Undergraduate Learning Outcomes (ULOs)

To accomplish our mission, programming at Messiah aims to accomplish the following ULOs.

1. Foundations of Learning

Students develop skills common to the liberal arts and sciences: research, analysis, reflection, and communication.

This includes:

Develop those abilities essential to liberal arts education;
Think logically and creatively, analytically and synthetically, and abstractly and concretely;
Read, observing, and listening carefully and critically;
Write and speak clearly and coherently;
Function effectively in quantitatively-and technologically-oriented cultures;
Access, evaluate, and use information effectively and ethically;
Make connections (i.e., probe relationships, including congruencies and contradictions) between learnings acquired above.

2. Breadth and Depth of Knowledge

Students develop knowledge common to the liberal arts and sciences in the fields of arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Students will also develop specialized knowledge and disciplinary expertise.

This includes...

Appreciate the aesthetic dimensions of life;
Pursue the process of learning as a life-long pursuit;
Gain knowledge common to liberal arts education;
Develop basic understanding of geographical, social, political, and religious realities throughout the world;
Learn significant aspects of the Western social, cultural, political, religious, and philosophical heritage;
Learn significant aspects of at least one non-Western culture;
Learn the methods, philosophies, and the basic principles of the mathematical, natural, and social sciences;
Learn the traditions and methods of the arts and the humanities;
Attain specialized knowledge and abilities in at least one area of study;
Understand the foundational content and philosophical assumptions of one's specialized area of study;
Learn the traditions and methods of the arts and the humanities.

3. Faith Knowledge and Application

Students develop informed and mature convictions about Christian faith and practice.

This includes:

Develop knowledge of and about God as revealed in Jesus Christ;
Gain knowledge of the Bible’s content and themes, including the biblical witness on service, leadership, and reconciliation;
Learn about historic Christian beliefs, practices, and ecclesiastical expressions, and the particular emphases of the Anabaptist, Pietist, and Wesleyan traditions;
Become familiar with contemporary theological dialogue and biblical scholarship;
Explore various connections between faith and learning;
Articulate how faith connects to one's specialized area of study and to potential career options in that study;
Develop the intellect and character necessary to express Christian commitments in responsible decisions, and actions;
Develop individual and corporate spiritual disciplines that nurture personal faith and compassion for others;
Practice a lifestyle based on Christian commitments;
Recognize the relevance of Christian faith to all of life.

4. Specialized Skills and Scholarship

Students become proficient in the scholarship of their discipline and demonstrate specialized skills needed to pursue a career and/or graduate school.

This includes:

Engage in scholarship in one’s specialized area of study;
Develop proficiency in one’s specialized area of study sufficient to pursue a career and/or continue education at the graduate level.

5. Self-Awareness

Students gain awareness of identity, character, and vocational calling.

This includes:

Balance commitment with humility;
Acquire the ability to articulate and evaluate one's faith;
Gain an awareness of options for employment, voluntary service, and/or graduate education in one's specialized area of study;
Develop an understanding of one's identity and Christian vocation;
Develop an awareness of and concern for the whole person, including physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness;
Acquire an appreciation for how one’s faith, community, and culture impact one’s identity and sense of meaning;
Develop a sense of vocation that includes but transcends career choice;
Gain a realistic sense of one’s distinctiveness, including one’s interests, abilities, and limitations;
Discern and reflecting on the role(s) one assumes in groups, including one’s faith community.

6. Social Responsibility

Students demonstrate a commitment to service, reconciliation, and justice, and respond effectively and ethically to the complexities of an increasingly diverse and interdependent world.

This includes:

Become aware of how people fo different cultures perceive the world, interpret reality, and make meaning;
Recognize the influence of culture upon the Christian faith, and appreciating the insights that other cultures contribute to Christian theology and practice;
Assess cultural values and ethical traditions in light of the biblical witness;
Apply the insights of Christian theology and ethics to complex social and personal issues;
Understand the nature and causes of violence in the world and the means for promoting peace;
Recognize the implications of living in an increasingly interdependent world;
Evaluate institutional policies and social/cultural practices on the basis of whether they promote peace, justice, and reconciliation;
Gain an appreciation for cultural and ethnic diversity;
Become servants, leaders, and reconcilers in the world;
Develop a sense of civil responsibility and commitment to work with others for the common good;
Develop the courage to act responsibility and redemptively in a complex world;
Practice good stewardship of economic and natural resources;
Act in ways that respect gender, cultural, and ethnic diversity;
Make decisions that reflect an ethic of service, a concern for justice, and a desire for reconciliation.