in the Bologna Process have agreed that each graduate in their respective country should receive the Diploma Supplement automatically, free of charge and in a major European language.
The updated European Commission Education and Training Website (2017) states:
What is it?
The Diploma Supplement (DS) is a document accompanying a higher education diploma, providing a standardised description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies completed by its holder. It is produced by the higher education institutions according to standards agreed by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. The Diploma Supplement is also part of the Europass framework transparency tools.
The supplement is designed as an aid to help (but not guarantee) recognition – it is not a CV or a substitute for the original qualification.
It has the following eight sections of information: the holder of the qualification, the qualification, its level and function, the contents and results gained, certification of the supplement, details of the national higher education system concerned (provided by the National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARICs)), any additional relevant information.
Graduates in all the countries taking part in the Bologna Process have the right to receive the Diploma Supplement automatically, free and in a major European language.
What are the benefits?
For students: a qualification that is more readable and easily comparable abroad; a precise description of their academic career and the competencies acquired during their studies; easier access to opportunities for work or further studies abroad.
For higher education institutions: more transparent qualifications (thanks to easier academic and professional recognition); continued national/institutional autonomy within a common framework accepted throughout Europe; informed judgements about qualifications that can be understood in other educational contexts; greater visibility of the institution abroad; enhanced employment prospects for their graduates, both at home and abroad; time savings – by answering many of the questions commonly asked of institutions about the content and portability of their qualifications.
Bolgna Website, 2007–2010, The Lisbon Convention - What is it?,on the official Bologna Process website July 2007–June 2010, available at http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/documents/LRC/Lisbon_for_pedestrians.pdf, accessed, 1 March 2011.
European Commission, Education and Training, 2010, The Diploma Supplement, available at http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc1239_en.htm last update: 4 July 2012, accessed 21 September 2012, page not available 3 January 2016 link goes to updated page, European Commission, Education and Training, 2017.
European Commission, Education and Training, 2017, Diploma Supplement, available at http://ec.europa.eu/education/resources/diploma-supplement_en last update: 3 January 2017, accessed 3 January 2017, still available 14 May 2022.
European Network of Quality Agencies (ENQA), 2003, The
Word Education News and Reviews (WEN), 2012, Bologna Terms and Definitions, World Education Services, Bowling Green Station, New York, NY 10274-5087, USA http://www.wes.org/ewenr/03Sept/BolognaGlossary.htm