What it means
مدرک تحصیلی (madrak-e tahsili) is the standard Persian term for an academic degree or educational credential. The word مدرک (madrak) comes from the Arabic root د-ر-ك (d-r-k), meaning something obtained or attained, while تحصیلی (tahsili) is the adjectival form of تحصیل, itself Arabic in origin. Together they describe any formal document certifying completion of a course of study, from a high school diploma to a doctoral degree.
How to use it
- مدرک تحصیلیش لیسانسه. (Madrak-e tahsiliyash lisanse.) “His degree is a bachelor’s.”
- برای این شغل مدرک تحصیلی لازم است. (Baraye in shoghl madrak-e tahsili lazeme.) “A degree is required for this job.”
- مدرک تحصیلیم رو تازه گرفتم. (Madrak-e tahsiliam ro taze gereftam.) “I just received my degree.”
- مدرک تحصیلی بالاتر حقوق بهتری میده. (Madrak-e tahsili-ye balatar hoghugh-e behtari mide.) “A higher degree gives better pay.”
Cultural note
In Iran, the مدرک تحصیلی functions as both a professional credential and a social marker. Many families display university diplomas prominently at home, and a person’s degree level often comes up in introductions or marriage negotiations. There is a widely noted cultural tension between the high value placed on obtaining a degree and a job market that frequently cannot absorb the number of graduates produced each year, leading to the phrase مدرک داره ولی کار نداره (madrak dare vali kar nadare), meaning he has a degree but no job.