Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; ) is an undergraduate or postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. In most modern universities, the BD as a first degree is essentially equivalent to a Bachelor of Arts degree with a speciality in divinity. Relatively few institutions award undergraduate Bachelor of Divinity degrees today, and the distinction between institutions that do award such degrees and those that award BA degrees for theological subjects is usually one of bureaucracy rather than curriculum.
Diploma of Higher Education
The Diploma certifies that a student has achieved a minimum standard for 2nd Year courses in science and liberal arts. If a student is undertaking a full Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma of Higher Education marks two-thirds of their undergraduate degree. Thus allowing the British Diploma to rank ahead of the American Associate of Arts (which in American parlance is a two-year undergraduate, or half of a BA/BS). That being said, American universities generally consider UK Diplomas equivalent to a college level Associate of Arts even though a British student typically holds more credit hours (and therefore more study time) in the arts, humanities and/or sciences.