Criteria guidelines for Fellowship

To achieve Fellowship, applicants must clearly demonstrate successful leadership or outstanding service to the profession over an extended period, normally not less than five years. Applicants should demonstrate success in one or more of these areas: 

• Operational and strategic responsibility for substantial programmes and resources.
  Indicators may include:
  • Number of registered engineers reporting;
  • Size of influenceable budget relative to turnover;
  • Level within organisation structure;
  • Sphere of influence within employing organisation;
  • Level at which represents organisation externally.
• Personal responsibility for significant technological innovation.
  Indicators may include:
  • Recognised technical expert within and/or external to employing organisation;
  • Conference papers;
  • Published work;
  • Published patents.
• Original research resulting in international recognition.
  Indicators may include:
  • Published papers;
  • Books;
  • Scope and audience for conference sessions chaired or presentations delivered etc;
  • Research subjects may range from technical to managerial and operational.
• The successful creation and development of a business in a sector of relevance to the IET.
  Indicators may include:
  • Turnover;
  • Number of employees;
  • Funding sources;
  • Clients;
  • Products and services.
• Recognised leadership in academia or the armed services. More information about this criterion can be found on the Criteria guidelines for Fellowship (Armed Forces) web page.
  Indicators may include:
  • Rank;
  • Grade;
  • Deputisation.
• Outstanding service on national and international professional bodies.
  Indicators may include:
  • Membership or service on national or international standards or professional bodies;
  • Note: involvement with your professional engineering institution locally or even nationally is unlikely, on its own, to demonstrate the required level of achievement.
• Enhancement of the profession through public service.
  Indicators may include:
  • The award of public honours such as decorations and honours;
  • Honorary degrees;
  • Awards from the IET;
  • Awards from other professional bodies (FREng, FRS);
  • Government service.

You will need to provide two referees who are able to confirm you meet these criteria.

Each of your referees are required to complete a reference form indicating, in the space provided, the category or categories from this list that they consider demonstrates your suitability for Fellowship of the IET. Should your referees consider you do not meet any of the criteria above but have another reason to justify the award of Fellowship of the IET, they should provide full details.

View guidance on who qualifies as referees.

Apply for Fellowship of the IET