Degree or Diploma- the difference

Luckygirl · May 19, 2006

Hello everyone

thought this was a very interesting post!! I studied an advanced diploma which is somewhere in between degree and diploma, I personally couldnt afford to study the degree as it is not bursaried, however the stuff about higher pay etc is quite comical i qualified and work with a friend of mine who did the degree however since qualifying I have been promoted twice where as my friend whom i work with has not. I also have the advantage of topping up my degree to a speacialist degree with very few credits. Having done top level degree work in my adv dip its proving to actually be quite easy!! both courses study modules at top degree level only the degree studys more modules at level three and dose less at the beggining of the course at level 0:saint:

Owain Glyndwr · May 19, 2006

I think Owain is on a power roll Belinda is obviously not around lol.

Are Anna and you having me followed? Yes, Belinda was in work!!!

Damn, you girls are good

Cheers

OG

Silverdragon102, BSN · May 20, 2006

Are Anna and you having me followed? Yes, Belinda was in work!!!
Damn, you girls are good
Cheers
OG

:D

debbieuk · May 24, 2006

hello

can i just say after reading this post that i did the degree and for my course (dont know about any other unis) we did 3.5 years of hard slog. we did more practical placements than the local diploma 14 as opposed to their 8. we covered mental health, mother and baby & peadiatrics 250 hours each. yes we do extra work but they are not little. my dissertation was 15000 words!!!

we DO get a bursary it is just means tested and you or your parents if you are still dependant have to be earning over 50,000 not to get anything. i recieved 450 a month plus a student loan (which on the down side, i do have to pay back).

i spent 3.5 years defending why i chose the degree over diploma. i am a mature student and i did not want to top up later. i did not want to go into management, i do not think i am cleverer or 'better' than experienced nurses or diploma nurses - i just wanted to nurse and since it has all become academic it was the best choice for me. i am the only person in my family to get a degree and i hate to be made to feel ashamed of something i worked REALLY HARD to acheive.

as for money, it means diddlysquat on qualifying. i get the same as a newly qualified diploma nurse. it may give me the edge at another job or promotion but as i am looking for neither it doesnt mean anything.

I AM PROUD OF MY DEGREE BUT I AM PROUDER OF MY PIN!!!!

sorry about the rant folks

debbie

Lulu34 · May 27, 2006

it varies from uni to uni how much extra academic work you do between degree and diploma.... however the practical content is the same.... no matter how many placements you do.... it comes down to hours... you have to do 50% theory and 50% practice.... how your uni splits it up its up to them and it can be different for both the degree and diploma.

nurses have only been getting diplomas since about 1992 before that teh majority were certificte level bar a few expectiosn who did nursiong degrees so it wasnt uncommon to go all the way to G grade with neither dip or deg... however now there is more competition but on qualifying it wont make a diffirence on what job you get as the minimum is still a dip.

it will make more difference as you progress up the career ladder... getting into management, research and education would all benefit from degrees... saying that though they may be degrees specific to your future role eg District nursing or health visiting.

in england the financial implications i think put off the majority of people from doing the degree... in scotland the majority of courses are combined so most dip and deg students study together and since doing thsi it was found that the majority of students given this choice choose to do the degree... (getting teh full bursary as they do in scotland)... i think if the same finances were offered in england it would be the same case.

Owain Glyndwr · May 27, 2006

in england the financial implications i think put off the majority of people from doing the degree... in scotland the majority of courses are combined so most dip and deg students study together and since doing thsi it was found that the majority of students given this choice choose to do the degree... (getting teh full bursary as they do in scotland)... i think if the same finances were offered in england it would be the same case.

And in Wales, it's all degree level pre-reg education so no choice to be made, with a non-means tested bursary dependant on age and personal family financial support requirements

Cheers

OG

little jimmy · Jun 18, 2006

i can only comment for my uni here but they put the degree and diploma students all through the same class'. we all have to do 4700 hours over the 3 years split equally between practice and theory with 22 weeks in class and 22 on the wards each year. we all have to write the same essays with the same word count but the degree students get 2 6000 word essays extra in the 3rd year than us diploma (this may be slightly wrong but only cas the uni's changed the curriculum this year, it used to be a 10k word dissertation). the fundings different too, the diplomas get a non means tested bursary og £5,800 under 26 or £6400 over 26 where as the degrees are means tested and eligable for the student loan, this is the main reason why i chose the diploma course as i couldnt afford to live on the outskirts of london without a guaranteed income, no matter how small but still bigger n if i were on the degree course. also the degrees are assessed at level 3 in the 3rd year whereas we stay at level 2 from mid way through our 2nd year.