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Graduate Attributes Guidelines

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Purpose and Context

(1) These Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Curriculum Design and Approvals Policy and associated procedures.

(2) The University Graduate Attributes describe the skills, capabilities, and qualities that students develop at Western Sydney University and are built on the values and principles of the University's Sustaining Success Strategic Plan 2021-2026.

(3) The University supports the development of the Graduate Attributes through the underlying philosophy of all programs.

(4) The University's curriculum, including flexible program architectures, innovative partnership pedagogies and transdisciplinary experiences, support students to develop the attributes.

(5) The University is committed to ensuring that students develop self-efficacy in learning and graduate with the capacity to participate actively and responsibly in a diverse and changing world.

(6) The Graduate Attributes are life-long aspirational qualities, underpinning transdisciplinary hybrid capabilities that enable Western students to shape their success, create knowledge and engage in social innovation and advocacy for the future of work and society.

Graduate Attributes

(7) The six University Graduate Attributes are:

    A Western Sydney University graduate:
  1. Enacts the principles of intellectual enquiry.
  2. Applies knowledge and skills to curate and communicate ideas truthfully, with purpose and impact.
  3. Demonstrates a commitment to life-long learning.
  4. Actively collaborates in partnership, with respect and reciprocity.
  5. Acts ethically and responsibly with and for Indigenous Australian peoples and communities.
  6. Contributes to a sustainable, diverse, and socially-just world.

Embedding and Assuring Graduate Attributes in Curriculum

(8) The University Graduate Attributes underpin curriculum development and the design of learning and teaching activities and assessment.

(9) The University Graduate Attributes provide a framework that is embedded into all programs and interpreted and defined in the context of that program. These attributes are articulated in curriculum documentation through Program Learning Outcomes and aligned assessment.

(10) Subject Learning Guides will provide visibility of the development of University Graduate Attributes to students and stakeholders. 

(11) The University's regular program review and assessment processes will be informed by the University Graduate Attributes outcomes via student feedback processes.

(12) The ways in which the Graduate Attributes link to the development of graduates through curriculum, is outlined in Table 1 and additional resources are available here.

Applying Graduate Attributes

Table 1. Graduate Attributes (GA) and the development of graduates:
Graduate Attribute (GA) Links to the development of graduates who are:
Through curriculum that supports and enables students in:
[The below is suggestive and not exhaustive}
Enacts the principles of intellectual enquiry.
Future Thinkers
Innovative Entrepreneurs
  1. Advancing knowledge through scholarship and research.
  2. Upholding the ethical standards of their disciplines, fields, and professions.
  3. Practicing academic honesty and integrity in their work.
  4. Using knowledge responsibly and engaging with evidence critically to reach informed and sound conclusions.
Applies knowledge and skills to curate and communicate ideas truthfully, with purpose and impact.
Global Citizens
Innovative Entrepreneurs
  1. Acquiring information skills including the ability to search, locate, interpret, judge, evaluate, reference and convey information accurately.
  2. Acquiring digital literacy including the ethical curation of data and consciousness of digital identity in a digital society.
  3. Communicating knowledge, skills and ideas respectfully and effectively to a range of audiences, in different professional contexts, by written, oral and digital means.
Demonstrates a commitment to life-long learning. Future Thinkers
  1. Identifying problems and communicating them in a way that encourages healthy debate.
  2. Solving problems with critical and evidenced-based thinking.
  3. Using creative thinking to find novel solutions and measure the impact.
  4. Demonstrating resilience and flexibility through real world situations.
Actively collaborates in partnership, with respect and reciprocity. Global Citizens
  1. Fostering and demonstrating respect for diversity.
  2. Teaching perspective and highlighting the advantages of developing emotional intelligence.
  3. Enabling students to recognise and capitalise on their own and other’s talents and strengths.
  4. Demonstrating values and how to be purpose driven.
  5. Having pride in and care for the process, outcomes and impact of collaboration.
Acts ethically and responsibly with and for Indigenous Australian peoples and communities.
Global Citizens
Sustainability Advocates
  1. Promoting knowledge – of history, people, language, stories, traditions and diversity of Indigenous communities.
  2. Fostering being an ally and partner to Indigenous peoples and communities.
  3. Using relevant community protocols in professional and workplace contexts.
  4. Applying strengths-based and critical approaches to Indigenous matters.
Contributes to a sustainable, diverse, and socially-just world.
Global Citizens
Sustainability Advocates
  1. Providing knowledge and evidence to challenge the status quo.
  2. Demonstrating and providing opportunities for responsible participation in civic life and appropriate advocacy.
  3. Providing opportunities to engage in self-reflection about an individual’s impact.