A Diplom (German: [diˈploːm] ⓘ, from Ancient Greek: δίπλωμα, romanized: diploma) is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine and only for engineers in France, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Brazil.
In Germany the Diplom dates back to the pre-republican period: In October 1899 the engineering degree Diplom was announced by a supreme decree of the German emperor Wilhelm II in his function as the King of Prussia on the advent of the Centenary of the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg (now Technische Universität Berlin).
The Diplom was subsequently adopted by the Technische Hochschulen (Institutes of Technology) which had received university status following this Prussian decree.
In East Germany, the Diplom was the only first degree and was also granted in disciplines such as medicine or law, which at West German universities were completed with a Staatsexamen.
The French government also grants to all holders of a Diplôme d'Ingénieur the academic title of Ingénieur Diplômé, which is official and legally protected in France.
When obtained at a so-called University of Applied Sciences (or Fachhochschule), the diploma degree is called a Diplom (FH) and took mostly four years (240 ECTS credits).
The Diplom was usually awarded in the natural sciences, business, theology and engineering, while students of humanities, arts and languages finished with a Magister.
A holder of a Diplom obtained at a university is, depending on subject, for example referred to as "Diplom-Ingenieur" (Diplom-Engineer), "Diplom-Kaufmann" (Diplom-Merchant), "Diplom-Biologe" (Diplom-Biologist) and so on.
An obtained Vordiplom and the completion of the coursework of the Hauptstudium were the requirements to register for working on the thesis and for the final exams.
The thesis which followed an independent (although supervised) research project had officially to be completed in not more than 3 to 9 months (depending on subject and university).
The curriculum for a Diplom (FH) degree, obtained at a University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule) used to be more application-oriented, in comparison to what was expected for a Univ.
Those with some previous vocational qualification in a subject related to their studies were typically exempt from the requirement to do an internship.
The acceptance or rejection of the diploma not only varies because of different academic standards, but also because of political, regulatory and administrative reasons.
The variations in the acceptance of degrees was one reason the EU initiated and executed the Bologna Process.
[38] This is, for example, important for joining certain career paths in government administration, military, or regulated professions, where some kind of diploma was required.
Note: For the Diplom (FH) a student has to spend one to two obligatory semesters during his studies in a company.
A Diplom (FH) student has to have excellent grades to directly enter a doctorate program.
[40] With the Higher Education Act of the Land Lower Saxony as of August 2010, outstanding Bachelor graduates can commence their doctorate at the universities of this German state.
The Austrian diploma curriculum is a first degree usually structured into 2–3 phases comprising a total of 240–360 ECTS credits (nominally 4–6 years).
[42] Depending on the subject, the degrees granted are either Magister/Magistra with a specific suffix (such as Magister philosophiae for philosophy), or Diplom-Ingenieur (in engineering).
Notable exceptions are the diploma studies of dentistry and medicine, which result in the degree Doctor medicinae universae (Dr. med.
[42] In Switzerland, the Diplom (German) or Diplôme (French) was the typical first degree at the two federal institutes of technology and at the Swiss universities of applied sciences.
In Finland, the old diplomi-insinööri ("diploma engineer") title was completely replaced by Master of Science (Technology) in the Bologna process.
In Greece, a higher education diploma (δίπλωμα/πτυχίο ανώτατης εκπαίδευσης) is a 4 to 5-year (8-10 semester) (240 ISCED 6 - 300 ECTS ISCED 7) degree, 5-year Diplomas formatted similarly to the German Diplom (Uni), awarded to students of the Greek Engineering Schools and Departments (called Polytechnic in Greece – not to be confused though with the polytechnics of the UK).
While every institution has its own individual approaches, the curriculum usually consists of general knowledge and essential background subjects in the first five semesters.
The last semester is devoted to the preparation of a thesis on the student's chosen area of interest, which is presented before a three-member panel.
[43] The holder of a diploma in engineering is permitted to sit in the Technical Chamber of Greece exams without any prerequisite.
They confer higher education diploma (δίπλωμα/πτυχίο ανώτατης εκπαίδευσης), a 4-year (8 semester) bachelor's degree formatted similarly to the German Diplom (FH) (240 ECTS – ISCED 6).