In this study, 31 professors teaching laboratory courses in pharmaceutical science deliberated student learning, using findings from a systematic review of learning outcomes associated with laboratory work at university level as a frame of reference. In breakout and plenary groups, they made meaning of substantiated educational constructs and related those to their own extensive teaching experience in the laboratory. Thematic analysis was used to elucidate the professors’ thinking about whether and how their students developed competences pertaining to experimental work, viz. experimental competences, conceptual learning, affective outcomes, higher-order thinking skills, epistemic learning, and generic competences. Analysis results demonstrated that the constructs were to various degrees relatable and observable in practice. The professors characterised learning in the laboratory as encompassing several dimensions, centred on experimental competences. Their discussions pointed to the importance of open-ended investigations in the laboratory curriculum. Accordingly, prescribed, more structured laboratory courses may still be relevant, to scaffold students’ competence development, especially with regards to basic experimental competences. Some directions for future research and teachers’ professional development are proposed.