Evaluation of the Importance of the Generic Competencies Required for the Student's Success in their academic and professional life

The purpose of this study was to identify and classify the generic competencies required for the students’ success in their academic and professional life. Accordingly, it was conducted as an applied research, and its data collection was carried out through mixed method. Firstly, in order to identify the generic competencies, the contents of studies, whether originally written in English or Persian, were analyzed. Then, the instrument of data collection was constructed. In order to identify the importance of these competencies, the department deans’ opinions at Shahid Bahonar University, who were selected through survey, were used (N = 57). The results of the study showed that 21 competencies in all of the analyzed studies were identified, which were classified in 4 categories as cognitive, interpersonal, systematic, and instrumental. The cognitive competencies were of the highest rank, and the instrumental ones were of the lowest rank in comparison to the others. On the whole, these 21 identified competencies in this research may contribute significantly to the success of academic and professional lives of students; therefore, it is necessary to be considered in the educational program and curriculum of higher education institutions.