# PROCEDURE A program standard is produced by the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB), which is a branch of MCU, that sets out the essential learning a student must achieve before being deemed eligible for graduation. A program standard applies to all deliveries of a program with the same p | | | |---|---| | Type | PDF | | Size | 178 KB | [Open original PDF →](https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/07/A-25-PR-8_New-MCU-Program-Standard-Release-Procedure.pdf) Referenced from: [Policies & Procedures](/pages/academics/policies/) ## Document text SUBJECT ## PROCEDURE ## PROGRAM STANDARD DEFINITION A program standard is produced by the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB), which is a branch of MCU, that sets out the essential learning a student must achieve before being deemed eligible for graduation. A program standard applies to all deliveries of a program with the same program title and MCU Code, and consists of Vocational Learning Outcomes (VLOs), Essential Employability Skills (EES), as well as general education requirements. Prior to graduation, students must achieve all three elements of the program standard. The vocational and essential employability skills components of program standards are expressed in terms of learning outcomes. Learning outcomes represent verifiable, culminating demonstrations of integrated learning and achievement. ## PEQAB ROLLING SCHEDULE FOR PROGRAM STANDARD REVIEWS The PEQAB Branch of MCU oversees the consultation, development, and review of standards for programs of instruction. On an annual basis, PEQAB provides an update on the review and development of program standards work to be led in collaboration with Ontario Colleges. This is primarily completed through the Coordinating Committee of Vice Presidents Academic (CCVPA) and Heads of Quality Management (HQM), and additionally may be communicated directly via email through VPA Offices. A draft plan is provided for feedback in advance of finalization. This update is presented in a rolling three-year program standard plan, which contains both a list of the confirmed program standards for review and development in the current year, as well as lists of program standards anticipated to be reviewed subsequently in the next two years. Upon release of the rolling three-year program standards plan, PEQAB also requests an updated list of College contacts (program coordinators, faculty, staff, Program Advisory Committee members, and curriculum developers) to help build a database of contacts for participation in the consultation phase of the program standard review/development process. | ISSUE DATE | SUPERSEDES | REFERENCE | SECTION | PAGE OF | PAGE OF | | --- Source: [https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/07/A-25-PR-8_New-MCU-Program-Standard-Release-Procedure.pdf](https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/07/A-25-PR-8_New-MCU-Program-Standard-Release-Procedure.pdf)