The award of Fellowship of the Institute recognises excellence in a Professional Member’s abilities and skills and is its highest distinction of the Institute. The definition of a Fellow is an ‘advanced practitioner’ and one who upholds and advances the principles and professional conduct of the Institute. Applications may be made by Professional Members of the Institute with a minimum of five years’ post-qualification experience. The Fellowship may be sought by either one of the following routes:
1. Fellowship by dissertation
Normally this route for Fellowship requires an abstract and dissertation subject to be agreed in advance. Professional Members of the Institute wishing to apply via a dissertation for Fellowship should contact the Chief Assessor (Fellowship) to discuss this. A dissertation, between 7,500 and 20,000 words, is submitted for consideration by the Fellowship Board and selected expert assessors.
2. Fellowship by assessment
This method gives Professional Members of the Institute the opportunity to apply for Fellowship by citing their range of professional achievements. It is therefore essential that applicants provide sufficient evidence for the Board to make an informed assessment. Such evidence should be built into a comprehensive curriculum vitae, detailing professional development, expertise and experience, roles, presentations, publications, etc.
Applications should be made using the Fellowship application form which can be obtained via this link. Applications should be submitted by the end of January, which allows time for assessments and a decision agreed by Council in May each year.
The Fellowship Board consists of the Chief Assessor (Fellowship) and a minimum of three Fellows or Honorary Fellows of the Institute. The Chief Assessor (Fellowship) will ensure that all applicants are aware of when the assessments are taking place and will inform both successful and unsuccessful candidates of the result of their application.
Candidates may be required to attend the Fellowship Board meeting at the candidate’s own expense. However, applicants would only be required to attend if, having seen the candidate’s application, the majority of Board members feel that such attendance is necessary to help them reach a decision.
There is a fee for either route to Fellowship and this will be updated and shown on the Application Form (see link above).