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What are graduate attributes?

Graduate Attributes are the knowledge, skills and behaviours that Queen Mary students develop as a result of their learning and experiences at university. They are closely linked to, but go beyond the core disciplinary content of a student’s programme of study. They are the qualities that prepare graduates to succeed in an ever-changing global job market and become active global citizens. 

Why is Queen Mary updating graduate attributes?

Queen Mary graduate attributes need to be kept up to date so that they adequately equip students for employment and beyond. The last institutional-level statement of gradaute attributes was issued in 2009. The workplace has changed a lot since then, and Queen Mary has changed too. The updated attributes are therefore aligned with Strategy 2030 and our Queen Mary Education Approach. This means that we are placing co-creation with students at the heart of our new approach to graduate attributes. 

Through this work, we want to better support students to be able to recognise and articulate the attributes and skills they develop at Queen Mary, and to contribute to improved graduate and career outcomes and student satisfaction.

What is the approach to updating attributes?

The updated Queen Mary graduate attributes are holistic, encompassing disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills, employer skills and Queen Mary values and behaviours. They are co-created with students, and specifically tailored to each programme of study to ensure graduates are as best prepared for life after university as possible.

The Graduate Attributes workstream group has developed this approach, which has been tested through a pilot scheme. Programme teams are asked to consider the three core areas above (disciplinary/interdisciplinary skills, employer skills and Queen Mary values and behaviours) and to review and update attributes working together with students on their programmes. 

 

What is the graduate attributes workstream?

The graduate attributes workstream is a cross-disciplinary and cross-functional group of colleagues and students, who have worked together to update Queen Mary’s 2009 graduate attributes.

The group has included academics from the three faculties, professional services staff from Careers and Enterprise, Library Services, Academic Registry and Council Secretariat, and the Queen Mary Academy. 

Importantly, the group also includes representatives of Queen Mary Students' Union as well as student interns who have contributed to the project via paid internship opportunities.  

Workstream membership:

Senior Responsible Owner: Professor Janet De Wilde, Queen Mary Academy

Workstream Chair: Dr Steph Fuller, Queen Mary Academy

Sub-Group Leads: Dr Megan Clinch, Wolfson Institute of Population Health; Dr Tim Edkins, School of Politics and International Relations; Michelle Henderson, School of Law; Radhika Thiagarajan, QMSU Vice-President Communities.

Workstream Members: Judith Baines, Careers and Enterprise; Rume Begum, Technology Enhanced Learning Team; George Borrie, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry; Robert Cashman, Office of the Principal; Alison Dawn, Academic Registry and Council Secretariat; Dr Jayne Dennis, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences; Bronwen Eastaugh, Queen Mary Students’ Union; Elizabeth Gillow, School of Law; Professor Dane Goodsman, Institute for Health Sciences Education; Dr Alistair Morey, Library Services; Ashley Palmer, Academic Registry and Council Secretariat; Olumide Popoola, Queen Mary Academy; Dr Amitha Ranauta, Institute of Dentistry; Dr Jennifer Randall, Wolfson Institute of Population Health; Professor Julia Shelton, School of Engineering and Materials Science; Lindsey Shirah, Careers and Enterprise; Andy Walsh, Careers and Enterprise; Dr Thomas Wilks, School of Languages, Linguistics and Film.

Student Interns: Kieran Reidy (2021); Shazil Shariff (2022).

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