Through this document, Lumina Foundation for Education offers a "Degree Qualifications Profile," a tool that can help transform U.S. higher education. A Degree Profile--or qualifications framework--illustrates clearly what students should be expected to know and be able to do once they earn their degrees--at any level. This Degree Profile thus proposes specific learning outcomes that benchmark the associate, bachelor's and master's degrees--which constitute the great majority of postsecondary degrees awarded by U.S. colleges and universities--regardless of a student's field of specialization. Beyond encouraging thoughtful discussion and evolution of those reference points, the Degree Profile can serve other purposes either lacking or imperfectly realized in American higher education today. While it is difficult to anticipate all of the purposes that the Degree Profile can serve, there are several obvious applications that deserve mention. At the curriculum and classroom level, instructors and students can refer to the Degree Profile as a common source of understanding and as a point of departure for agreement on more detailed and specific expectations regarding the development of programs, courses, assignments and assessments. At the college and university level, the Degree Profile provides reference points that allow faculty members to articulate and better align institutional student learning outcomes with departmental objectives. The Degree Profile also should offer students and advisers reference points for degree planning. In addition, institutions can use the Degree Profile to help align their expectations with those of other institutions and to give prospective students a clear statement of the outcomes they seek to assure. Regional accreditors should find that the Degree Profile prompts them to reach the consensus on learning outcomes that is being sought by many leaders and opinion makers. Specialized accreditors can use the Degree Profile as a platform for relating disciplinary expectations to institutional ones. A list of sources is included. (Contains 1 footnote.) [For the executive summary, see ED515341.]