In one aspect, the present invention describes biodegradable photoluminescent polymer (BPLP) compositions. In some embodiments, an aliphatic biodegradable photoluminescent polymer (BPLP) composition comprises a degradable oligomer, wherein the oligomer is synthesized from a diol, an amino acid, and a biocompatible multifunctional carboxylic acid comprising a hydroxyl group. The amino acid is linked as a side group to the degradable oligomer backbone, and fluorescence emanates from a 6-membered ring formed by a carboxylic acid group of the amino acid, an alpha carbon of the amino acid, an amide linkage formed by an amino group of the amino acid, and a central carbon of the multifunctional carboxylic acid via an esterification reaction of the carboxylic acid group of the amino acid and the hydroxyl group of the multifunctional carboxylic acid.