Degree Programs (Majors, BA/BS/MA/MS/PhD)

• For new degree proposals, the Comprehensive Program Proposal (CPP) requires a minimum of four PLOs. Recommended practice is 5–7 PLOs for all degree programs.
• PLOs should scale with degree level:
  • bachelor’s-level outcomes typically emphasize foundational disciplinary competence and application;
  • master’s-level outcomes add independent or applied scholarship and professional communication;
  • doctoral-level outcomes center on original, independent research and field leadership.
• PLOs should be unique to each degree and degree level and should distinguish the program from every other program in the catalog. Avoid generic, transferable language that could describe any program in the discipline.
• PLOs should be the same for programs regardless of delivery mode (in-person/on-campus or online).
• PLOs should align with disciplinary norms, standards, or guidelines. Disciplinary associations often provide suggested PLOs for undergraduate programs or engage in scholarly conversation about future needs for graduates. Programs that have specialized or disciplinary accreditations should align their PLOs to the accreditor’s guidelines.

Undergraduate Degree Concentrations

• Concentration PLOs should be a focused subset or extension of the parent major’s PLOs. Concentrations should share all of the outcomes with the degree and add one or two outcomes that are specific to the concentration. The concentration should not have a separate set of PLOs.
• Concentration outcomes should still be distinctive: a concentration exists because it offers something the parent major and other concentrations in the same major don’t.
• Because concentration names appear on the transcript but not the diploma, PLOs should be assessable at the concentration level specifically (i.e., you should be able to point to coursework unique to that concentration as evidence).

Certificates — Graduate and Standalone Undergraduate

• All certificates require 3–4 PLOs, explicitly aligning the learning outcomes of the selected courses with the overall certificate outcomes. This is a smaller set than a degree program’s, reflecting the certificate’s narrower, more targeted scope.
• Certificate proposals must also include a Program of Study map (with prerequisites) showing how courses build toward the PLOs. Treat this as inseparable from the PLO-writing step, not a later formality.
• Standalone certificates are reviewed under an independent CIM workflow, even when a standard (bachelor’s-only) version of the same certificate already exists. Don’t assume PLOs carry over automatically.
• Standalone certificates are subject to the same annual outcomes assessment process and program review cycle as graduate certificates, so write PLOs you can realistically collect evidence for every year.
• Certificates should map PLOs cleanly and directly to the identified course set.

Minors

Because minors constitute a subset of courses in a degree program, minors are not required to identify specific program learning outcomes. Minors may appear on curriculum maps and with courses aligned to the degree PLOs. If a program is subject to specialized or disciplinary accreditation standards, there may be a requirement to identify PLOs for minors; check with your accreditation representative.