GRADES

Member
The grade of Member is limited to those who have demonstrated professional competence in IEEE-designated fields. For admission or transfer to the grade of Member, a candidate shall be either:

An individual engaged in IEEE-designated fields (1) who shall have received a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent in those fields from a program on the Reference List of Educational Programs, or (2) who shall have had at least three years of experience in a position normally requiring the qualification listed under (1), which may be accepted in lieu of the educational requirements at the discretion of the Admission & Advancement Committee.

A teacher of a subject in an IEEE-designated field who shall have received a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent in those fields from a program on the Reference List of Educational Programs, or who has had at least three years of professional teaching experience and shall have participated in planning and conducting courses.

A person regularly employed in IEEE-designated fields for at least six years who, by experience, has demonstrated competence in work of a professional character.

An executive who, for at least six years, has had under his/her direction important technical, engineering, or research work in IEEE-designated fields.

Senior Member
The grade of Senior Member is the highest for which application may be made and shall require experience reflecting professional maturity. For admission or transfer to the grade of Senior Member, a candidate shall be an engineer, scientist, educator, technical executive, or originator in IEEE-designated fields. The candidate shall have been in professional practice for at least ten years and shall have shown significant performance over a period of at least five of those years, such performance including one or more of the following:

Substantial engineering responsibility or achievement, or Publication of engineering or scientific papers, books, or inventions, or Technical direction or management of important scientific or engineering work with evidence of accomplishment, or Recognized contributions to the welfare of the scientific or engineering profession, or Development or furtherance of important scientific or engineering courses in a program on the "reference list of educational programs" (REP list) or Contributions equivalent to those of (a) to (e) in areas such as technical editing, patent prosecution, or patent law, provided these contributions serve to advance progress substantially in IEEE-designated fields.

Prospective members who would like to apply directly for Senior Member grade should submit a Member Application along with a Senior Member elevation form.

Fellow
The grade of Fellow recognizes unusual distinction in the profession and shall be conferred only by invitation of the Board of Directors upon a person of outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience in IEEE-designated fields, and who has made important individual contributions to one or more of these fields. The year of election to the grade of Fellow is the year following affirmative action by the Board of Directors in conferring the grade of Fellow.

The candidate shall hold Senior Member grade at the time the nomination is submitted. Normally, the candidate shall have been a member in any grade for a period of five years or more preceding January 1 of the year of election; however, the five-year membership requirement may be waived for a Fellow candidate who has been engaged in professional practice (as needed to qualify for Senior Member grade) in a geographical area where, in the judgment of the Board of Directors, it was difficult to become a member previously, as evidenced by the absence of a Section previously and the recent formation of a new Section to cover that geographical area. In such cases, membership of five years or more in a recognized local electrical, electronics, or computer engineering society may substitute for the five-year IEEE membership requirement, when the nomination is submitted within four years after the formation of the new Section.

Associate
The grade of Associate is designed for technical and nontechnical applicants who do not presently meet the qualifications for Member grade, but who would benefit through membership and participation in the IEEE, and for those who are progressing, through continuing education and work experience, towards the qualifications for Member grade.

Student
A Student Member must carry at least 50% of a normal full-time academic program as a registered undergraduate or graduate student in a regular course of study in IEEE designated fields.
Student Members, upon graduation with at least a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from a program on the Reference List of Educational Programs, shall be transferred to Member grade.
Student Members other than those qualifying under subparagraph (b) upon graduation with at least a two-year degree, shall be transferred to Associate grade.

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

Recent Graduates
Student members transferring to a higher grade upon attaining their first professional degree pay graduated IEEE dues, assessments and society membership fees over the four consecutive years following graduation. At present, the discount is 65% for the first year after graduation, 50% for the second year, a 35% discount in the third year and a 20% discount in the fourth year following graduation with the first professional degree.

