Difference Between Certificate and Diploma

Certificate vs Diploma
We often hear about certificate courses and diploma courses. Many use both the terms interchangeably. But in fact, a certificate is different from a diploma.

A diploma is a document issued at the completion of a course by an educational institution, which states that the recipient successfully completed the study. Diplomas also can confer an academic degree to the recipient. On the other hand, certificate is a broader term. It can refer to documents in different realms of the day to day life like a birth certificate, degree certificate, marriage certificate, and even a certificate of appreciation. So a certificate is an official document which affirms a fact. In educational domain, certificates can be given when a student passes an exam, wins a prize, or even completes a course. It just certifies that something being stated in the certificate is done.

In some countries, a diploma is known by the term Testimonium and is a level of an academic award. When you say that you have received your PhD diploma, it actually means that you have completed your PhD and have a document to certify that. And the document that certifies your course completion can be a certificate from the university or educational institution.

When we speak of diploma courses and certificate courses, the meanings can be a bit different. A Certificate course is usually of shorter duration, probably a couple of months. After that you get a certificate stating the completion of the course. You can do certificate courses in driving, first aid, web designing, etc. A diploma course is more in duration. It can range up from months to years. A diploma will be awarded to you after the completion of the course with the specified grades or percentage of marks. Another difference between the two is that certificate courses need not necessarily be related to school or graduation requirements. It can be in any domain and shows that the recipient has mastered a skill.

Certificates can be used to recognize achievements in many criteria even at the academic level. For example, certificate of 100% attendance, secondary school completion certificate, and a graduating certificate. But a diploma cannot be awarded in these cases. Diploma is more of a course completion. By now you must have understood that certificates can be given for diplomas, but not vice versa.

Sometimes, apart from certifying a pass, a certificate can be the name of an award also. At times it also certifies a qualification as such like Higher School Certificate and Victorian Certificate of Education.

Summary:
1. Certificates can be in any domains like birth certificate, marriage certificate, but diplomas strictly refer to the academic domain.
2. Diploma is often awarded to students who complete their high school or graduation while certificates can be given for mastering any skills, not necessarily academic.
3. Diploma courses are longer in duration than certificate courses.

Difference Between Masters and PhD

Masters and Ph.D. degrees are postgraduate programs that students who want to advance in their area of specialization enroll to add skills and competence.

What is a Master’s Degree?

This is the first level of graduate study that specifically focuses on providing additional knowledge, skills, and competence to an individual who has already finished his or her bachelor’s degree program.

Individuals who complete this program are considered to have specialized training in a specific area which includes analytical, evaluation and practical application skills.

What is a Ph.D. Degree?

A Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree is a doctoral program which means that an individual has an exclusive qualification in a specific field. Students in this field are expected to research and develop solutions for the problems currently facing the world through extensive research and experiments.

Difference between Masters and PhD

Financing for Masters and PhD

Although student’s pursuing these programs benefit from financial aids from the government and other bodies, the cost of financing varies from one program to the other. Despite the high tuition fees required to complete a master’s program, doctoral programs are significantly costly due to the length of the study that one takes before one can be considered to be a doctoral graduate.

Tuition fees may be lower in the doctoral programs, but the cost involved in research and experiments proves to be much higher as compared to that cost incurred when pursuing a master’s program.

Nevertheless, it is worth highlighting that the cost of the two programs varies from one institution and the area of specialization to the other.

Enrollment for Masters and PhD

To enroll in a master’s program, one must have completed the undergraduate program while at the same time demonstrating a significant level of qualifications that is specifically dependent on the field that one wants to master.

For example, some master’s program may require an individual to have honors in their undergraduate programs to enroll while others require an individual to have undergraduate qualifications.

Enrollment criterial for a Ph.D. program depends on the university that an individual wants to pursue his or her studies. Some universities and countries require qualifications in both undergraduate and master’s program to enroll while some institutions enroll students who do not have master’s qualifications.

