The Higher Certificate is an award that has replaced the National Certificate

National Certificate

National Certificate is the name of an educational award in a number of countries, although the actual merit of award is not always the same.-Ireland:...

 in the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 The Higher Certificate is awarded by various Institutes of Technology. A Higher Certificate academic programme is 2 years of full-time study.

The equivalent British award is a Certificate of Higher Education

Certificate of Higher Education

A Certificate of Higher Education is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. It is awarded after one year full-time study at a university or other higher education institution. A Cert.HE is an independent tertiary award, an award in its own right, and students can study for a...

 (Cert.HE) Both the Irish Higher Certificate and the British Certificate of Higher Education are Level 6 awards on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications

National Framework of Qualifications

The National Framework of Qualifications is a system used to describe levels of educational qualifications in Ireland. Responsibility for maintaining and developing the framework lies with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland....

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Common Higher Certificates

English title	Irish title
Higher Certificate in Arts	Ardteastas Ealaíon
Higher Certificate in Business	Ardteastas Gnó
Higher Certificate in Engineering	Ardteastas Innealtóireachta
Higher Certificate in Science	Ardteastas Eolaíochta