ABSTRACT
The idea of epistemic ascent is applicable to both academic and professional/vocational curricula. Perhaps one of the surprising findings that arises from the consideration of epistemic ascent in relation to the professional curriculum is that an exclusive concern with propositional knowledge leads one astray. 'Professional Knowledge' is not solely identified with sets of propositions. The first objection arises from the fact that ability to recall a proposition does not constitute knowledge of that proposition, in the case of professional education, the ability to draw on that proposition to make professional judgments. However, the development of occupational capacity brings new requirements for knowledge in the form of systematic underpinning knowledge required for the practice of the occupation as a whole, including knowledge of the principles underlying practice of the occupation, including those necessary to understand how it responds to social and technological change.
