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Programme Specifications are normally written by course teams for all taught HE qualifications. They are:

"...the definitive publicly available information on the aims, intended learning outcomes and expected learner achievements of programmes of study." (Handbook for institutional audit: England and Northern Ireland, 2006).

As such they provide a concise overview of the main learning outcomes for a whole programme of study and how these will be achieved and demonstrated. So for example they will include the main purposes and distinctive features of an individual programme, the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes that characterise the expected learning outcomes, and the learning, teaching and assessment methods that will be used. It is programme specifications that make clear the similarities and differences between programmes, for example the difference between leisure management and leisure studies, or the difference between leisure studies in one institution and another.

Programme specifications have particular relevance for course teams in quality assurance, curriculum planning, review and validation activities, and they are also likely to be of interest to others such as employers and professional bodies interested in the skills and attributes developed in particular programmes.

The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) provides guidance on writing programme specifications.

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