What is the difference between a "certificate", a "degree"
or a "diploma"?

TAFE SA and the universities offer courses for those who have never undertaken tertiary study.  These are called "undergraduate" courses.  They are offered at different "levels" that have the following names:     TAFE SA Universities Bachelor Degree  √ √ Associate Degree √ Advanced Diploma  √ √ Diploma  √ √ Certificate IV  √ √ Certificate III  √ √ Certificate II  √   Certificate I  √   The differences in these qualifications can be summarised in the following diagram:   Certificate I Certificate II Certificate III Certificate IV Diploma Advanced Diploma Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Length of time to complete Shorter… ...Longer Practical or theoretical More practical than theoretical... ...More theoretical than practical Previous education needed Little or none... ...Previous success as a student Main focus of studies Short term vocational outcomes... ...Long term educational goals Just so that you are aware, there are also “graduate” or “postgraduate” qualifications offered by the institutions with levels between Graduate Certificate and the Doctoral degree – normally you cannot gain entry to them unless you have already completed an undergraduate Bachelor degree.   TAFE SA Universities Doctoral degree    √ Masters degree    √ Graduate Diploma  √ (vocational Grad Dip)  √ Graduate Certificate  √ (vocational Grad Cert)  √

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