Learn English – Degree Certificate and Diploma

american-englishmeaningmeaning-in-contextword-usage

I am hoping to apply to a master's program in the USA. They ask for a "Diploma/Degree Certificate", but I don't really know what that means. When I looked for the definition I found only "Degree", as the level and/or paper you get after finishing your studies. "Diploma" is vague, too.

When we finish a Bachelor's in my country (Mexico) you get various papers:

  1. A paper that testifies that you finished all the courses, but you are not still a "Bachelor". It's called a "Study Certificate" (Certificado de Estudios).
  2. A symbolic paper that means you finished all the semesters, even if you failed some courses as long as they are not enough to fail the whole semester. This is called "Diploma" (just like in English).
  3. When you present a thesis (and you get it approved) you get a "University Title" (Título Universitario) and then you can say you have a Bachelor's Degree. Some people have such a high GPA that they give them this paper without presenting a thesis.

So, as I couldn't find a specific and detailed definition of "Diploma/Degree Certificate", I am asking for your help please.

If this is off-topic, I apologize, please delete.

Best Answer

The document required for admission to universities in the US is the official transcript. Most US universities require that equivalent documents be submitted first to a third-party translation and evaluation service such as World Education Services (WES). http://www.wes.org/required/index.asp

The most likely equivalent to an official transcript is the certificado de estudios, but it may need to be accompanied by the titulo universitario.

tran·script noun \ˈtran(t)-ˌskript\

: a written, printed, or typed copy of words that have been spoken

: an official record of a student's grades http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transcript