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The Commons T+LC
  1. THE COMMONS
  2. For Educators
  3. Research + Assessment
  4. Assessment
  5. Program Level Assessment
  6. Examples of Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Well-defined program learning outcomes describe the specific knowledge, competencies, and skills a department believes that graduates of the program will have attained by program completion. Using these outcomes as our guide, we can ask how effective our programs are in preparing students of distinct racial, economic, social, and educational backgrounds for their future studies and careers. 

UC San Diego

Every approved program at UC San Diego has published learning outcomes. These outcomes have been defined by the faculty that deliver the program, and they are paired with indicators (measures) that have also been selected by the faculty to assess whether the program is effectively supporting students to meet those learning goals. 

Discipline-Specific

Program learning outcomes should be specific enough to describe the knowledge and skills developed within the discipline, but broad enough to encompass the range of learning that occurs across the variety of courses in the curriculum. Many pprofessional associations publish learning outcomes for their disciplines.