Diploma Definition: A certificate of completion of a college or university program of study. Related Terms: School In Valentine, the Supreme Court of Iowa defined a diploma as follows: "The written or printed evidence endorsed by the proper authorities that the person named thereon has completed a prescribed course of study in the school or institution named therein." Ballentine's Law Dictionary refers to an 1866 case from Alabama, Halliday v Butt, in defining a diploma as: "An instrument, usually under seal, conferring some privilege, honor, or authority; now almost wholly restricted to certificates of degrees conferred by schools, universities and colleges." REFERENCES: Ballentine, James, Ballentine's Law Dictionary (Rochester: Lawyers Co-op. Publishing Co., 1969), page 349. Halliday v. Butt, 40 Ala. 178 (1866) Valentine v. Independent School District, 183 N.W. 434 (1921) Categories & Topics: School Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!