Higher Diploma vs Degree

paulo6891

Hi,

Does anyone happen to know if a higher diploma would be as valuable as a degree? I am thinking about either doing a hdip in Mathematical Studies in UCD which would be a 1 year course full time, or doing a 2 year part time Mathematics degree course in DIT (would be joining in towards the end of that course due to previous qualifications). Obviously a year is more desirable but 2 is not the end of the world, and I'm not overly bothered by part time vs full time, I just want the best possible qualification.

Thanks,

Paul

IrishKnight

Based on the NFG framework they are both Level 8 qualifications. What it come down to would be what topics you would be learning in each degree and which one suits your interests best.

http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/images/FanDec2006.jpg

paulo6891

Cheers for the link. Would the degree be the better for international prospects, as I believe that the higher diploma is only awarded in a small number of countries (according to wiki anyway) so may not be recognised elsewhere

IrishKnight

Perhaps, but I would expect employers to be more interested in the course content rather than the letters after your name!

Gae

paulo6891 wrote: »

I am thinking about either doing a hdip in Mathematical Studies in UCD which would be a 1 year course full time, or doing a 2 year part time Mathematics degree course in DIT (would be joining in towards the end of that course due to previous qualifications).

Do you already have a degree? HDips generally require you to already have a degree. If you do have one, then getting a HDip next is a sensible way to go. If you don't have a degree, then getting one in two years would be a good investment.

paulo6891

Hi Gae, yeah I have a degree in Engineering

Gae

Is this to qualify you to teach or something like that? I'd just go for the one year HDip and that should be plenty. Would it work out cheaper as well? Presumably if you're doing an undergrad the second time around you'll have to pay the full fees. Don't know if the HDip is any cheaper though.

paulo6891

Hi Gae, it would be nice to have the teaching option (I have applied for that before and just missed out), but that isn't my primary goal.

I would have gone for a masters if I could have but have been told by UCD that I will need either a hdip or a degree, so just really taking it one step at a time. I would love some sort of quantitative-type job or maybe even something meteorology related, basically anything analytical! Research would be great, but it's very difficult to get positions. I want to keep my options open with a course such as mathematical sciences which isn't specialising in anything in particular. For example, I could be left with less options somewhere down the line if I did something like a masters in quantitative finance.

Regarding costs, 6k for the year in UCD, I think it's around 3k per year doing the degree.