Scientific Research on Defining Post-Secondary Degrees in the 21st Century

The competition for jobs in the 21st century is increasingly being driven by defining postsecondary
learning in light of new and complex environments. To succeed, students must be prepared with
knowledge to compete in these environments. Historically, higher education has defined these
requirements in their own terms, often through learning outcomes specific to a course, degree or
discipline. Given the recent attention toward the accountability of postsecondary education in the
United States, a challenge facing our colleges and universities is defining the learning in a common
language that is transparent and easily understood by all stakeholders regardless of a degree. The
Lumina Foundation’s (2011) Degree Qualification Profile (DQP) is one way to accomplish this through
five learning areas. This article will discuss how one institution adopted the DQP in the School of
Professional Studies and quantified the five learning areas and meaning of its degrees. This study will
discuss how three programs (undergraduate and graduate) identified and categorized the five learning
areas of the DQP in the degrees, quantified the results, and used them in the assessment process for
continuous improvement.