Diplôme d'études supérieures spécialisées (pronounced as /fr/, DESS) was an old diploma in France, which is no longer awarded. It completed a fifth year of higher education aimed at professional practice. It could be choosen after one had got a . This diploma has been abolished when the bachelor/master/doctorate system had been introduced in Europe (in France between 2003 and 2006) and was replaced by the master.[1]