Graduate Attributes

Graduate Attributes

During your time at the University, you will have opportunities to develop and enhance a wide range of attributes which will benefit your future study, future employment and citizenship.  

You will have the opportunity to develop and achieve these skills through your learning experiences in the curriculum, in credit-bearing courses, and in co-curricular activities such as work placements, study abroad and volunteering.  

Aberdeen Graduate Attributes

The Aberdeen Graduate Attributes are a set of nineteen attributes, grouped in four broad areas:

Academic Excellence
  • In-depth and extensive knowledge, understanding and skills at internationally-recognised levels in their chosen discipline(s); 
  • A breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills beyond their chosen discipline(s); 
  • An ability to participate in the creation of new knowledge and understanding through research and inquiry; 
  • A contextual understanding of past and present knowledge and ideas; 
  • An intellectual curiosity and a willingness to question accepted wisdom and to be open to new ideas 
Critical Thinking & Effective Communication
  • A capacity for independent, conceptual and creative thinking; 
  • A capacity for problem identification, the collection of evidence, synthesis and dispassionate analysis; 
  • A capacity for attentive exchange, informed argument and reasoning; 
  • An ability to communicate effectively for different purposes and in different contexts; 
  • An ability to work independently and as part of a team;
  • A diverse set of transferable and generic skills 
Learning & Personal Development
  • An openness to, and an interest in, life-long learning through directed and self-directed study; 
  • An awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses;
  • A capacity for self-reflection, self-discovery and personal development 
Active Citizenship
  • An awareness and appreciation of ethical and moral issues; 
  • An awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity; 
  • An understanding of social and civic responsibilities, and of the rights of individuals and groups; 
  • An appreciation of the concepts of enterprise and leadership in all aspects of life; 
  • A readiness for citizenship in an inclusive society 

Achieve (for undergraduates) and Achieve+ (for taught postgraduates) online skills resources

Developed by the   Student Learning Service,  Achieve (UGs) and Achieve+ (PGTs) offer a range of resources, in a variety of media, to enable you to self-assess, reflect, and improve your academic skills. The resources include study guides, practical exercises, videos, and infographics, to help you to develop your academic writing, study strategies, employability and maths skills at your own pace.

To help you to develop your information, digital and professional skills you will find links to the Library, Toolkit, and Careers and Employability Service. You can find Achieve and Achieve+ in the ‘My Organisations’ section in MyAberdeen.

The ‘Achieve’ resources dovetail well with the focus I place upon academic excellence and skills development in my teaching practice and supports students as they develop the skills and attributes employers require.

- Director of Education, School of Social Science

Support 

If you need support with any aspect of the Graduate Attributes framework or got any questions, please get in touch with your Personal Tutor or contact graduate-attributes@abdn.ac.uk