The Professional Diploma (PD)

Does anyone recall this being “a thing” some years ago? Perhaps the in the North East, USA, and in education circles?

 

More in UK and Ireland...?

 

It was, here in my town, at McMaster University back in the 90s and early 2000s. The "McMaster Professional Diploma in Management" was available in night school, to non-degree-seeking students (Continuing Education.) There were eight courses, some of which were electives. Cost was about $500 a course then - less than 3-credit degree courses at the time. The diploma was worth some University credit - maybe 15 units or so total, at best, if the holder sought admission to a business degree program.

They still have non-degree extension courses in business - but not this particular qualification. No "Professional Diplomas." In fact, under business, I just looked and I didn't see any programs designated as "Diploma." Certificates - lots.

 

The concept is not standardized in form nor recognition.

 

Indeed. That's why it's so interesting - could create a lot of traffic on DI - maybe take some away from propios and "improprios."
I can remember Harrison-Middleton U. had a Diploma Program - a reasonable number of credits. They still have one, but it's changed. It's now denominated in CEUs not credits. (And there is no known exchange rate nor verifiable possibility of exchange, between credits and CEUs).

I think, about 20 years ago, Athabasca U. had some "University Diploma Programs." (No, not the UDP scam - University Degree Program of the 90s. That one had a Boston Rabbi for its US Chief of Operations and the money went to Cyprus, Romania and Israel.)

The Athabasca program (100% legit of course) awarded 60 credits - equivalent to 2 years of University work. Several subjects - I think French was one. I just looked and the diploma program doesn't seem to be around now. Certs, degrees and nothing in-between.

 

Leicester has a diploma that can lead to admission to the master's. It is (was?) part of a pathway for those without a bachelor's. But it's hard to discern its value beyond that, if any. And that's the point. Degrees are a currency; diplomas (certificates) are not.

 

Columbia University used to offered Professional Degree (PD) in Engineering; which considering beyond a Master level. However, I think it was not marketing very well; so, the program was changed to Doctor of Engineering Science (DEngSc).

 

Depends where you live.

They are currency, here. Diplomas, not degrees are the standard awards for 2-3 years of Community College. People can get good-paying jobs with those - e.g. Cardiac Sonography, various IT jobs, Financial Services. No myth, I know grads in all these fields and more, doing pretty well, financially.

Got one, but still want a degree? Lots of pathways and transfer credit.

 

Rich and Johann both make important points.

One thing about currency is that it generally comes in standardized units. "Diploma" per se doesn't have features as standardized as "Bachelor's," etc. One diploma might represent entry-level training in nursing qualifying for a license, another diploma simple participation in four brief workshops from a random company.

The diploma in nursing is valuable, but almost all the value is in the training and license-qualifying attached to the diploma. Much less, maybe almost none of the value is in what the Diploma title denotes or connotes in and of itself without those attachments.

 

The same can be said of a degree - the currency value is in what you can do with it. Degrees which don't qualify you to do anything are "worth" less, currency-wise, than those that do. And in the US, degrees are currency that has been debased quite severely by "credential inflation." Some there regard Bachelor's degrees as the new High School diploma. That's crazy. The only similarity is that they both take four years.

A diploma? As you say, Jonathan - it varies. And I stand by my comments on Community College diplomas here - they're definitely currency. And BTW - nursing is now a B.Sc. degree program in Ontario. In my town, it's a cooperative effort between the University and the Community College -- and local hospitals of course. Cardiac sonography and some other health-related? You can still earn them at CoCo. And some people who do them assure me they're good, well-paying gigs.

 

In fact, I know people personally, who have Community College diplomas only, and make over the $100K mark.
Yep - that's currency.

 

My take: This is a blanket statement. Like blankets, such statements sometimes have holes in them. I think this statement has at least one, and I've done my best to show that it's not just opinion.

Don't like the holes? Blame the moths. Or blame the Canadians who manage to make stacks of Bordens (those are Benjamins in the US) in careers to which they gained access with a Community College Diploma. Go ahead, blame them - if you do, neither the grads nor the moths will care. They're too busy laughing.

 

I have a former colleague who earned their McMaster Diploma in Professional Addiction Studies so its still a thing but hard to find: https://continuing.mcmaster.ca/programs/health-social-services/professional-addiction-studies/#tab-content-diploma

 

Right. I should have clarified - no Professional Diplomas in the business section of Continuing Ed. programs. The Addiction Studies program has been running for thirty years. It's certainly needed - at least as much now as at its inception. Probably more. Article here:
https://continuing.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-continuing-educations-addiction-studies-program-has-stood-the-test-of-time/

BTW - Steve Levicoff once enrolled in this program. .

His remarks (generally favorable) here:
https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/accredited-online-counselling-degrees-canada.56268/page-2#post-529242

His other remarks (about the author of a text used in the program at that time -2003) - not so favorable.
https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/wishes-and-more-wishes.8530/#post-80132

 

BTW - The Addiction Studies program wasn't always called a "Professional Diploma" - that upgrade came after my night school years there, ('90s and early 2000s.)

 

I've also heard some good things about the McMaster program. But I think that there are more affordable options nowadays;

https://www.caccf.ca/approved-formal-education/

 

I have a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Technology Management from Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies. Sometimes, I feel I went to Georgetown University through the backdoor.

 

It's all good - unless they made you (or anyone else) come around to the back door to receive a diploma. That would have been nasty. They didn't, did they? I hope not...