The

Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

qualification offered in many

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

countries including

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Overview

The diploma can build on the general or disciplinary knowledge of a

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 si ...

to prepare students to teach in

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

although this is no longer true of the UK where Qualified Teacher Status is the recognized professional qualification for those wishing to teach in (state) maintained primary and secondary schools. However, in the UK holders of the

Cert Ed The Certificate in Education (Cert Ed) is a professional qualification for teachers in the United Kingdom. There have been two incarnations of the Cert Ed over the years. New Cert Ed The current Cert Ed is a non-compulsory qualification offering ...

, awarded after completing a three-year teacher training course, could use the diploma as a route to degree equivalence, and if passed at the appropriate level progress to a master's degree in education. The Graduate Diploma in Education is a one-year teacher preparation program for students who already hold a tertiary degree. Specialisation within the course usually enables one to become a

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

teacher, or a teacher in an early childhood center or adult education environment such as

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

(a TAFE Teacher holding only a DipEd will typically be required to complete a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment ertIVTAAor a Diploma in Vocational Education Teaching ipVETin addition to their DipEd qualification) or a business college, and to join the relevant professional association. Achievement of a Diploma of Education does not normally confer registration status, but is a pathway to registration as a teacher. The DipEd typically takes one year of full-time study (up to two years part-time) and students are generally required to undertake professional practicums (or "pracs") alongside their theory units in order to graduate. It offers an alternative to the three- or four-year

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order f ...

for those who already have a degree in another area (e.g.

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

) and wish to specialise in that area. In Australia, the Graduate Diploma in Education, typically a 1-year programme, was gradually phased out in favour of a 2-year Master of Teaching course. This is the result of a requirement by the Australian Institution for Teaching and School Leadership that post graduate qualification must be of 2 years' duration. All graduate diploma programs will be phased out by December 2017. The course is referred to as a Diploma of Teaching in

. Diploma of Education ensuring high quality teacher education is a first and critical step in delivering high-quality teaching in schools, particularly at a time when the role of teachers is becoming increasingly complex and demanding.

References

Educational qualifications in the United Kingdom

Resources

Eduquiv
- International Degree Equivalence {{Edu-stub