Further Learning

Further Learning is only appropriate for engineers who need to bring their academic qualification up to the required academic benchmark for their chosen category of professional registration.

Not all engineers who are working towards professional registration need to complete Further Learning.

To find out whether you'll need to do Further Learning, you should complete our online Qualification checker. We’ll check your qualifications and let you know what the next steps are.

If you’re already established in your career and ready to apply for full membership, but don’t hold the relevant academic qualifications, email us at membership@imeche.org to discuss whether you could demonstrate your retrospective knowledge gained in the workplace during your career. If this is the case, you wouldn’t be required to complete any Further Learning.

Back to top

Further Learning lets you reach the academic level required to become professionally registered, through academic courses, work-based courses or a combination of these.

For CEng registration, you must have attained the equivalent of a master's level qualification. For IEng registration, you must have reached a bachelor’s level qualification.

Whether or not you’re already working as an engineer, there are several options you can choose from to help you reach the required academic level for professional registration.

You can:

• Undertake Distance Learning
• Follow an Individual Further Learning plan
• Gain work-based academic qualifications
• Join an Approved Further Learning company scheme
• Study an Accredited academic qualification 

The Engineering Council sets the academic benchmark levels for each professional registration category. Each academic benchmark level is defined by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

In most cases we would expect you to complete your Further Learning in less than four years.

Back to top

If you already have a bachelor’s level qualification and are looking to meet the academic requirement for CEng registration, you could choose a Distance Learning programme.

Distance Learning lets you complete a combination of approved modules from a range of universities remotely. Work-based learning is not taken into consideration with this option.

This allows you to:

• Spread out the cost over a longer period of time
• Work towards master’s level learning while you’re still in employment
• Select modules awarded by different universities to build up your own Further Learning package tailored to your needs

Find out more about our Distance Learning approved modules, including who the participating universities are and descriptions of the modules.

To apply for Distance Learning, you’ll need to complete the Approved Distance Learning application form and read the CEng Further Learning guidance.

Back to top

An individual Further Learning plan lets you meet the academic requirement for professional registration by blending work-based learning and university course modules. You can complete this route to Further Learning within your own time frame.

Individual Further Learning plans must be assessed by us via a postal review. We send copies to our committee members for their comments and email you the results – i.e. whether the plan is suitable – around 6-8 weeks after submission.

If the plan isn’t suitable, reviewing members will give you their comments and let you know which sections to improve.

There’s no cost for the assessment.

Get started by downloading the forms for individual Further Learning plans for CEng and IEng professional registration:

• Application for assessment of CEng individual Further Learning plan
• Guidance notes to go with the CEng individual Further Learning plan
• Application for assessment of IEng individual Further Learning plan
• Guidance notes to go with the IEng individual Further Learning plan

Don’t use these forms if you’re on an Approved company-based or Accredited university Further Learning scheme.

For more information, see our Further Learning information pack, which includes a knowledge checklist and advice on how to prepare your plan.

See the form that assessors use to review work-based learning criteria. 

Back to top

If you’re working as an engineer, you can gain the necessary academic qualification and required competence for professional registration without leaving your job.

The Master of Science degree (MSc) in Professional Engineering from the Engineering Council’s programme is tailored to individuals and integrates learning in the workplace, alongside supervised work-based professional development.

The programme is available at a range of universities.

All programmes are based on the UK-SPEC requirements for professional registration.

Back to top

Many companies have schemes Approved by us that meet our Further Learning requirements for IEng or CEng applications.

See our list of Approved company schemes that fulfil further learning requirements.

Set up an Approved scheme

If your organisation would like to set up an Approved scheme to help engineers at your organisation meet the Further Learning requirement, you can find out how by reading our guidance.

• Guidance for completing a company work-based learning scheme submission
• Application form for the assessment of a company work-based learning scheme
• Application form for the assessment of a company work-based learning scheme

Back to top

You could consider an Accredited academic qualification if you want to meet Further Learning requirements.

Use our Qualification checker to check the status of a course.  

Each year, we award more than £400,000 in scholarships and awards. Find out more.

If you work for a university and you’re interested in seeking Accreditation for qualifications for Further Learning, find out how to request to get your course Accredited.  

Back to top

Enhanced Further Learning Plan for CEng

Applicants with a non-honours bachelor’s degree (or what is judged to be an equivalent degree) in engineering or a cognate subject with relevant engineering content may be offered an Enhanced Further Learning Plan as a route to meet the academic requirements for CEng.

This route should only be undertaken if advised to do so by the Academic Assessment Committee.

We send copies of your Enhanced Further Learning Plans to our committee members for their comments and email you the results approximately 6-8 weeks after submission.

Please complete and return the following form:

• Enhanced Further Learning Plan CEng

• If you’re unsure if you need to complete Further Learning, complete our Qualification checker.
• Read our Further Learning information pack, which includes full details of Further Learning options, the benefits of professional registration and information on how to meet the Further Learning requirements. 
• Download a sample individual Further Learning plan.   

Back to top