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Graduate Attributes framework

The Queen Mary Graduate Attributes are dynamic and will be kept up to date in line with the changing job market and the needs and feedback of students, employers and staff.

Queen Mary's mission is 'To create a truly inclusive environment, building on our cherished cultural diversity, where students and staff flourish, reach their full potential and are proud to be part of the University.'

This updated Graduate Attributes framework supports our students to flourish and reach their potential. The Graduate Attributes are embedded within all Queen Mary programmes.

Graduate Attributes should be incorporated as programme-level attributes as they appear or adapted for a programme or School/Institute. Programme-level attributes should normally include at least one attribute relating to each of the five Queen Mary values and an attribute related to sustainability, ensuring employability has been addressed. There may be additional discipline-specific attributes. 

The table below shows how the attributes align with the Queen Mary values and top employability skills.

 

Queen Mary values Attributes Top employability skills
Inclusive
  • Communicate effectively in a range of formats for different purposes with a diverse range of people 
  • Respect, listen to, and value others and their opinions
  • Communication
Proud
  • Recognise and value your individual worth and identify the contributions you can make
  • Identify clear personal, study and career goals, taking responsibility for your own growth and development
  • Apply a flexible and resilient approach to your life
  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Adaptability / flexibility
  • Resilience
Ambitious
  • Engage critically and reflectively with knowledge
  • Demonstrate an innovative and creative approach to problem solving
  • Apply your disciplinary expertise to broader contexts and society
  • Be digitally fluent
  • Problem solving
  • Creativity / innovation
  • Commercial / sector awareness
  • Digital proficiency
Collegial
  • Participate effectively and inclusively in different roles as part of a team, including as a leader 
  • Collaborate with a diverse range of colleagues  
  • Team working
Ethical
  • Act honestly, fairly and ethically, including in academic conduct
  • Promote socially responsible behaviour for a global sustainable future
  

 

Attributes in practice

Expand each attribute below to view examples of what discipline-specific adaptations might look like at undergraduate and postgraduate taught levels.

Communicate effectively in a range of formats for different purposes with a diverse range of people

  • Convey complex technical, professional and other information in written form to suit a range of audiences (UG) 
  • Communicate clearly, sensitively and effectively with patients, their relatives, carers or other advocates (UG) 
  • Synthesise complex articles and texts (PG) 
  • Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to an accomplished level verbally, electronically and in writing, at a level consistently appropriate for audience (PG) 

Respect, listen to, and value others and their opinions

  • Hear and respond to critiques of your perspective in seminars (UG) 
  • Understand a range of features of another culture and be sensitive to cultural difference (UG) 
  • Act appropriately and inclusively towards patients and colleagues (PG) 

Recognise and value your individual worth and identify the contributions you can make

  • Reflect on your own skills and identify strengths and areas in which you can make a difference (UG) 
  • Reflect on the process of learning and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses (UG) 
  • Critically evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses and manage your own self-development in order to achieve your ambitions and make a contribution (PG) 

Identify clear personal, study and career goals, taking responsibility for your own growth and development   

  • Evaluate and identify your values, goals and aspirations and take action accordingly (UG) 
  • Recognise the importance of planning for personal, career and professional development, including identifying and working towards targets (UG) 
  • Work with a high degree of independence and intellectual initiative, employing effective time-management skills (PG) 

Apply a flexible and resilient approach to your life

  • Remain calm in stressful situations (UG) 
  • Adapt to changing environments and uncertainty (UG) 
  • Manage the personal and emotional challenges of coping with work and workload (PG) 

Engage critically and reflectively with knowledge

  • Evaluate texts and formulate arguments (UG) 
  • Evaluate complex or contradictory information, data and processes to make judgements and decisions (UG) 
  • Critically evaluate information and its sources and apply these appropriately in decision making (PG) 

Demonstrate an innovative and creative approach to problem solving  

  • Apply creativity in product and systems design (UG) 
  • Act entrepreneurially to generate, develop and communicate ideas (UG) 
  • Apply a problem-solving approach to shared decision making with colleagues (PG) 

Apply your disciplinary expertise to broader contexts and society  

  • Draw connections between global political events, history, literature and culture (UG) 
  • Recognise and work within the social, cultural and political context of your practice (UG) 
  • Develop awareness of the key drivers for business success and causes of failure (UG) 

Be digitally fluent

  • Use computer programming to model and solve problems (UG) 
  • Make effective and appropriate use of digital resources and information technology as a source of information, means of communication and aid to learning (UG) 
  • Use technology-enabled communication platforms, respecting confidentiality and maintaining professional standards of behaviour (PG)

Participate effectively and inclusively in different roles as part of a team, including as a leader 

  • Contribute to discussions on complex texts within a group (UG) 
  • Work effectively in a team, appreciating the values of leadership, inclusivity and diversity (UG) 
  • Support the participation of others within a group setting to achieve objectives (PG) 

Collaborate with a diverse range of colleagues

  • Work collaboratively both internally and with external stakeholders, developing an awareness of mutual interdependence (UG) 
  • Work collaboratively as a member of a diverse team (UG) 
  • Work effectively and appropriately in the multi-professional team (PG) 

Act honestly, fairly and ethically, including in academic conduct  

  • Understand and comply with professional and scientific ethics and codes of conduct (UG) 
  • Show awareness of academic integrity and ethical issues and the responsibilities of engaging with others’ research (UG)  
  • Undertake laboratory work ethically and safely with an appreciation of appropriate codes of conduct and legal requirements (UG) 
  • Be committed to professional, ethical and legal codes of practice (PG) 

Promote socially responsible behaviour for a global sustainable future 

  • Identify and solve real world problems, developing creative solutions with a full awareness of sustainability (UG)  
  • Engage in contemporary debates relating to global sustainability and global perspectives (UG) 
  • Evaluate the determinants of health and disease from a global perspective and explain the impact on local health and wellbeing (PG) 

Programme graduate attributes should be reviewed at least every five years as part of the Enhanced Programme Review process. When initially developing and reviewing attributes, programme teams should consider all four elements of the Queen Mary graduate attributes approach: disciplinary requirements, employer skills, student views and Queen Mary values. Students should be invited to co-create the attributes with programme teams. 

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