Programme Specifications
Cambridge students holding a discussion
Programme Specifications at Cambridge
Programme Specifications are official documents published annually for each award-bearing taught course at the University of Cambridge. They provide a clear and comprehensive overview of a course’s purpose, structure, and outcomes, and are linked to student transcripts.
What information is included?
Programme specifications are designed to answer key questions:
Key question | Programme specification section |
What is the programme? | Brief overview of the course |
What does it offer? | Educational Aims |
What will students learn? | Learning Outcomes |
How is the programme structured, taught and assessed? | Structure, Teaching and Learning and Assessment |
Personal and professional development and future employment opportunities | Progression and Career Destinations. |
Additional information required for professional accrediting bodies or useful for future employers may also be included.
The Purpose of Programme Specifications
Programme specifications serve multiple audiences:
- Students – to understand course content and expectations
- Academic staff and departments – for course planning and reflection
- Reviewers and examiners – for quality assurance
- Employers and professional bodies – to assess graduate capabilities
- The General Board - to understand the purpose and delivery of all taught programmes
They are especially useful for understanding how a course aligns with the University’s academic standards and national frameworks and regulatory bodies including:
- The Higher Education Credit Framework
- University regulations (Statutes and Ordinances)
- Subject benchmark statements and PSRB requirements
Producing and reviewing programme specifications
All new courses are required to produce a programme specification as part of their approval paperwork. The template with further guidance is here:
Existing programme specifications are reviewed and updated on an annual basis to ensure they provide an accurate record of the course.
All specifications are publicly available as PDFs on the CamDATA webpages and are permanently linked to student transcripts.
Useful external information
- CamDATA: course information and statistics
- QAA: UK Quality Code for Higher Education
- QAA: Subject Benchmark Statements
- QAA: The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (Qualifications Frameworks)
(Last updated September 2025)