Our seven academic learning goals were implemented by the Ursuline Studies Program in1992 when our women-focused curriculum was adopted.  Still relevant, they are mirrored in the Essential Learning Outcomes identified by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (2007).  Research conducted with employers (Hart Research Associates & AACU, 2010) also align these goals with successful employment after college.* 




The Ursuline Studies Program seeks to develop certain abilities that help students to excel in academics and in life. Our goals for a liberal arts education enable students to:

Analyze and Synthesize by examining and distinguishing constituent elements (analysis) and combining parts or elements into a whole (synthesis).

Communicate Effectively by exchanging ideas, thoughts, opinions or feelings through a common system of language, symbols, signs or gestures appropriate for everyday living.

Interact Socially by engaging in behavior that permits effective relationships in both one-to-one and group situations.

Make Decisions Based on Values by making discriminations based upon the consideration of what the individual prizes as ethical, socially worthwhile, good, beautiful, and true.

Respond to Beauty by integrating the cognitive and affective domains in a personal experience of the arts.

Solve Problems by finding a solution to a question or situation that presents uncertainty or difficulty.

Take Responsibility for Society by accepting the obligation to respond to unjust or oppressive social situations.

The goal of the Ursuline Studies Program it to promote and develop these abilities so that students can successfully integrate them into academic, professional, social, and personal situations.

*Association of American Colleges and Universities. College Learning for the New Global Century: A Report
from the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America’s Promise. Washington, DC: AACU, 2007, Print.

Hart Research Associates. Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn. 2010. Print.

"The Quality Imperative: Match Ambitious Goals for College Attainment with an Ambitious Vision for Learning."  Liberal Education 98, 1 Winter 2010.  Print.