DIPLOMA SUPPLEMENT (AND OTHER INFORMATION TOOLS)

INTRODUCTION

Explanation of the role of the Diploma Supplement

The Diploma Supplement (DS) is a document describing the qualification it is issued with and the education system to which the qualification belongs. It is a transparency tool meant to facilitate the understanding and recognition of qualifications. It is issued, automatically or upon request, in the countries involved in the Bologna process, but it has not been completely implemented in all the signatory countries.

DS model referred to in the chapter

The outline structure for the DS as developed by the European Commission, Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES is made up of 8 sections. This chapter refers to the model of the DS developed by the 3 international organizations and the updated version of the DS explanatory notes (adopted by the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee, June 2007, Bucharest). The DS model, the explanatory notes, samples of DS, founding principles, general guidelines and a glossary can be consulted at the EC website listed in the references (here link to the Sources and References). All the sections contain relevant information for the recognition of qualifications (information on the holder of the qualification, information on the qualification and the system of education, etc.).