Graduate membership FAQs

Q1. What is Graduate membership?

A1. Graduate membership is awarded to CIEH members who hold a recognised professional qualification in environmental health:

• A Diploma in Environmental Health; or
• The Certificate of Registration of the Environmental Health Registration Board

Q2. Why am I a Graduate member rather than a Voting member?

A2. Graduate membership is awarded to those who hold a recognised professional qualification in environmental health, including the Diploma in Environmental Health or the Certificate of Registration of the Environmental Health Registration Board – but who have not passed a CIEH-controlled ‘gateway’ assessment, such as the Professional Examinations and Experiential Learning Portfolio, or the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

Voting membership is for people who have a recognised qualification and were corporate members of the Institution of Environmental Health Officers on 1 January 1990 and have been continuous members since. Or for those who have passed the APC, the Assessment of Professional Development (APD), or the CIEH’s Professional Examinations and the Practical Training Logbook or the Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP).

A small number of members are Graduate members because they qualified overseas.

Q3. How can I become a Voting member?

A3. You must sit and pass Part 1 of the CIEH’s Assessment of Professional Development (APD).

People who were Voting or Corporate members prior to 1990 can now regain their Voting membership via a new points system.

Q4. Can Graduate members use letters after their name?

A4. Yes; Graduate members can use the letters GradCIEH after their name.

Q5. Do Graduate members have to comply with CPD regulations?

A5. Yes; all Graduate members (except retired members) must achieve 20 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year.

Q6. What happens if my membership lapses?

A6. If this happens you will be able to rejoin subject to submitting satisfactory CPD records (assuming you are not in arrears with your fees, or have any outstanding disciplinary issues). The rules for admission and re-admission to membership are provided in the CIEH Membership Regulations.