The purpose of this paper is to discuss student learning outcomes in two different program evaluation courses: a doctoral-level course taught using theory and a masters-level course taught by executing an actual program evaluation while integrating theory and practice. Faculty instructors recognized clear distinctions in the presentations of both groups of students and desired to gain deeper insight of learning outcomes from the students’ perspective; hence, they along with one of their students conducted a survey research study loosely based on the Essential Competencies for Program Evaluators Self-Assessment developed by Ghere, King, Stevahn and Minnema (2006). They also conducted interviews with program leaders to obtain additional feedback for the applied components of the masters-level course. The research team will accordingly share their findings while engaging attendees by sharing their collective experiences while blending theory and practice.