Period of  Masters and PhD Study

One of the significant difference between the masters and Ph.D. degree programs in the period that an individual takes to attain the necessary qualifications.

Masters programs take relatively shorter periods because one can attain qualifications within two years of study unless one fails some courses which increase the completion period.

Doctoral programs take significantly longer period to attain completion. A Ph.D. program in a specific field may take four years to complete while other doctoral programs are known to take up to eight years before one attains completion.

Motivation

People who are motivated to pursue successful careers on their specializations attain master’s qualifications which help in increasing their knowledge, skills, and competence.

Masters graduates occupy strategic positions in any company where they hold influential positions that help them to advance the interests of the company.

On the other hand, people who have motivation in pursuing the teaching profession enroll for doctoral programs which are necessary and highly sought for by management of different colleges and universities.

Ph.D. graduates occupy influential positions in the university and college structure where they are deans and head of departments in different faculties despite being astute lecturers.

Prestige and Salary Packages

Ph.D. holders are respected members of the society and are considered to be most learned with the capacity of handling any educational aspect. Therefore, this program is very prestigious and attractive, especially for those people who want to honor their self-actualization desires.

Holders of the doctoral program are entitled to significantly higher salaries because they offer specialized services which include consultancy and management services

On the other hand, a master’s program is relatively prestigious because the holders of this program can apply for lucrative jobs in different companies. However, holders of this program do not have a prefix before their names unlike the holders of the Ph.D. program. 

Holders of the master’s programs are entitled to relatively higher salaries and other benefits because they hold strategic and influential positions in different organizations.

Methods of Learning in Masters and PhD

Masters programs adopt a typical class system where the supervisor offers his or her knowledge to the students upon which they are supposed to be evaluated through exams. The tests in masters programs test both conceptual and evaluation skills among students.

Unlike masters programs, doctoral programs adopt a flexible learning structure where students are allowed to research solve specific problems. The supervisor is mandated to guide and assist students as they prepare solutions in the form of a dissertation.

Difference between Masters and PhD

Summary of Masters and PhD

• One of the main difference between a master’s program and Ph.D. is that masters programs take shorter period, usually two years, to complete while doctoral programs take more than four years to complete.
• Masters programs adopt a class learning system where students follow instructions and guidelines provided by their supervisors while doctoral students adopt a flexible learning system where the supervisor helps students to prepare dissertations.
• Holders of doctoral qualifications feel prestigious and are entitled to significantly higher salary packages as compared to the holders of masters programs which are relatively prestigious and are entitled to relatively higher salary packages.
• Other significant differences between masters and Ph.D. degrees include enrollment requirements, cost of financing the program, motivation, and period of study among other differences.

 Read More

Difference Between Federal and National

Federal vs National

Politically, a federal government and a national government have different meanings to some extent. Being inside the country, a federal government somehow is totally internal which is not the same in the case of a national government.

Many people often have asked about the differences between the two. Most probably because the Constitutions of some great countries do not tell whether the country is a federally governed or a centrally governed one. Examples of these countries are like the United States of America, Australia, and India.

Somehow, these two terms do not directly always comply with the government in other matters too. Further reading might reveal the differences between “national” (central) and “federal.”

Federal
“Federal” simply means having a relation to a federation which is having a relation to the states of a country or a joint of states. If we talk of a federal government, we merely mean that it is a government which is run by different states making the whole economy of the country. For example, if we take the United States, we have a different governor for a different state; there is a different political person, etc. That is, every state runs by its own self-governance. But if some issues take place internally, then the whole country is not affected by it. A federal country, however, has its own major government which is, in the case of a very large economically developed country, very important. It is very important that the central union government keeps track of the taxes and laws passed by the federal government. “Federal” does not always refer to the state government. In some countries, “federal” is a term used for a union of states.

Some examples of federal countries are the governments of: Australia, Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, the United States, and Venezuela.

