Would masters, undergraduate and graduate fall into this category as well or are they a different thing?
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Certificates and diplomas are both pieces of paper that certify that you have undertaken some form of training or education. Typically certificates are awarded for skills based training or education, while diplomas are awarded for knowledge based training or education.
A degree is actually a title. The idea derives from the hierarchical social order that is still somewhat prevalent in Europe to this day. For example, a blacksmith’s son who earned the title “doctor of laws” would be treated as a better person (and given better opportunities) than a blacksmith’s son who simply became a blacksmith.
In the modern world, universities and schools award just a diploma to graduates of their lowest level knowledge based programs. For the higher level programs they award both a diploma (piece of paper) and a degree (a title with a bump to your social rank). It’s actually kind of a weird tradition when you think about it, but it hangs around because universities and colleges are nothing if not conservative.
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