Paper 6: The Higher National and College Diploma

Abstract

For many years the H.N.D. has provided a route to professional status for the more able students emerging from the O.N.C. course, and in recent years there has been a growing practice on the part of colleges to offer a post-H.N.D. course leading to a diploma or associateship of the college concerned. The College Diploma course cannot be divorced from the H.N.D. course of which it is the culmination, and in this paper the course will be considered as an entity. The historical development will be reviewed and this will be followed by an analysis of typical course structures, including entry conditions, syllabus content, and patterns of industrial and college periods. The advantages of retaining such a pattern will be outlined while the problem of the setting and maintenance of academic standards through the tutorial system and external examiners will also be discussed and a comparison made with other courses, e.g. degree courses. In particular, the problem of the relationship of the H.N.D. with C.N.A.A. degree courses will be examined and the case for C.E.I. recognition of appropriate College Diploma courses will be argued.