The aim of this research was to explore if, and to what extent, program-level assessment is adopted in Australian universities, and if not, what are the barriers to it being adopted. Programmatic assessment (Schuwirth & Van der Vleuten, 2011; van der Vleuten et al., 2012) or program-focused assessment (Hartley & Whitfield, 2013; Whitfield & Hartley, 2019) are the terms used to describe the process of integrating assessment within a program of study. These two terms are used interchangeably and when taken in context, refer to a holistic approach to assessment throughout a program. Program-level assessment uses a backward mapping design process to arrange assessments strategically and holistically throughout a degree or program of study. Despite having construct validity, program-level assessment has not been widely adopted internationally (Whitfield & Hartley, 2017), except within medical education and health discipines (Hartley & Whitfield, 2013; Palermo et al., 2017; Roberts et al., 2022; Schut et al., 2021). This is in part due to the predominant modular approach to program and assessment design driven by national and international drivers that have resulted in the commodification and marketisation of higher education. This approach to program and assessment planning, results in a variable quality experience for the student, limits a deeper approach to study, encourages students to focus on their achievements in individual assessment tasks, rather than on the development of self-directed behaviours, such as critical and ethical thinking. The increase in accessibility and sophistication of generative artificial intelligence (Sullivan et al., 2023) provides an impetus to reform assessment practices to be more coordinated, valid and trustworthy (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, 2023). It should focus on career skill development not just context-specific learning. A program-level approach to assessment would achieve this and help students develop and apply skills and knowledge required for future careers. [...]