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Graduate attributes

Ask someone in business what they want from a Business School graduate, and there is a good chance one or more of the University graduate attributes will be included in their response.

The University of Sydney graduate attributes are:

  1. Research and inquiry: Business School graduates will be able to create new knowledge and understanding through the process of research and inquiry.
  2. Communication: Business School graduates will recognise and value communication as a tool for negotiating and creating new understanding, interacting with others, and furthering their own learning.
  3. Information Literacy: Business School graduates will be able to use information effectively in a range of contexts.
  4. Ethical social and professional understandings: Business School graduates will hold personal values and beliefs consistent with their role as responsible members of local, national, international and professional communities
  5. Personal and intellectual autonomy: Business School graduates will be able to work independently and sustainably, in a way that is informed by openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new challenges.

Why

All Business School programs are designed to support students in developing professionally relevant skills, including the application of discipline knowledge. Without the generic skills listed above, discipline knowledge can not be applied in a meaningful manner.

Graduate attributes are another way to articulate program learning goals. The nature and level of a program (i.e., undergraduate, postgraduate or for experienced professionals) influences the way the program learning goals are expressed as outcomes.

Along with the good teaching and overall satisfaction questions and scales in the unit of study evaluation (USE), course experience questionnaire (CEQ) and student course experience questionnaire (SCEQ), graduate attributes (or generic skills) are a common indicator of effective learning and teaching in many contexts.

Examples

  • Program learning goals should align with the University graduate attributes, thereby ensuring alignment in units, assessments and learning and teaching activities within that program.
  • Online tools such as ReView are designed to incorporate providing students feedback that aligns with graduate attributes.

Further Resources