National
“National,” as it literally means, is anything to do with the nation or the country. If we talk about the national government, we may simply mean that it is a government which the nation or the whole country operates by not having any interrelation to any internal federation. But a national government actually runs along with the federal government (having a few exceptions in some countries). The national government controls all of the details of the country by political, social, and economic means. A national government is the largest and the most active government.

A few examples of countries with a national government (without a federation) are: People’s Republic of China, Denmark, France, Georgia, Soviet Union, Spain, etc.

Summary:

1.“Federal” implies anything within a union of states in a country while “national” has to do with the whole nation.
2.A federal government is run by the separate states of a group of states itself along with the central government.

Difference between Coding and Programming

Individuals who usually work in computer programming recognize the terms “coding” and “programming” as synonymous because both are often used interchangeably. You can find several forums brainstorming about the differences between the two and this is where the line gets a little blurry. The digital era is a significant shift from mechanical electronic technology to digital electronics which redefined the face of computer programming. This article explains the differences between the two terms that are often used interchangeably – Coding and Programming. They seem same to most people, but they are quite different from each other.

What is Coding?

Coding simple means writing codes and a coder is an individual who codes from one language to another.  Coding is also programming but it’s used to implement the initial steps of computer programming. The term programming is used in a much broader sense, unlike coding which basically involves writing codes in various languages as instructed. Computers don’t interact in our language; it only understands the machine code, which is the binary language. So what a coder does is translate the requirements into a language that a machine will understand. They are more of a language oriented programmers who translate logics into machine-readable codes.

 A coder produces codes at a production level which means he has to have a thorough understanding of the ABC of the language he’s writing in. However, they don’t code on their own; in fact, they receive instructions on what to do and what needs to be accomplished followed by implementation, debugging, testing, and QA. Well it’s easier to code than to program which makes the job of a coder much easier to master. These instructions are generally called “source code”. It’s just a set of written instructions a machine will easily understand. However, writing code is just one part of creating software. This is where programming comes to the picture.

What is Programming?

Programming means to program a machine or application to run without any errors. Programming is the common term used to describe the process of feeding machine with a set of instructions to perform. In simple terms, programming means perfecting a recipe – you manipulate ingredients to cook a recipe, whereas a computer manipulates data to accomplish a task following a set of commands. For instance, take a coffee machine. You can program the machine to be coffee-ready by 9:15 AM. Or take radio, for that matter; you can program the radio to play your favorite channels. Programming is the bigger picture here which involves more than just writing codes.

A programmer creates things, develops logic, and analyzes a problem. Writing code is just the beginning steps of what makes up the tasks of a programmer. While a coder codes at an intermediate level, a programmer works actively on the abstract solutions to a potential problem that may or may not pertain along the process. The idea is to rectify even the slightest problem that can possibly ruin the code and lay out the perfect plan accordingly to navigate the project through its successful implementation without any bugs and errors. The job of a programmer is to craft solutions to problems that may or may not occur. It takes years for an individual to become a professional programmer. They can work as developers, coders, analysts, and more.

Difference between Coding and Programming

Basics of Coding and Programming

– While both the terms are synonymous with each other and are often used interchangeably, they are quite different from each other. Coding simply means writing codes from one language to another such as from English to Java. It’s less intimidating and less intensive. Programming, on the other hand, means to program a machine with a set of instructions to run.

Coders vs. Programmers

– A coder is someone who translates logics into a language machine will understand. Coding is more language oriented, whereas programming is different. It’s the bigger picture and a programmer deals with much more than just writing codes which is just the beginning of what makes up the tasks of a programmer.

Big Thinking

 – Writing code is just the beginning of creating software. Programming is to conceptualize and analyze solutions to problems that may or may not occur,                     and then determine how these problems should be solved. A coder’s job is to compartmentalize lines of code, while a programmer deals with the bigger                   picture; he designs and builds solutions using the best course of actions for the potential problems that may incur.

