Mission Statement

A program mission statement explains the purpose and value of the program. It demonstrates the way it serves students and supports the university mission. Accreditors expect that programs develop mission statements and goals for their program. These elements differentiate programs and describe the unique values and philosophies of the university and its programs.

Mission statements and goals demonstrate how multiple programs can align and support the departments, schools, and university they are housed within. College mission statements, and in turn departmental mission statements, should flow from and directly support the overall institutional mission. As such, ASU’s mission or charter is embedded in all we do. It is to be very clearly articulated with each program expected to demonstrate how they support some or all of the different entities.

Each program should develop a mission statement that explains the purpose and values of the program, how the program serves its students, and how the program contributes to the mission and values of the university. The table below provides guidance on aligning a program’s mission with the university’s as well as identifying key concepts to include to foster program and university alignment. The first column contains the university's mission for reference, the third columns contains the goal's of the university, and the second column identifies several concepts within the both university's mission and goal's that programs can use to align their own mission statement to the university's.

For guidance on how to write a mission statement, please visit the Mission Statement section of the handbook or go to the Program Mission and Goals module of the Canvas site.