An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study intended to usually last two years or more. It is considered to be a higher level of education than a high school diploma or GED. The first associate degrees were awarded in the UK in 1873 before spreading to the US in 1898. In the United States, the associate degree may allow transfer into the third year of a bachelor's degree. Associate degrees have since been introduced in a small number of other countries.
Further education in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It may be at any level in compulsory secondary education, from entry to higher level qualifications such as awards, certificates, diplomas and other vocational, competency-based qualifications through awarding organisations including City and Guilds, Edexcel (BTEC) and OCR. FE colleges may also offer HE qualifications such as HNC, HND, Foundation Degree or PGCE. The colleges are also a large provider of apprenticeships, where most of the training takes place in the apprentices' workplace with some day release into college.
The Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC), the legal successor to the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland beyond the university system from 2001 to 2012. HETAC was created in 2001, subject to the policies of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, and, specifically, granted qualifications at many Institutes of Technology and other colleges. HETAC was dissolved and its functions were passed to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on 6 November 2012.
A graduate diploma is generally a qualification taken after completion of a first degree, although the level of study varies in different countries from being at the same level as the final year of a bachelor's degree to being at a level between a master's degree and a doctorate. In some countries the graduate diploma and postgraduate diploma are synonymous, while in others the postgraduate diploma is a higher qualification.
A postgraduate diploma is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree. It can be contrasted with a graduate diploma. Countries that award postgraduate diplomas include but are not limited to Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Spain, South Africa, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Republic of Panama the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago. Level of education and recognition differ per issuing country.
A Higher National Diploma (HND) is a higher education qualification of the United Kingdom. A qualification of the same title is also offered in Argentina, Finland, India, Malta, Nigeria, Ghana and some other countries with British ties. This qualification can be used to gain entry into universities at an advanced level, and is considered equivalent to the second year of a three-year university degree course, or the third year of a four-year university degree course, or in some cases equivalent to a university degree.
Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland includes all education after second-level, encompassing higher education in universities and colleges and further education on Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) and other courses. The degree-awarding authorities approved by the Government of Ireland, which can grant awards at all academic levels, are University of Dublin, National University of Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, Higher Education and Training Awards Council, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, and University of Limerick. The King's Inns of Dublin has a limited role in education specialising in the preparation of candidates for the degree of barrister-at-law to practice as barristers. Medical schools in Ireland also have particular regulation. There were seven establishments of higher education within the Republic of Ireland ranked among the top 500 universities worldwide by the Times Higher Education Supplement in 2008.
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, with oversight from the States and Territories, through the Standing Council of Tertiary Education Skills and Employment. While the AQF specifies the standards, education and training organisations are authorised by accrediting authorities to issue a qualification.
Griffith College is one of the two largest, and one of the longest established private third level college in Ireland.
A Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. It is awarded after two years of full-time study at a university or other higher education institution and is rated as a Level 5 qualification on both the Regulated Qualifications Framework and the European Qualifications Framework.
Griffith College Cork is an independent, third-level, higher education institution which merged with Skerry's College Cork in 2005. Griffith College Cork runs degree and diploma programmes in Business, Law, Computing, Media & Journalism, Pharmaceutical Management, and Professional Accountancy as well as evening courses in Marketing Management, Business Management, Human Resource Management and Digital Marketing. Pharmaceutical Management is an MSc in International Pharmaceutical Business Management. It will be offered on a full and part-time basis.
Blackrock Further Education Institute is a college of further education in Dublin which was established in 1982. In 2015 it moved to Blackrock in a redeveloped Town Hall, Technical College and Carnegie Library. It provides both higher educational qualifications as well as technical/vocational education and training in areas including Beauty Therapy, Creative Multimedia, Marketing, Auctioneering and Estate Agency Practice, Accountancy and Design. Blackrock Further Education Institute is located in Blackrock, 7 kilometres from Dublin City Centre.
Griffith College Limerick (GCL) is a private college in Limerick city, Ireland. The college was established in 2006 when the Mid West Business Institute was acquired by Griffith College. The college runs full-time and part-time courses in accountancy, business, law, engineering, computing, and information technology, and has a range of part-time courses available.
The Higher Education Colleges Association (HECA) is the representative body of independent third level colleges in Ireland, formed in 1991 to represent the interests of its member colleges and their students.
The National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is a system used to describe levels of educational qualifications in Ireland. Responsibility for maintaining and developing the framework lies with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
In the UK education sector, there are a wide range of qualification types offered by the United Kingdom awarding bodies. Qualifications range in size and type, can be academic, vocational or skills-related, and are grouped together into different levels of difficulty. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, qualifications are divided into Higher Education qualifications, which are on the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and are awarded by bodies with degree awarding powers, and Regulated qualifications, which are on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and are accredited by Ofqual in England, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment in Northern Ireland and Qualifications Wales in Wales. In Scotland, qualifications are divided into Higher Education qualifications, Scottish Qualifications Authority qualifications and Scottish Vocational Qualifications/Modern Apprenticeships, all of which are on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Scottish Higher Education Qualifications are on both the SCQF and the FHEQ.
ICD Business School is a Business School located in the heart of Dublin Ireland. The College delivers QQI validated Level 8 and Level 9 Degrees, Masters Degrees in Accountancy and Business Studies.
American College, Dublin, a constituent college of Irish American University, is a private not-for-profit liberal arts institution, accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Established in 1993 in Dublin Ireland, the institution is located in the center of Dublin on Merrion Square in a number of Georgian era houses, one of which is the childhood home of Oscar Wilde. In addition to its American accreditation with MSCHE, American College Dublin offers programs placed at level-eight and level-nine on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications which are accredited by the Irish body Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and for which graduating students receive QQI awards.
College of Progressive Education was established in 1986 and specialises in the provision of courses in Childcare, Montessori education, Healthcare and Special Needs. The College was formerly known as The School of Practical Child Care and The School of Health and Social Care. The College developed some of the first courses for Special Needs Assistants in the 1990s.
