Higher diploma
A higher diploma is an academic award in Iraq, Libya, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and Oman. In Iraq it's one year after bachelor's degree,In Libya the award is equivalent to a bachelor's degree in engineering or technology, in Hong Kong it is below the standard of the bachelor's degree, in Ireland it is above the standard of the bachelor's degree. In the United Kingdom, the diploma is equivalent to higher tier (A*-C) GCSE.
Iraq
A postgraduate university program is the 2-Terms Higher Diploma (Arabic: دبلوم عالي )[1] course. The first year is made up of coursework, and students write a thesis after the 2 terms. The entrance requirement for this programme is a pass mark (50-59%) for the bachelor's degree in the same discipline. In terms of level, the Higher Diploma (Arabic: دبلوم عالي ) is comparable to a 1-year WO master’s degree in a similar specialization in the Netherlands.
Libya
The Higher Diploma AKA High Diploma[2] (Arabic: دبلوم عالي) in Libya is an award from a national institute of technology or engineering given to the students who fulfil the requirement of passing 120 to 140 academic credits, it was started in 1990 by ministry of education and training as a degree equivalent to bachelors in engineering or technology with emphasis on the practical studies that benefits the local market comparing to the "theoretical approach" was taken by the universities. The student granted Higher diploma has the right to join a graduate course directly without any extra classes as clearly stated in the law of higher education in Libya, and to be employed in the government with the same employment degree and state as the one who has B.Sc degree as also stated clearly in the law of employment.
From 2009 the government has issued a law in which the institutes of higher education will change into Colleges of Higher Education and to change the degree that given by them to bachelor's degree, in order to meet the world standards.
United Kingdom
In the UK, this meets Level 2 on the National Qualifications Framework,[3] following the recently introduced 14- to 19-year-old Diploma system for the UK, which follows two levels, lower tier (Level 1) and higher tier (Level 2). To proceed to A-Levels in England Northern Ireland and Wales, you have to have completed a specified amount of qualifications at least equivalent to A*-C GCSE (Level 2).
The Diploma program is usually comprises four major subjects: Maths, English, ICT and a subject you want to study more in-depth.[4]
Hong Kong
A higher diploma is an academic award by a university or other tertiary institutions such as HKIVE in Hong Kong. The award is at the same standard as an associate degree, below the standard of a bachelor's degree and above the certificate or diploma. Usually higher diplomas emphasis more on specialization and job training whereas associate degrees focus more on general, broader education. For example, there may be a higher diploma for "electrical engineering" but only an associate degree for "physical science".
Ireland
The Higher Diploma (Ard-Dioplóma in Irish) is an award from the Higher Education and Training Awards Council that replaces the graduate diploma in Ireland. The higher diploma is currently available in universities in Ireland and has been awarded since June 2005; the standard of the award is broadly similar to the graduate diploma, and replaces reorientation-type courses. Professional-type graduate diplomas will be replaced by postgraduate diplomas.
The National University of Ireland also offers a broad selection of higher diplomas in its constituent universities and recognized colleges. Main disciples are arts, business, engineering and science. A higher diploma in education is offered by the University of Dublin.
Oman
The Higher Diploma is an award equivalent to third year of bachelor's degree, it's a one-year course with 30 credit hours after achieving the diploma.