Meaning & use
academic qualification
Last updated
UK/ˌækəˌdemɪk ˌkwɒlɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
US/ˌækəˌdemɪk ˌkwɑːləfəˈkeɪʃn̩/
Meaning
nouncountableformal
An official certificate, degree or exam result that proves a person has completed a course of study.
Grammar: Countable: she has several academic qualifications.
Patterns
- an academic qualification in something
The job requires an academic qualification in engineering.
He has no academic qualifications but plenty of experience.
A master's degree is a higher academic qualification.
Word forms
| plural | academic qualifications |
|---|
Common combinations
- hold an academic qualification
- She holds an academic qualification in law.
- gain an academic qualification
- He gained an academic qualification at night school.
- recognized academic qualification
- Employers want a recognized academic qualification.
- relevant academic qualifications
- Applicants need relevant academic qualifications.
Synonyms and how they differ
- degree
- A degree is one specific university award, while academic qualification covers many kinds.
- credential
- Credential is wider and includes licenses and certificates.
- diploma
- A diploma is a certificate for completing a course, often shorter than a degree.
Opposites
work experience
Word family
- academic adjective
- relating to school study
- qualify verb
- to become eligible
- qualified adjective
- having the necessary qualifications
- academically adverb
- in a school-related way
Commonly confused: academic qualification or professional qualification?
academic qualification vs professional qualification
A professional qualification proves skills for a job, like accounting, rather than school study.
Practice
Which is an academic qualification?
Choose one answer.
A degree is awarded for completing a course of study. The other items are not academic awards.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “academic qualification”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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