CIWEM offers the widest range of charterships and technical membership grades of any professional institute in the water and environment sector, reflecting our engagement with the widest spectrum of environmental issues.
When you become a chartered member of CIWEM, you also have the opportunity to apply for the Science Council registration Chartered Scientist (CSci), which can be applied for at the same time. If you are already a chartered member of CIWEM, you can submit an application for CSci in a separate application.
Chartered Scientists (CSci) represent the best professional scientists working in the UK and abroad. They demonstrate effective leadership, using their specialist knowledge and broader scientific understanding to develop and improve the application of science and technology by scoping, planning and managing multifaceted projects.
Chartership as a scientist reflects the wide variety of sciences and their practice, recognising high levels of skill and experience, independent of discipline.
Once registered, you must maintain your status through meeting continuing professional development (CPD) requirements each year.
Professional registration as a Chartered Scientist provides independent recognition of your achieving and maintaining the exacting standards required to join the global community of professional scientists. Benefits include:
The application process for becoming a Chartered Scientist requires master’s degree (Level 7) thinking, demonstrated either through achievement of a relevant master’s degree or through the submission of written work deemed to be at an equivalent level by the registration assessors.
If you do not hold a relevant master's degree (Level 7), you can apply for CSci through CIWEM’s Work Based Learning route. This provides a means of enabling experienced applicants who lack the exemplifying academic qualifications to demonstrate the knowledge and understanding which they have acquired through their working experience against the QAA qualification descriptor for Masters level. Guidance on completing the Work Based Learning route can be downloaded here. When you are ready to complete the application, you will also need to submit the 'Grade 7 Work Based Learning Statement Form' which can be downloaded here.
Science Council Standards Update: All applicants for Chartered Scientist (CSci) with CIWEM for are assessed against the standards as defined by the Science Council. The updated standards were published in January 2021, for implementation across the sector by 31 December 2021. The updated standards are available here. We are in the process of transitioning to these standards and there will be updates to our application/guidance documents and website over the next couple of months. All applications from the 06 December deadline will be assessed against the new standards.
All applicants need to demonstrate their competence across five areas by providing examples from your working life, usually within the last five years. The mandatory competencies are:
A1: Demonstrate how you use knowledge, experience, skills and broader scientific understanding to optimise the application of existing and emerging science and technology.
A2: Exercise sound judgement and understand principles of uncertainty in complex and unpredictable situations.
A3: Demonstrate critical evaluation of relevant scientific information and concepts to propose solutions to problems.
B1: Work autonomously and take responsibility for the work of self and others.
B2: Promote, implement and take responsibility for robust policies and protocols relating to health, safety and sustainability.
B3: Promote and ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements and quality standards.
B4: Oversee the implementation of solutions and demonstrate an understanding of potential and actual impacts of your work on your organisation, on the profession and on the wider community.
C1: Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with specialist and non- specialist audiences.
C2: Demonstrate effective leadership through the ability to guide, influence, inspire and empathise with others.
C3: Demonstrate the ability to mediate, develop and maintain positive working relationships.
D1: Demonstrate how you scope and plan and manage projects.
D2: Demonstrate the achievement of desired outcomes with the effective management of resources and risks.
D3: Take responsibility for continuous improvement within a scientific or technical environment.
E1: Comply with and promote relevant codes of conduct and practice.
E2: Demonstrate a commitment to professional development through continuing advancement of your own knowledge, understanding and competence.
To apply for Chartered Scientist (CSci) you will need to
You can find further support for your CSci application from the Science Council here.
Information about becoming a C.WEM can be found here.
Apply nowProfessional Interview guidance 
Work Based Learning route guidance
Grade 7 Work Based Learning Route form
You may be required to undertake a Profession Review Interview (PRI), our membership team can provide guidance, please contact membership@ciwem.org or call +44(0)207 831 3110 for more information.
We’re with you every step of your application, please get in touch if you have any questions about your application or to find out which grade is right for you and someone will be
delighted to help.
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CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Registered Charity No. 1043409 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SCo38212 (Scotland). Registered office address: 106-109 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QS.
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