Diploma Supplement Label
Tomas Bata University in Zlín was awarded the prestigious Diploma Supplement Label by the European Commission in August 2006 and again in May 2009.
This label is awarded to those higher education institutions that strictly follow the principles of the internationalization of higher education in Europe as laid down in the Bologna Declaration.
By awarding the Diploma Supplement Label the European Commission acknowledges that all Tomas Bata University graduates at Bachelor’s, Master’ s and Doctoral degree levels are issued with their Diploma Supplement. The Supplement meets strict European criteria and is issued free of charge.
Diploma Supplement
Diploma Supplement is the oldest document of the so-called Europass.
Diploma Supplement is a new document awarded free of charge to all TBU graduates along with the higher education diploma after completing a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral programme. The Diploma Supplement was awarded to all TBU graduates for the first time in the academic year 2004/05.
When was the Diploma Supplement model developed?
The Diploma Supplement model was developed on the basis of the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon Convention) signed in 1997. The format and the structure of the supplement were proposed by a joint working group made up of the representatives of the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the UNESCO – CEPES in 1998.
What is the Diploma Supplement and what does it look like?
The Diploma Supplement is issued in two languages (English – Czech). It tends to be printed on a paper of A3 format with a ground tint, hologram of the University, University stamp imprint and signature of the Rector. The Diploma Supplement includes details concerning the completed degree programme including results of all the exams taken within the degree programme.
Please click here to see an example of the DS
The Diploma Supplement model has been developed in order to improve international transparency and to facilitate academic and professional recognition of qualifications. It encourages and facilitates citizen mobility that is conditioned by a document proving their qualifications. It describes the nature, level, content and the status of the studies that have been pursued and successfully completed by the holder of the document evidencing his/her qualifications (i.e. higher education diploma), to which the Diploma Supplement acts as a supplementary explanation. It facilitates the recognition of qualifications gained in foreign higher education systems.
What is it not?
- the Diploma Supplement is not a Curriculum Vitae
- it is a supplementary explanation of the qualifications gained rather than a substitute for it (it is attached to a higher education diploma)
- it is not an automatic system that guarantees recognition
What does the Diploma Supplement offer to students?
- a unified format makes the higher education diploma more ‘perspicuous’ and makes it easier to compare qualifications gained in different countries
- it gives a detailed description of the degree programme completed and competences gained by the student; it is objective and fair
- it gives a description of the national higher education system and of the status of the higher education institution from which the student has graduated
- it facilitates access to employment opportunities or further studies abroad
- it plays an important role as far as employability is concerned (it enables employers to gain better insights into the applicant’s professional profile and competences)
In compliance with the findings of the Berlin Communiqué (from 2003) all students have been issued with the Diploma Supplement free of charge since 2005. The Diploma Supplement shall be issued at higher education institutions in all the Europe Region countries in a (to a large extent) standardized format.