Higher National Diploma - Definition and Overview

A Higher National Diploma (HND) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom, and is a BTEC qualification awarded by Edexcel, in England. In Scotland, the qualification is issued by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The attainment level is one above that of a Higher National Certificate (HNC) and one below that of a bachelor's degree. Studied fulltime, the qualification normally takes two years.

It is usual for HNDs to cover roughly the same area as the first two levels of a bachelor's degree; though it, of course, does not cover the final demanding levels that are valued highly by employers. It is quite common for those who have passed an HND to upgrade their qualification by undertaking another level, sometimes two, to obtain a bachelor's degree.