Since its publication in January 2011 as the beta Degree Qualifications Profile (see ED515302), the DQP has proved its usefulness to higher education institutions and associations from coast to coast. More than 400 colleges and universities have used the DQP. Its applications have been as diverse as the variety of missions of higher education. Though this formal release of the DQP reflects much that has been learned through experience with the earlier beta version, this document is more an enhancement than a revision. The fundamental strength of the DQP --succinct, active definitions of what degree recipients should know and be able to do at each degree level--remains unchanged. Those engaged in implementation or adaptation of the DQP may be confident that its structure and contents have not been substantially altered. What has changed since the beta version of the DQP was issued in 2011? Informed by significant feedback from the field, this edition includes new proficiencies addressing ethical reasoning and global learning, strengthened statements on quantitative reasoning, and more explicit attention to research. It now highlights analytical and cooperative approaches to learning that transcend specific fields of study. It provides guidance on integrating the development of students' intellectual skills with their broad, specialized, applied, and civic learning. And, in response to explicit requests from the field, it points to resources that support the assessment of DQP proficiencies. This edition of the DQP thus builds on the success of its beta edition--to offer an even more useful, flexible and practical guide for what college graduates should know and be able to do when awarded the associate, bachelor's or master's degree. Future editions of the DQP will be published on a regular basis, as revisions are called for by the field, but the goal of the DQP throughout future editions will continue unchanged--to be a useful, flexible, and practical tool to define postsecondary degrees in the U.S. through the demonstration and documentation of student learning, regardless of the student's field of study. The following are appended: (1) Why "proficiency"?; (2) The DQP and Tuning; (3) More on assignments and assessment; (4) Examples of DQP use; (5) Definitions of key DQP terms; (6) Questions and concerns; and (7) Sources consulted.