Checklist and Deadlines for Senior Member Application

The steps below outline the recommended Senior Member application process. Click step to learn more.

1. Review requirements/qualifications
2. Determine application deadline
3. Prepare first draft of application
4. Contact qualifying references
5. Complete online application/nomination form
6. Submit resume or curriculum vitae
7. Track status of application and references online
8. Await notification of results

Before beginning the application process or nominating an IEEE Member for Senior Member Grade, carefully review the detailed requirements for Senior Membership to ensure eligibility.

New IEEE members must have completed an IEEE Membership application and have received your IEEE member number before applying.

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For applications to be considered at any given Admission & Advancement (A&A) Committee Review Panel meeting, they must be received - complete with all required references - at least 10 days prior to the meeting date. Review A&A Panel meeting dates.

• The Admission & Advancement (A&A) Committee holds Review Panel meetings eight to ten times each year to review applications for IEEE Senior Member Grade. 
• Review Panel meetings are held in various locations throughout the world.
• A panel of reviewers is recruited among Senior Members and Fellows in the Section where the meeting is to be held.
• This full-day session is presided over by the A&A Committee Chair and facilitated by a staff member from the IEEE Membership Development Group.

Download the Senior Member Application form (DOC, 160 KB) and fill out the form completely. Fill in your references' member numbers if known. Save this file and name it accordingly as you will need it to send to references and to complete the online application.

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Identify three references who will support your application for Senior Member Grade elevation.  References must hold the grade of IEEE Senior Member or Fellow.  It is generally preferable that your references know you personally or professionally, however, this is not required.  

E-mail the draft of your application and a copy of your resume to your references as supporting information on which to base their recommendations.  Provide them with your IEEE member number for ease of matching the reference to the appropriate applicant. Ask them to fill out the required Reference Form on your behalf.  This form is also available in Word or PDF format. Word or PDF documents can be e-mailed to senior-member@ieee.org or faxed to Denise Howard at +1 732 562 6528.

If you have difficulty locating references:

You may contact your local Section or Chapter for assistance locating references. For help contacting your Section/Chapter Chair, e-mail Denise Howard at senior-member@ieee.org .

Alternatively, you can contact your Section Chair and ask if they would nominate you.  A nomination qualifies as one of the required three references.  A nomination by a Section or Society will help them earn a rebate at the end of the year through the Nominate a Senior Member Initiative.

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After you have notified all your references and given them the proper instructions, fill out the online application form using information from the first draft you prepared. You may submit your application in any of the formats provided, but for the quickest processing, use the online form.

Applications completed in Word or PDF formats can be e-mailed to Denise Howard at senior-member@ieee.org or faxed to +1 732 463-9359.

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Most rejected applications result from:

• applicants not providing relevant dates with their background;
• failure to fully document activities that meet the significant performance requirement.

Although a resume is not a strict requirement for Senior Member grade, it is strongly recommended that you provide one.  This will assist the Review Panel in confirming that you meet the requirements.  

Your resume should highlight:

• five years of significant performance;
• relevant dates of your professional and educational experience.

Dates are important in order to determine that you have the required ten years of professional experience and/or five years of significant performance.

Review the requirements for Senior Member grade before completing your resume.

Completed resumes can be e-mailed to senior-member@ieee.org or faxed to Denise Howard at +1 732 463-9359.

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Once your application has been received, your name will begin to appear on the Senior Member Status Report. Please allow about 5-7 days after submission for this to occur, as reports are not updated automatically upon submission.

Next to your name you will find 3 columns.  As your references are received, the initials of the references will appear in the columns.  Once all 3 columns have been filled the note "to be verified" will appear in the comments field. This means that your references are being checked to confirm they are active IEEE members who hold the grade of Senior Member or Fellow. After verification, the comment field will be updated to "complete."

After your application has reached the "complete" stage it will automatically be scheduled to be considered at the next available Senior Member Elevation Review Panel.  This must occur at least 10 days prior to the Panel meeting to allow ample time for processing and shipping the application package to the meeting location.

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You will receive an e-mail notification as to whether you have been Approved, Deferred, or Denied.

About two weeks following a Review Panel meeting, an update report with the names of the newly elevated Senior Members is published on the Web as well as sent electronically to individual subscribers and group mailing lists comprised of Section chairs and newsletter editors.

Approved applicants will:

• have their name posted in the newly elevated Senior Members report after all applicants have been notified.;
• receive a formal letter confirming grade elevation approximately 6 weeks after approval;
• receive a wood-and-bronze commemorative plaque and a voucher for up to $25 which can be used to join a new IEEE Society of your choice.
• be able to notify employer using employer notification form.

Deferred applicants will normally be asked to submit additional documentation in support of their application. This generally means the committee was unable to ascertain whether all the requirements for Senior Member have been met. Failure to document relevant dates of positions or details of how your experience is to be considered "significant" are frequent reasons that applications are deferred.  The meaning of job titles vary from company to company and may not be sufficient to confirm Significant Performance.  For example, if you were a Team Leader, describe the size and scope of the projects worked on.  

Once the further documentation has been submitted, the application will be sent for reconsideration at the next available A&A Review Panel.  

Denied applicants have the right to an appeal of the decision through the A&A Appeals Committee.  The Appeals Committee is comprised of the Vice-Presidents of Regional Activities, Educational Activities, and Technical Activities.  Appeals are not automatic, and must be requested by the applicant.

The Appeals Committee will review documentation submitted to the Review Panel and make a determination to uphold or overturn the Panel's decision.  The applicant is allowed, but not required, to send along further documentation in support of his/her case.  For example, if the Review Panel determined that the applicant had only nine years of Professional Experience it may be helpful to provide a calculation of how you believe you meet the requirement for ten years.  Overlapping work and education experience will not be counted in both categories. It will be credited in the way most favorable to the applicant, but double credit will not be given for activities occurring in the same time frame.

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