Chartered scientist
Audit Documents 2011
CSci Audit - Registrants Statement Form (Word)
Audit Process Guidelines (PDF)
A mark of achievement in science
CSci represents, a single chartered mark for all scientists, recognising equally high levels of professionalism and competence in science. There are currently around 15,000 Chartered Scientists working in a vast array of settings and across all scientific and related sectors.
'Chartered' is an internationally recognised benchmark of professional quality and excellence for biomedical scientists and is integrated within the Institute’s professional qualification framework.
The Science Council awards a licence to its member organisations to charter individual members who meet the criteria. The IBMS is a licensed member of The Science Council and therefore can charter its eligible members.
Who can become a Chartered Scientist?
To qualify for the Chartered Scientist designation applicants must possess a combination of high-level scientific knowledge and experience. This is typically demonstrated by an accredited Masters qualification together with four years of post graduation-level experience sufficient to meet the CSci competencies.
Education
Chartered Scientist is set at the same high level as other chartered titles such as Chartered Mathematician and Chartered Engineer. Candidates for CSci must have met the M-Level learning outcomes as exemplified by the QAA descriptors. The standard route is through an
- accredited Masters degree or demonstrating equivalence of M-Level learning through:
- academic qualifications (including those at D-Level),
- accredited prior learning,
- portfolios, and
- assessed scientific and technical reports (including published peer-reviewed papers)
Competence
Five overarching competency statements illustrate the professional skills and attributes Chartered Scientists are expected to demonstrate through a combination of their knowledge and experience:
- Deal with complex scientific issues, both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Exercise self-direction and originality in solving problems, and exercise substantial personal autonomy in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level
- Continue to advance their knowledge, understanding and competence to a high level and demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD)
- Demonstrate an understanding and commitment to Health and Safety and environmental issues related to employment
- Comply with the relevant Codes of Conduct
- These statements are broken down further into specific attributes that all Chartered Scientists will possess. Before you consider applying for CSci, you should be familiar with the competencies required.
CPD
Applicants are expected to demonstrate a minimum of two years' prior CPD activity in order to register as Chartered Scientists, and must continue to participate in and record CPD throughout their working lives in order to retain the award.
Further information about CPD and the requirements for revalidation is available at www.charteredscientist.org.
You are eligible to apply for Chartered Scientist status through the IBMS if you:
- have at least four years corporate Institute membership and are either in the class of Member or Fellow (as appropriate to your qualifications and experience)
- hold an Institute accredited MSc or an individually Institute approved post-graduate qualification
- have documented evidence of continuing professional development either through the Institute’s CPD Scheme, through a CPD scheme of another professional association or through a personal development plan for the 2 years prior to your application
- are currently in practice in science with at least four years post-graduate professional experience.
All members who are awarded Chartered Scientist status through the Institute will be issued with a certificate and will be able to use the designatory initials CSci. The Chartered award is subject to annual renewal.
Personal profiles of chartered members are available at charteredscientist.org.
What are the benefits of CSci?
CSci benefits the individual
- by giving you wider recognition outside of your specific discipline or sector
- by demonstrating your commitment to professionalism and continuing high levels of competence and development
- by reflecting the likely breadth of your career across science.
CSci benefits the employer...
- by giving assurance of the competence and professionalism of employees
- by giving assurance of the quality of a job applicant’s professionalism
- by providing them with a platform for networking across disciplines and sectors by showing your customers or competitors that your staff are practicing at the highest level.
CSci benefits the profession...
- by benchmarking all professional scientists at the same high level no matter which discipline or sector they work in
- by ensuring that all chartered scientists must be participating in CPD to continue to hold the award
- by encouraging networking and bringing together multidisciplinary teams of professional scientists
CSci benefits the public...
- by creating a single badge of professionalism that the public can recognise across the science professions and beyond
- by maintaining and increasing the public’s trust in scientists through professional standards, codes of conduct and mandatory revalidation
How to Apply
For further information, eligibility queries and to request an application form please contact the IBMS on 020 7713 0214 or email chartered@ibms.org
The Science Council
The Science Council acts as an independent coordinating body for the professional science bodies in the UK. Its purpose is to provide a collective voice for science and scientists and to maintain standards across all scientific disciplines.
Further information: sciencecouncil.org
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