Guide to Applying for Senior Member Grade

The following procedure outlines the recommended steps to guide you through the Senior Member Application process.

Note : For new IEEE members wishing to apply for Senior Member grade, this process should be followed after you have completed an IEEE Membership application and received your IEEE member number.

Complete the Senior Member Application Form. You can use the online form , or if you prefer, the application is also available in MS Word or PDF format.

Applications completed in Word or PDF formats can be e-mailed to Denise Howard at senior-member@ieee.org or faxed to +1 732 562 6528.

top of page

Although a resume is not a strict requirement to be considered for Senior Member grade, it is strongly recommended that you provide one. The resume will assist the Review Panel members in ascertaining that you meet the requirements for Senior Member. In particular, your resume should highlight those areas of your experience that go towards meeting the requirement for five years of significant performance. Resumes should also include the relevant dates of your professional and educational experience. Dates are important in order to determine that you do, in fact, have the required ten years of professional experience and/or five years of significant performance.

Most rejected applications are the result of applicants not providing relevant dates associated with their background, or from a failure to properly document those specific activities that meet the significant performance requirement. Please pay particular attention to these areas.

It is suggested that you review the requirements for Senior Member grade to assist you in completing your resume. It should be clear from your documentation that you meet all the requirements.

Completed resumes can be sent via e-mail to senior-member@ieee.org or faxed to Denise Howard at +1 732 562 6528.

top of page

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

If you have difficulty in locating individuals to serve as your references, we suggest you contact your local Section or Chapter for assistance. For help in 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 can nominate you. A nomination serves as one of the required three references; two other references are still required. 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.

top of page

Contact the individuals you have selected to serve as your references, and request that they complete the SM Reference Form on your behalf. The reference form is also available in MS Word or PDF format. If they choose to use either of these formats, the reference can be sent via e-mail to senior-member@ieee.org or faxed to Denise Howard at +1 732 562 6528.

It is suggested that you provide your references with a copy of your resume on which to base their recommendation. You should also supply them with your IEEE member number for ease of matching the reference to the appropriate applicant.

top of page

Once your application has been submitted (Step 1), your name will begin to appear on the Senior Member Status Report. The appearance of your name on this report indicates that we have received your application. Please allow about 5 to 7 days after submission for this to occur, as the reports are not updated automatically via the submission process.

Next to your name you will find three columns. As your references are received, the initials of the references will begin to appear in the columns. Once all three columns have been filled (meaning we have received all three of your references), 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 denote "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 ten days prior to the Panel meeting to allow ample time for processing and shipping the application package to the meeting location.

top of page

Shortly after your application has been considered at an A&A Review Panel you will receive an e-mail notification of the outcome.  Potential outcomes are Approved , Deferred , or Denied .

Approved applicants will have their name posted in the Senior Member Update Report; however, this report is not issued until after direct notification to the applicant has taken place.

Approximately six weeks after approval, successful applicants will receive, via surface mail, a formal letter confirming their grade elevation, along with a wood-and-bronze commemorative plaque, and a voucher for up to US$25 which can be used to join a new IEEE Society of their choice.

Applicants who are deferred 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. Deferrals can nearly always be avoided by spending some time and effort on the original submission. Failure to document the relevant dates of your positions, or the details of how your experience is to be considered "significant" are frequent reasons that applications are deferred. Remember that the meaning of job titles can vary from company to company, and may not be sufficient in and of themselves to confirm Significant Performance. For example, if you were a Team Leader, describe the size and scope of the projects worked on, and do not rely on only the title to convey the importance of the work performed.  

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

Applicants who are denied Senior Member grade 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 the documentation that was 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 on 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.

When you are asked to be a reference for a Senior Member applicant, you may request that they send you their résumé or a CV on which to base your recommendation.

It is generally helpful that you know the applicant personally or professionally, but this is not a strict requirement.

Fill out and submit the online SM Reference Form.

The Review Panel members evaluating Senior Member applications rely heavily on the endorsement and comments provided by the reference.  Please take this into consideration when you complete the reference form.

Review the requirements that the applicant has to meet to qualify for IEEE Senior Membership.

top of page