BCS Fellowship criteria
To apply to become a BCS Fellow, you’ll need to show you meet the criteria set out in these three areas of professional life:
- Body of work (what you do or have done in your career)
- Professional impact (what you contribute to the profession)
- Standing in the community (your reputation)
Take a look below for full details of the sub-criteria that sit under each of the areas. When you apply, you’ll be asked to provide written evidence showing how you meet four of these sub-criteria – specifically, one from each of the three categories plus an additional one from either Body of work or Professional impact.
Our Fellow application guidance explains in more detail how you should evidence your experience for each of these areas.
Body of work
Highlight your professional achievements within the scope of the IT profession. This should demonstrate the contribution you’ve made individually to the profession at some time during your career including the outcomes of that contribution, and not simply a list of jobs or posts. Sub-criteria for this category are:
Inventions or innovation resulting in successful products, systems / applications, processes, or practices.
Creation of a successful information technology related business, charity or enterprise which benefits society.
Responsibility for the technical decisions taken and application of excellent practice for a significant area of information technology – for example, within an organisation, department, programme, project, product, process or system design.
In addition to providing evidence of a successful career in research, evidence should identify the impact of the work.
In addition to providing evidence of a successful career in skills development, education and/or training, evidence should identify the impact of the work.
A thought leader who advises/assists organisations in/with the significant deployment, employment, use or development of information technology.
Professional impact
Provide evidence of your professional impact highlighting your individual contribution and identifying the related outcomes, not simply a list of posts. Sub-criteria for this category are:
Inspiring and motivating others within the industry through public engagements (speaking, writing and one-to-one).
Building networks throughout different sectors to enhance the digitalisation, information technology and BCS agendas.
Supporting and/or delivering policy development relevant to information technology.
Being a leadership champion to promote diversity and inclusion within the field. For example, formulation of policy and/or implementation of programmes intended to improve diversity and inclusion within an organisation.
Acting as a mentor and/or coach to develop the next generation of leaders, peers or senior execs in information technology.
Influencing the use of technology to positively impact sustainability at a social or environmental level.
Influential at the grassroots level of the IT community through outreach engagement activities. Acting as an ambassador for the profession, engaging communities with low digital literacy and promoting the standing of information technology as a profession.
Standing in the community
Provide evidence showing how the community acknowledges your contribution to the information technology profession. Sub-criteria for this category are:
Formal recognition of achievements e.g., industry award, significant academic or corporate award, Fellow of another institute, Chartered status.
Member / Chair of important governing boards or committees.
Speaker on information technology related topics at major events and/or influential advocate of making IT good for society, for example, through impactful content on information technology related topics.
An assessor for chartered or other high-level registration or membership applications for a professional governing body or institute.