Experience Level in Coding and Programming

– As a programmer, you need to map out the scalability of the project to minimize the problems in the code. For which, a programmer has to get into the minute details like setting up semantics, analyzing code, designing different patterns, and more. The idea is to save time using minimal lines o code. Programming is complex which requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of the language.

Coding vs. Programming: Comparison Chart

Summary of Coding and Programming

With the influx of newly tech-savvy generation, the term “programming” began to gain momentum. To further complicate the matters, new words like “coding” and “scripting” with more intimidating histories have come to the picture. We use those terms blindly without actually knowing what they mean or what they do. Coding and programming are two such synonymous terms which seem to mean the same thing, but they are quite different from each other. This article explains how both the terms differ from each other.

Difference Between Security and Privacy

Both security and privacy are interdependent and they are often synonymous with each other. Many of us may believe both are closely related terms and one cannot have one without the other, while some would argue that one can have security without privacy, but not the other way around. Both terms are synonymous with technology and networks.

The impact of technology on our lives continues to rise, with digital businesses moving at a much faster pace than traditional businesses. As large organizations embrace technologies such as big data, Internet of Things, and cloud, security is a necessary evil. In this technology-driven digital era where everything is connected and easily accessible, security must be more than an afterthought. This article explains how the two differ from each other rather than related.

What is Security?

Security refers to personal freedom from external forces. It’s the state of being free from potential threats or dangers. Just like a home security system which protects the integrity of your household, data security protects your valuable data and information from prying eyes by safeguarding your passwords and documents.

Security refers to protective measures put in place to protect digital data from unauthorized users, such as cyber criminals and hackers. Technology has gotten more advanced, so does hackers, and so should data security measures. While security does not guarantee that data or information cannot be compromised, strict security measures and protocols help preventing unauthorized access. So, it’s always recommended to safeguard your online accounts with strong passwords, with different combinations on different websites that require a log in.

The main objectives of security are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The goal is to strengthen internal control and restrict unauthorized access from both internal and external factors, thereby protecting the confidentiality and integrity of resources and assets.

All security measures try to address at least one of the three goals:

1. Protecting the confidentiality
2. Preserving the integrity of information assets
3. Promoting availability of data and information.

These measures apply to areas such as personnel security, network security, and administrative security. The security protocols and measures define what you wish to protect and from what. To develop strong and legit security policies, you must define you security objectives, which will further help you draw up the security plan for a secure system.

What is Privacy?

Privacy is one’s right to freedom from intrusion and prying eyes. It’s the state of being free from unwanted attention and secret surveillance. Privacy is more like a notion that includes secrecy. It’s one of the core principles of human dignity.

Let’s take the window, the one in your home. A window has various functions. For one, it updates the interiors with a graphical control element. It allows people to enjoy the beautiful outdoors, and at the same time, it also provides access to outsiders or unwanted visitors from getting inside. Just like you look outside, others may look inside. To prevent outsiders from peeking into your windows, you can put a curtain or a drape to cover the window. This is called privacy. Restricting the view protects your privacy as intruders or thieves may not be able to see who or what’s inside. Similarly, information security protects limits access to personal data or information.

Difference between Security and Privacy

1. Definition of Security and Privacy

While both are interlinked terms that are often used in conjunction with each other. While one cannot exist without the other, they are often misappropriated. Security is the state of personal freedom or being free from potential threats, whereas privacy refers to the state of being free from unwanted attention.

2. Objectives of Security and Privacy

The three main goals of security are confidentiality, integrity and availability. Security means safeguarding your information assets and confidential data from unauthorized access. It affects both information security and cyber security. All security protocols address at least one of the three goals. Privacy, on the other hand, refers to the rights of individual and organizations with respect to personal information.

