The National Diploma (NDip) ({{Lang-ga, Dioplóma Náisiúnta) was a three-year

ab initio ''Ab initio'' ( ) is a Latin term meaning "from the beginning" and is derived from the Latin ''ab'' ("from") + ''initio'', ablative singular of ''initium'' ("beginning"). Etymology Circa 1600, from Latin, literally "from the beginning", from ab ...

specialised

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

qualification in a technology discipline offered by an

Institute of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

or other

HETAC The Higher Education and Training Awards Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Ardoideachais agus Oiliúna) (HETAC), the legal successor to the ''National Council for Educational Awards'' (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland b ...

designated institution in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Alternatively, a National Diploma could be offered as a one-year post

National Certificate The National Certificate is a higher education qualification in a technology discipline offered by higher institutions across the globe. Each country has its own specifications about the certificate. Ireland The National Certificate ( ga, Tea ...

type course. The diploma generally exempted a student from the first two or three years of a four-year university Honours Bachelor's Degree in Ireland. Northern Ireland universities considered the standard equivalent to the BTEC

Higher National Diploma Higher National Diploma (HND), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is an academic higher education qualification in the United Kingdom and various other countries. They were first introduced in England and Wales in 1920 alongsi ...

, this was also the position adopted by most

British universities Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by royal charter, papal bull, Act of Parliament, or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 or the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. D ...

that have large entrance from the Republic. Many of the courses were in

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. Most entrants were school leavers presenting the Leaving Certificate or the National Certificate and many continued their studies to honours

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

level. The National Diploma in Ireland was first awarded in 1973 by several

Regional Technical College An Institute of Technology (IT) is a type of higher education college found in Ireland. There are a total of fourteen colleges that use the title of Institute of Technology, which were created from the late 1960s and were formerly known as Region ...

s. The National Diploma has been replaced by the '' Ordinary Bachelor's Degree'' under the

National Framework of Qualifications The National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is a system used to describe levels of educational qualifications in Ireland. Responsibility for maintaining and developing the framework lies with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). Launched ...

. This was decided by the

National Qualifications Authority of Ireland The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland or NQAI (''Údarás Náisiúnta Cáilíochtaí na hÉireann'' in Irish) was set up in 2001 under the Qualifications (Education & Training) Act, 1999 to develop and promote the implementation of a Nat ...

recently. The National Diploma has not been awarded since June 2006, however holders of a National Diploma can claim equivalence to the newer award, the Ordinary Bachelor's Degree.

See also