The reports on an 18 month ESRC/DfID funded project which researched the question of the contribution of universities to poverty reduction, the public good and human development. Specifically, the project explored professional education in three South African universities across five professional fields oriented to the public good, drawing on 77 qualitative interviews with 120 stakeholders, as well as continuing participatory dialogue. The key criterion in developing and evaluating professional education in the case study universities was how professionals are educated to expand the scope of effective freedoms (capabilities and functionings) of persons in poverty so that they are empowered to lead the lives they value, with human dignity. The outcome was a professional capabilities ‘Index’, subsequently applied in one UK university. The process by which the professional capabilities Index (PCI) was generated empirically as a ‘non ideal’ model is explored in some detail, drawing on interview data with lecturers, students, university leaders, alumni, professional bodies and non-government agencies. The argument is advanced both for human capabilities as a theoretical approach, and for the PCI as a feasible practical tool for professional education which is oriented to reducing inequalities and to social justice, both in developing and developed countries.