3. Programs for Security and Privacy

A security program refers to a set of protocols and regulations set in place to protect all the confidential information assets and resources that an organization collects and owns. It focuses on the data and information rather than personal information of individuals. Privacy program, on the other hand, focuses on protecting only personal information such as log in credentials, passwords, etc.

4. Principles of Security and Privacy

The three core principles of security include protecting confidentiality, preserving integrity of information assets, and promoting availability of data and information. Privacy defines the rights of individual and organizations with respect to personal information. To some extent, privacy can be achieved with security initiatives and security depends on privacy of credentials and access to data.

5. Dependency

Security and privacy go hand-in-hand. One can envision an environment which is secure but doesn’t guarantee privacy. Similarly, one can imagine a home which is private because of the windows, but it doesn’t guarantee security from outsiders. Security can be achieved without privacy, but privacy cannot be achieved without security. It security is weak or vulnerable, it automatically affects privacy.

Security vs. Privacy: Comparison Chart

Summary of Security vs. Privacy

While security and privacy are interdependent, security can be achieved without privacy but privacy cannot be achieved without security. Security protects confidentiality, integrity and availability of information, whereas privacy is more granular about privacy rights with respect to personal information. Privacy prevails when it comes to processing personal data, while security means protecting information assets from unauthorized access. Personal data may refer to any information concerning any individual such as names, addresses, credentials, financial accounts information, social security numbers, etc.

Read More

Difference Between Goals and Objectives

the difference between goals and objectives

Goals vs Objectives

When you have something you want to accomplish, it is important to set both goals and objectives. Once you learn the difference between goals and objectives, you will realize that how important it is that you have both of them. Goals without objectives can never be accomplished while objectives without goals will never get you to where you want to be. The two concepts are separate but related and will help you to be who you want to be.

Definition of Goals and Objectives
Goals ‘“ are long-term aims that you want to accomplish.
Objectives ‘“ are concrete attainments that can be achieved by following a certain number of steps.
Goals and objectives are often used interchangeably, but the main difference comes in their level of concreteness. Objectives are very concrete, whereas goals are less structured.

Remembering the Differences between Goals and Objectives
When you are giving a presentation to a potential or current employer, knowing the difference between goals and objectives can be crucial to the acceptance of your proposal. Here is an easy way to remember how they differ:
Goals ‘“ has the word ‘go’ in it. Your goals should go forward in a specific direction. However, goals are more about everything you accomplish on your journey, rather than getting to that distant point. Goals will often go into undiscovered territory and you therefore can’t even know where the end will be.

Objectives ‘“ has the word ‘object’ in it. Objects are concrete. They are something that you can hold in your hand. Because of this, your objectives can be clearly outlined with timelines, budgets, and personnel needs. Every area of each objective should be firm.

Measuring Goals and Objectives
Goals ‘“unfortunately, there is no set way in which to measure the accomplishment of your goals. You may feel that you are closer, but since goals are de facto nebulous, you can never say for sure that you have definitively achieved them.

Objectives ‘“can be measured. Simply phrase your objective in the form of a question. For example, ‘I want to accomplish x in y amount of time’ becomes ‘Did I accomplish x in y amount of time?’ This can easily be answered in a yes or no form.

Examples of Goals and Objectives
Goals ‘“I want to be a better ball player. I want to learn more about Chinese history. I want to maximize my professional performance.
Objectives ‘“I want to memorize the periodic table before my next quiz. I want to increase my sales by 10% this month. I want learn to play ‘Freebird’ on the guitar.

Summary:
1. Goals and objectives are both tools for accomplishing what you want to achieve.
2. Goals are long term and objectives are usually accomplished in the short or medium term.
3. Goals are nebulous and you can’t definitively say you have accomplished one whereas the success of an objective can easily be measured.
4. Goals are hard to quantify or put in a timeline, but objectives should be given a timeline to be more effective.

Difference Between Institute and University

An institute and a University are learning institutions that are specialized to offer skills and knowledge to the students so that they can be productive members of the society.

