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Competency-based education (CBE)

How you’ll learn at Capella

Take your skills from the courseroom to the workplace with competency-based education at Capella University. You’ll learn professional skills for use in a practical, real-world working environment – so you can apply the skills right away.

What is competency-based education?

What is competency-based education?

With a focus on practical knowledge and relevant professional skills you can use in the workplace right away, Capella offers competency-based education that can help you prepare for your career. We outline what you’ll learn in our university outcomes, which reflect general employability skills, program learning outcomes for your profession, and course competencies to help you pursue your goals.

The benefits of competency-based education

Your time is valuable, and your career ambitions are important. Our competency-based curriculum offers skills that are relevant to your industry, and the course assessments are authentic, so that what you learn is resume ready and useful in the workplace right away.

Stay relevant with a career-centered curriculum

Curriculum is designed in partnership with faculty who have real-world experience to help develop courses that are aligned with professional skills valued in your field.

Gain practical knowledge and skills

Your assessments are designed to measure your ability to demonstrate competency in relevant career skills, not just your ability to pass exams.

Apply what you learn today

Our courses are designed to help teach you the skills that are relevant in your industry, so you can start applying them right away in your workplace.

How does the competency-based education approach work?

Assessment: An assignment that measures your knowledge through practical application. For example, students may be asked to build a business case or make recommendations based on a company’s quarterly reports.

Competencies: Knowledge and skills that students are expected to gain from a course. To move on, students must demonstrate mastery of competencies.

Criteria: The elements in an assessment on which students will be evaluated. These are outlined in the assessment rubric.

Grading: Students are evaluated based on how well they demonstrate competency in each of the criteria.

Competency map: A personalized dashboard that shows students their academic progress on each competency. This helps to identify strengths and areas that need more focus.

More questions about competency-based education? Start here.

Competency-based education in action

Eight skills to demonstrate career readiness

These competencies can help you in the pursuit of your professional goals, no matter which career or area of study you choose.

Eight reasons to choose online education

Dig deeper into what online learning looks like and discover the benefits of earning your degree online.

Take the next step

Picture yourself in a cap and gown, ready to take on what’s ahead. Get started on your journey now by connecting with an enrollment counselor. See how Capella may be a good fit for you and start the application process.