It has been suggested that growing interest in curriculum assessment and development in higher education is the result of a number of external and internal factors. External factors include increasing government interest in quality assurance, accessibility, and degree completion rates; growing recognition of the important role university graduates play in fueling innovation, economic growth, and contributing to the quality of society; and the desire for enhanced interinstitutional cooperation in the form of degree credit transfer. Internal influences include growing interest on the part of faculty, educational developers, students, and administrators in improving the quality and relevance of the higher education experience--at institutional, faculty or college, and program or department levels--in particular through the development of learning-centered curricula, interdisciplinary programs, and constructivist pedagogical approaches. Given all of these influences and pressures, the author argues that increased curriculum assessment and development activities are both essential and inevitable. This article presents the reasons for this trend, frameworks for engaging in such processes, and lessons learned. It also identifies significant implications for the faculty role along with significant implications for institutional support.