Education Subcommittee: safeguarding the foundations of chemical engineering

The second article in our series on IChemE’s Membership and Qualifications Committee (MQC) looks at how EdSub safeguards the educational standards for IChemE membership

THE EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE (EDSUB) sits at the heart of the standards that underpin professionally qualified IChemE membership and registration. Its central role is accreditation: recognising university programmes that deliver the “underpinning knowledge and understanding” required for professional registration.

IChemE currently accredits around 235 programmes at 68 universities across 15 countries. This work is carried out under licence from the Engineering Council, using its Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes (AHEP) framework.

Under these standards, different qualifications meet different parts of professional registration requirements. An accredited MEng fully meets the underpinning knowledge requirements for CEng registration, while an accredited BEng partially meets them. An accredited BEng combined with an accredited MSc also fully meets the requirements.

What happens during accreditation?

Behind the accreditation of every accredited degree is a team of trained volunteer assessors drawn from both academia and industry. These members give their time and expertise to review programmes against IChemE’s learning outcomes – exploring course content, assessment methods, facilities and meeting the people who bring the curriculum to life. Chris Rielly, EdSub chair and recently retired dean at Loughborough University, explains: “During the visit, the team of assessors compiles a detailed report of how the programme fulfils requirements. They also consider recommendations that can be fed back to the university. Accreditation should be considered a collaborative and helpful exercise for the university.”

Following each visit, the assessors’ report is reviewed by a Virtual Accreditation Panel (VAP) made up of EdSub members. The panel ratifies the accreditation decision and may request further clarification before finalising recommendations or conditions.

The people behind the process

EdSub meets quarterly to address escalations from VAPs, stay aligned with Engineering Council developments and keep a close eye on advancements within the sector.

It is largely made up of experienced accreditation assessors from academia and industry, alongside two early-career Associate members. IChemE works hard to reflect the international reach of its accreditation activity and to balance academic and industrial perspectives.

Kai Seng Koh of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia is a recent recruit: “What stands out for me about EdSub is its international membership,” he says. “Bringing together academics and industry professionals from across IChemE’s community strengthens the accreditation process and ensures our standards are applied consistently wherever we accredit programmes.”

Why accreditation matters

Eva Sorensen, deputy chair of EdSub and head of department at UCL, explains: “Graduation from an IChemE-accredited programme facilitates entry into Chartered membership and CEng registration – hence continued accreditation activities support graduates becoming professionally qualified. They also provide assurance to (potential) students and their parents/carers, as well as industry partners and employers, of the quality of the programmes in question.”

IChemE cannot accredit every chemical engineering-related programme worldwide but it continues to welcome members from diverse educational backgrounds. Applicants without accredited degrees can still progress through membership and registration via an assessment process overseen by the Underpinning Knowledge and Understanding (UKU) Panel, which reports to EdSub.

David Hassell, chair of the UKU Panel and senior lecturer at the University of Bath, explains that candidates provide a short description of their education and professional experience which are assessed against the same standards used during degree accreditation. “The process has been designed to uphold the rigorous educational standards required of professionally qualified members, while reducing the barriers towards becoming Chartered members of IChemE for those with non-accredited degrees or alternative educational backgrounds.”

Ready to get involved?

Accreditation specialist Mark Jackson says: “In 2026 and 2027, IChemE is taking accreditation to the next level with major improvements to our learning outcomes and processes. Members who want to get involved can register their interest today – full training is provided for both new and experienced assessors. Once you’ve gained experience, you’ll also be eligible to apply to join EdSub and help shape the future of accreditation.”

For members looking to give back, broaden their perspective and play a direct role in shaping the future of the profession, serving as an accreditation assessor is a powerful first step. It offers the chance to collaborate with peers across sectors and ultimately progress to membership of EdSub itself – helping to define what excellence looks like for the next generation.