PG Dip vs PG Certificate
The difference between PG Dip and PG Certificate is more like the difference between Diploma and Certificate. PG Dip and PG Certificate are two courses offered by many universities across the world to students who want to gain specialization in a given subject. The main characteristic they have in common is that to follow either a PG Dip or PG Certificate course, the student must first hold a bachelor’s degree. The main difference between PG Dip and PG Certificate can be seen in their duration. As PG Certificate is a certificate course, it does not last longer like a PG Dip course. Both PG Dip and PG Certificate give additional value to your resume. However, an employer may like a PG Dip than a PG Certificate.
What is PG Dip?
PG Dip stands for Postgraduate Diploma. It is important to know that PG Dip course is to be studied for a minimum period of one year. In many cases, you may have to study 2 years to complete the PG Dip course. For example, to get a PG Dip in Library Science, a student may have to study for a period of 2 years. It depends upon the prescriptions made by the different universities. PG Dip courses, in general, carry 120 credits. Therefore, the study of the subject is bound to be more in depth than a certificate course. PG Dip course can be full-time or part-time. You will see PG diploma courses where the lectures are held once a week that is also on weekends. This is to help the students who want to study further while working.
University of Glasgow offers PG Dip.
What is PG Certificate?
PG Certificate stands for Postgraduate Certificate. PG Certificate is studied for a minimum period of 6 months to a maximum period of one year. It depends upon the subject of study chosen for the certificate course. For example, a PG Course in Basic French may need time duration of 6 months to complete to qualify for PG Dip in advanced French. PG Certificate courses, in general, carry 60 credits. As a result, they are not so in depth as PG Dip courses. However, all these courses are like crash courses to the subject as they are not extensive like a diploma.
University of Strathclyde offers PG Certificate.
What is the difference between PG Dip and PG Certificate?
• PG Dip stands for Postgraduate Diploma and PG Certificate stands for Postgraduate Certificate.
• To be eligible to apply for both PG Dip and PG Certificate courses, a student should first have a bachelor’s degree. However, for some PG Diplomas in some countries such as Australia and New Zealand, it is not necessary to have a bachelor’s degree.
• It is important to know that both PG Dip and PG Certificate are not offered in colleges generally. They are usually offered only by the universities as part of their postgraduate programs. It is interesting to note that both these courses are sometimes offered as part of the distance education too.
• PG Dip courses last usually for a minimum period of one year. Most of the times, you may have to study for two years. A PG Certificate course lasts for a minimum period of six months to a maximum period of one year. This is one difference between PG Dip and PG Certificate courses.
• PG Dip carries 120 credits while PG Certificate carries 60 credits.
• PG Dip course are nowadays available for most of the subject areas. For example, they are available for subjects such as library science, languages, geology, applied mathematics, applied economics, management studies, business and public administration, education, music, dance, fine art, painting, drawing, and the like. On the other hand, PG Certificate course is also available for the subjects mentioned above but as a kind of crash course. PG certificate courses are however not that much offered by every country. The course can be completed in just about 6 months. However, you should remember all this depends on the university that offers you the educational opportunity.
These are the main differences between the two courses, namely, PG Dip and PG Certificate.
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