Generic Attributes of IS Graduates: A Comparison of Australian Industry and Academic Views

This paper describes the final phase of a study that validates a group of generic attributes of graduates of Australian undergraduate degree programs with majors in Information Systems (IS). 105 academics from all Australian universities that offer IS undergraduate degree programs of study and 53 member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) took part in this study. A three round Delphi questionnaire was used. The results of this study are compared with a previous study of generic attributes conducted by the authors in Queensland, Australia. Differences between academics and industry are identified. The top three attributes in each study are the same, although the order is reversed in the national study. Some of these include the higher ranking of interpersonal skills, teamwork, and knowledge of the IS discipline by academics compared with the higher ranking of industry of self-motivation and the ability to learn independently. Other major findings include the high ratings of the attributes of team participation and the commitment to further learning and intellectual development. Oral and written communications are significantly rated as more important than a comprehensive knowledge of IS. This study has a very strong overall correlation with the previous Queensland study.