The Diploma Supplement (Diploma Supplement: DS) is a document given in addition to a higher education diploma, aiming to reinforce international transparency and to ensure the academic and professional recognition of documents such as diplomas, degrees, certificates, in which the acquired abilities/skills are expressed. It is given to describe the structure, level, context, content and status of the education that the person whose name and identity is stated in the original diploma has followed and successfully completed. It does not carry any value judgments, equivalence and recognition expressions. It is a flexible document that does not impose rules and is designed to save time, money and effort. It has been designed to be adaptable to local needs.
The Diploma Supplement is drawn up by national institutions according to a template jointly prepared by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. Tried and developed by a joint committee organized by these three institutions, this template is drawn up in all the official languages of the European Union.
The Diploma Supplement consists of eight parts that express the following elements:
1. Identity of the person entitled to the Diploma Supplement.
2. Acquired competence that constitutes the reason for deserving the Diploma Supplement.
3. The level of acquired competence leading to the award of the Diploma Supplement.
4. The content and consequences of the acquired competence leading to the award of the Diploma Supplement.
5. The function of the acquired competence leading to the award of the Diploma Supplement.
6. Additional information.
7. Official certification of the Diploma Supplement.
8. Information about the national higher education system.
All eight sections must be completed. If there is a section that does not provide information (left blank), it is necessary to provide an explanation as to why it was left blank.
Institutions are required to apply the same validation and legitimation processes that they apply to the Diploma Supplement and the diploma itself.
A description of the national higher education system to which the person named in the original diploma belongs must be attached to the Diploma Supplement. This recipe is from the National Centers for Academic Information; Available from the National Recognition Information Centers (NARICs):
www.enic-naric.net
What is a Diploma Supplement?
- It is not a curriculum vitae (CV).
- It does not replace a transcript or diploma.
- It is not a document that automatically guarantees academic or professional recognition.
What are the benefits of the Diploma Supplement to the students?
- A more readable and comparable diploma abroad.
- A complete description of the student's academic path and the competencies and skills acquired abroad.
- An objective and fair assessment of the student's achievements and abilities.
- Opportunity to have easier access to employment and education opportunities abroad for the future.
What are the benefits of the Diploma Supplement to higher education institutions?
- By increasing academic and professional recognition, it makes the skills given in education transparent.
- While maintaining national and institutional independence, it also ensures belonging to a common framework adopted throughout Europe.
- By ensuring that the given education can be grasped and understood in a different educational context, it helps to be evaluated correctly.
- It leads to the spread of the name of the institution abroad.
- Increases the employment opportunities of the graduates of the institution in the national and international context.
- It saves time by spontaneously answering a series of questions that are repeatedly asked to the administrative units of the institutions regarding the content and transferability of diplomas.
What is the Diploma Supplement required for?
Today, new forms of diploma and certification are developing all over the world; In the face of rapidly changing economic, political and technological developments, countries are constantly changing their student achievement assessment style and education systems. An increasing number of mobile citizens demand a fair assessment of their abilities and skills. The ignorance or incorrect or incomplete assessment of abilities and skills has become a global problem. Since the original diploma and other documents do not provide sufficient explanatory information on their own, it has become extremely difficult to accept the level and function of a diploma without providing detailed annotations.
Click here for an example of an economics (Bachelor's) diploma supplement.
Click here for an example of Public Administration (Undergraduate) diploma supplement.