If a Student member is elevated following award of a graduate degree, the dues discount will be pro-rated back to the date of their initial professional degree. For instance, if John received his bachelors degree in 1997 and his masters degree in 1999, he would receive a bill for 35% of normal IEEE and Society dues/fees for the year 2000. The reduced dues program is NOT available to those who have been awarded a doctoral degree.

IEEE Life Members
Life Members. The designation "Life Member" is applicable only to a member who has attained the age of 65 years and who has been a member of IEEE or one of its predecessor societies for such a period that the sum of his/her age and his/her years of membership equals or exceeds 100 years. All members having the designation "Life Member" or "Member-for-Life" in the predecessor societies shall be designated as a "Life Member" in the IEEE. Any member who would have been qualified on or before 31 December 1963 to be a Member-for-Life of AIEE, under the rules of eligibility of AIEE, or to be a Life Member of IRE, under the rules of the IRE, shall be qualified to be a Life Member of IEEE. The Executive Director shall grant Life Membership status to any member who would qualify for Life Membership during the remainder of the transition period prior to 1998 under the previous IEEE Bylaw.

Young Professionals (YP)
In 1996, IEEE instituted efforts to explore how to improve the retention of recently graduated members. Previously, IEEE had developed a graduated dues program to reduce the "sticker shock" caused by the difference between Student and Member dues.

Steps needed to be taken to determine and provide services specific to this group. The concept of developing a peer group to determine services evolved named YP (Young Professionals). The YP group is defined as post-student members who are in the first ten years of their professional career.

The most important action for YP members was to promote the concept at the local level. In 1996 the IEEE RAB YP Committee funded seven YP pilots in Sections throughout the world. The purpose of these pilots was to start activities at the local level that would help bridge the transition of Student members to Section members, with the ultimate goals of increasing member retention, creating networking forums for recent graduates, and developing programs unique to YP group needs. To assist the pilots, a YP Program Resources Guide (available from IEEE Regional Activities) was developed and distributed. The purpose of a YP committee is not to replace the Section SAC, Student Branch Mentor, or any other Section officer, but rather to compliment the efforts of Section Coordinators interested in encouraging recent graduates to remain members.

IEEE REP List

REPCOM is a join committee of the Educational and Regional Activities Boards of the IEEE with representation worldwide responsible for maintaining a "REP List". Programs in IEEE-related fields accredited by appropriate professional agencies are included on the REP List. Such programs in the United States (USA) accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) are included on the REP List. In addition, IEEE Sections, particularly those in Regions 7-10, recommend to REPCOM educational programs which are recognized by their national professional and industrial communities as sufficient formal education for professional practice in specified IEEE-related fields -- programs substantially equivalent to what is generally known as bachelor degree programs. The REP List, is used solely within IEEE as an administrative tool to expedite the processing of applications for Member grade (it is not generally available nor is it to be used for other purposes). The IEEE Admission & Advancement Committee is responsible for reviewing applications for membership but authorized IEEE Staff to automatically admit to Member grade applicants who meet application requirements and are graduates of a program on the REP List.

IEEE membership is open to professionals with varying levels of academic accomplishment and work experience. Member, Senior Member and Fellow grades are limited to those who have achieved professional competence and recognition, as demonstrated by the college degrees they have received and/or by their work experience. Associate grade is open to certain technical and nontechnical applicants who may benefit by membership and participation in the IEEE and, also, to those individuals progressing through education and work experience toward Member grade. All members - Associate, Member, Senior Member and Fellow pay the same low membership dues and receive the same IEEE membership benefits and services, although Associates may not vote in IEEE elections or hold volunteer offices for which the grade of Member or higher is required. Student member applications are available upon request. Student members have substantially discounted dues and fees far below what other members pay.

Contact:
e-mail: membership@ieee.org
WWW: www.ieee.org/membership/grades_cats.html

Unlike other societies, the IEEE membership pays back self already in 3-4 years. To be by the member of most large world professional technical organization is very prestigious.

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