General Diploma (Olmeria)

The General Diploma is a QSC certified Level 3 academic qualification in Olmeria that allows students to specialise in a number of subjects before attending Háskóli (University), entering the workforce, or pursuing other further education. It has been used in the country since educational reforms in 2027 abolished the preceding Olmerian Higher Educational Certificates (colloquially known as Olmerian Highers, or OHECs), and replaced them with the current non-linear system containing the General Diploma.

The General Diploma is usually studied and sat between the ages of 16 and 18 at state run Hövdsköle, in years 12 and 13, although there is no age limit on the qualification and the exams can be sat privately at a number of exam centers. The examinations take place over a 7 week period in May/June, towards the end of the Olmerian academic year.

The diploma consists of between 4 and 8 subjects, divided into core, majors, minors, M+ and supplementary, in addition to an array of optional and mandatory non-examined content. Students must study enough subjects to reach a minimum credit value, and similarly score highly enough in each subjects, and overall, to pass the diploma.

Students can choose between the General Advanced Diploma and the General Standard Diploma (commonly known by their acronyms GAD and GSD respectively), depending on their preferred subjects and future options. The GAD is more academically challenging, with a focus on preparation for Háskóli, and requires higher OSEC grades for admission. Alternatively the GSD has lower entrance requirements and a lower content requirement.

History

Background

Main article: Education in Olmeria

Introduction

The General Diploma was introduced in 2027 as part of the Workplace Stimulus Act, following calls for a general qualification that would give students the skills to enter the workplace directly outside of more technical jobs that were already served by technical diplomas and PTAQ's. The aim was to give students an equally academic option to the existing individual diplomas, while allowing for greater flexibility and skills that would make the qualification a legitimate foundation to work in addition to further study.

Hövdsköle Expansions

One of the biggest questions regarding the introduction of the General Diploma was where the qualification would be sat. Until 2029, while individual diplomas could be sat at some Hövdsköles, the majority of level 3 study took place at specialised colleges, either academic focussed Institut Academiks or professional/technical Institut o Arba. These colleges were ill setup to host a more flexible course, and while a few Institut Academiks ran the diploma in the first few years of it's existence, the capacity and quality of delivery was widely seen as unsustainable. As such, in 2029, the Progress Coalition government financed one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Olmerian history, pledging more than Ⱡ7bn towards the expansions of Hövdsköles to accommodate their hosting of the General Diploma, taking the requirement away from unsuited and unwilling Institut Academiks.

Structure and Format

Credits

The General Diploma is organised by a credit system, with each subject/module allocated a specific credit value by the DOE. Students must study a combination of subjects and modules that has a total credit value equal to or greater than the minimum for the diploma they are studying for (40 for standard and 52 for advanced).

A subjects credit value is usually dependent on the quantity and complexity of the content entailed, such that 1 credit equates approximately to 30 hours of teaching/study. In general, while minor variations occur depended on a subjects complexity, the credit values for subjects are as follows:

• Core: Standard - 8, Advanced - 10
• Major: 10
• Minor: 5
• M+: 1-3
• Supplementary: 1-2

The minimum credits don't form the only limitation on a students choice of studies. The Diploma mandates that a minimum of 60% of the total credit value, or 35 credits (to the nearest multiple of 5, whichever is smaller) comes from Major or Minor subjects, and students must take a minimum of one (standard) or two (advanced) majors. Many Hövdsköles also place limits on the numbers of M+ and Supplementary

Subjects

Core Modules

Core modules are mandatory for the completion of the qualification, and generally have very limited flexibility when it comes to choosing content. The modules vary between the standard and advanced diplomas, but in both diplomas they make up a maximum of 20% of the students overall grade. The core content is generally referred to and timetabled as a single subject, during which all the relevant modules are covered. While some of the modules relate to major or minor options, most are skills based and designed to give students a well-rounded academic and/or professional profile, in order to demonstrate preparedness for the workplace or university.

Core Modules By Diploma Type and Credit Values

Module Name	Standard Diploma	Advanced Diploma	Credits
Academic Methods	Yes	Yes	1
Academic Methods (Advanced)	No	Yes	1
Written Communication	Yes*	Yes*	1
Functional Mathematics	Yes**	Yes**	2
Functional Technology	Yes***	Yes***	2
Practical Problem Solving	Yes	No	1
Analytical Reasoning	No	Yes	1
Critical Perpectives	Yes	Yes	1
Strategic Thinking	No	Yes	1

*Students taking majors or minors in Cordish, Journalism, Public Relations, or Science Communication are exempt from the Written Communication core module.

**Students taking majors or minors in Mathematics, Statistics, or Finance are exempt from the Functional Mathematics core module.

***Students taking majors or minors in Computer Science, Data Science or Digital Media are exempt from the Functional Technology core module.

Supplementary Options

Supplementary options, also known as Core+ or Upskill modules, are optional skills or knowledge based courses, usually based in a very specific area. As such they do not contain enough content, or are not academically focussed enough, to qualify as minor or major subject options.

Equivalence with Other Qualifications

Within Olmeria

The General Diploma, as a Level 3 qualification, is equivalent with a number of other Olmerian qualifications. Most similar are the individual diplomas, which were the primary academic study option before the introduction of the General Diploma. A completed General Diploma is usually considered equivalent to 2-3 individual diplomas of the same type.

Criticism

Knowledge Gaps

Critics of the system claim that the General Diploma leaves graduates with a lack of knowledge or skills, compared to Individual Diploma graduates, both at Háskóli and in the workplace. Because of the broader range of education, it is true that the General Diploma often leaves students with less subject knowledge in specific areas than those with individual diplomas, however degree courses are designed such that this is unlikely to disadvantage students.