In academic year 2024-25, the Graduate Faculty Council adopted institution-level graduate program learning objectives.
PhD institution learning objectives
Knowledge: Demonstrate appropriate breadth and depth of disciplinary knowledge and comprehension of the major topics, theories, and issues of the discipline, including demonstration of specialized knowledge of a sub-field sufficient to carry out substantive independent research or creative pursuits
Research/applied skills: Use disciplinary methods and techniques ethically and professionally to apply knowledge, critically analyze, and, as appropriate to the degree, create new knowledge or achieve advanced creative accomplishments
Communication: Communicate proficiently and effectively to a specialist or non-specialist audience, verbally and in writing, a structured, coherent academic presentation, representation, or argument that cogently summarizes their research or creative pursuit, relevant literature, and its significance at the level appropriate to the discipline.
Master's institution learning objectives
Knowledge: Demonstrate appropriate breadth and depth of disciplinary knowledge and comprehension of the major topics, theories, and issues of the discipline
Applied skills: Uses, disaggregates, reformulates and/or adapts principal ideas, techniques or methods of the field of study ethically, professionally, and based on best practices of the discipline
Communication: Communicate proficiently and effectively to a specialist or non-specialist audience, verbally and in writing, a coherent argument or explanation summarizing aspects of the discipline
Defining graduate program-level learning objectives
For a degree-conferring graduate program, each program can adopt the institution-level objectives for their own program's objectives, adapt the institution-level objectives to meet the program's needs, or create new program learning objectives. No institution-level grad learning objectives were defined for grad certificate; therefore, these programs will need to create learning objectives. No institution-level grad learning objectives were defined for other grad degrees; therefore, like the grad certificates, these programs will need to create learning objectives. If a program previously defined program objectives or has objectives from their accreditor that meet their needs, those can be used as their program objectives.
If looking to adapt or create program learning objectives, here are a few ideas for information gathering or objective generation:
Note: All program learning objectives must be entered into CourseLeaf CIM.
Resources
Guide for defining grad program learning objectives: Defining grad PLOs
Guide on how to enter program learning objectives into CourseLeaf CIM: Entering PLOs into CourseLeaf CIM.pdf
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