The IES and Higher Education
Accreditation Scheme
The Institution of Environmental Sciences and the Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences (CHES) provide a fast track professional accreditation scheme for Honours and Masters programmes offered by CHES member Higher Education Institutions.
Information on CHES membership can be found at the CHES web site (http://www.ches.org) or by contacting the IES.
The Honours programmes should fall within the remit of the QAA Benchmark Statement for Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Environmental Studies (ES3) with any Masters programmes clearly aligned with this.
Benefits of Accreditation
As more focus in Higher Education is placed on the employability agenda, having a programme accredited by a professional body signals to potential students and employers that the teaching, learning and research is aligned to high quality professional development.
Students enrolled on IES/CHES accredited programmes are automatically eligible for Student Membership of the Institution. This grade is free of charge and students can use the post nominal StMIEnvSci. As well as a raft of benefits, detailed here, these Student Members are given valuable experience of a leading professional iInstitution, one of the first steps in their professional life.
Additionally, on graduation, Student Members receive a certificate from the IES, congratulating them on their successful completion of an accredited course and to notify them of their automatic eligibility to become Associate Members. This re-grading of membership is then confirmed on payment of a registration fee (currently £25) and annual subscription (currently £55).
A further advantage of accrediting your programmes is the IES' connection to The Society for the Environment (SocEnv). The IES has been granted a licence to award the qualification of Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) to suitably qualified IES members and environmental professionals. By joining The IES students will have an opportunity of achieving Chartered status as their career develops, and benefit from the professional recognition and standing that comes from such status.