The Diploma Supplement (DS) accompanies a higher education diploma, providing a standardised description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies completed by its holder.
Diploma Supplement, which is an important document of European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in International Higher Education Area, not only helps the definition of the phases of the graduates’ education understood by different education systems but also gives detailed information about the degrees, levels, and vocational competencies of the graduate.
For students, the Diploma Supplement offers:
- A diploma that is more readable and easily comparable abroad;
- A precise description of their academic career and the competencies acquired during the study period;
- An objective description of their achievements and competencies;
- Easier access to opportunities of work or further studies abroad; and
- It fosters their employability.
For higher education institutions, the benefits are:
- It facilitates academic and professional recognition, thus increasing the transparency of qualifications;
- It protects national/institutional autonomy while offering a common frame which is accepted all over Europe;
- It promotes informed judgements about qualifications that can be understood in another educational context;
- It raises the visibility of the institution abroad;
- It promotes the employability of their graduates at national and international level;
- It helps to save time since it provides the answers to a lot of recurrent questions put to administrative services in institutions about the content and portability of diplomas.
UNDERGRADUATE - MASTER (SECOND CYCLE) DS SAMPLE