What is a University?

The term university is used to refer to a large learning center that offers tertiary education to students who want to specialize in specific disciplines which range from nursing, engineering, and business among others.

Universities offer both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This is the highest learning institution in the countries around the world due to the facilities and the courses offered.

An example of a university would be the University of California in the United States and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

What is an Institute?

An institute is a learning center that is created by the government or members of the community to pass a specific skill or trade to the learners so that they can help in handling some of the challenges facing the society.

An institute is specialized such that it concentrates on a specific area of study which can either be fashion, agriculture, arts, and technology among others. An example of a renowned institute is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Difference between Institute and University

1. Courses Offered in Institute vs. University

One of the primary difference between a university and an institute is the courses offered. A University offers undergraduate and graduate courses. The university specializes in providing the highest level of education which makes it specialize in offering high ranking courses in tertiary education.

An institute focuses on providing learners with a specific skill or trade that will help learners to execute a specific task. The courses offered at an institute level can be either certification or diploma courses at the highest level.

2. Level of Specialization in Institute vs. University

Differentiation and specialization at an institute level are very high where an institute will offer training and development in a specific area of study. Technology related institutes will only provide training in technology related fields.

This explains why the majority of institutes have their names ending with the area of specialization. For example, an institute will either specialize in arts, science, agriculture, fashion, or technology among other fields.

Universities rarely specialize and are known to offer a large number of courses which cuts across all fields in the industry. A university will have campuses or departments specialized in offering specific courses.

For example, Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School all under the management of the University of Harvard.

3. Autonomy in Institute vs.  University

Universities are large learning institutions that are categorized under government parastatals, which means that they enjoy the independence of management and decision making. They are self-governed through a legally constituted university council.

On the other hand, institutes do not have autonomy of management and decision making. The government, through the ministry of education, indirectly controls the activities of the institutes through the board of directors.

However, it is material to highlight that some vocational training institutes exercise a significant level of autonomy, especially the big institutions.

4. Government Funding in Institute vs. University

Although both learning centers get funding from the government, universities receive large amounts of money due to the nature of the activities they handle. Moreover, a university is required to source funds from the students who pay for tuition fees and other charges that help in running the organization.

Institutes do not receive large amounts of funds from the government because they handle simplified tasks and they do not require large machines and equipment. However, institutes are also required to charge tuition fees from the students to cater for administrative costs of the school.

5. Size and Population of Institute and University

A university has large buildings that are used to house administration and the management of the organization, lecture rooms, student hostels, recreational facilities, libraries, laboratories, and auditoriums among others.

The number of the students, lecturers, and non-teaching staff is very large which explains the need for the large structures and facilities. Some of the universities have more than thirty thousand students at any given time.

Institutes have relatively large buildings which are not many. This is because they do not have a large number of students and they do not need some of the facilities needed in a university. Institutes build rooms where students conduct practical activities rather than lecture halls.

6. Instructor Qualification in Institute vs. University

Lecturers and supervisors instructing at university levels are required to have attained professional qualifications in the area they are lecturing. This explains the reason why most of the instructors at the university level are professors and doctors.

Although qualification is a fundamental requirement for any person applying to be an instructor at an institution, the level of qualification required is not very high as people with masters training can supervise learners at this level.

Difference between Institute and University

Summary of Institute and University

• A university is the highest ranking learning institution at a tertiary level which offers further studies in a specific area of specialization to students while an institute is a middle-level learning center that focuses on providing training in a particular trade.
• Universities have self-governing bodies which means that they have autonomy of management and decision making while institutes are indirectly managed by the ministry of education through the board of directors.
• Universities offer a wide variety of courses ranging from nursing, engineering, and law all in undergraduate and graduate levels while institutes provide certification and diplomas in a specific field which can either be fashion or arts among others.
• Other differences between universities and institutes include size, population, funding, and qualification of instructors among others.

Ref..