Qualifying as a professional

in Architectural Technology
 Visit www.youtube.com/ciatechnologist
to watch a suite of films about the
Institute, which provide an insight into the
membership progression processes and the
types of work our members undertake.

If your career is within the Architectural

Technology discipline then membership of the
Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists
(CIAT) is your essential next step.
CIAT is the lead qualifying body for Architectural Technology and qualifies
Chartered Architectural Technologists, MCIAT and professionally qualified
Architectural Technicians, TCIAT. CIAT can help you get ahead with a range of
membership benefits and grades dependent on your academic/professional
achievements, employment status and/or experience.

The numerous benefits that you will have access to upon joining CIAT can
be found at www.ciat.org.uk/en/Join_CIAT/benefits-of-joining and include:

• Career and professional development

• Identity and recognition
• Awards
• Technology

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What do I join as?
The Institute offers five grades of membership and you will be able
to initially join at one of the following three grades, depending on
your qualifications and employment status:

• Student member
• Associate member
• profile candidate (a holding category)

Chartered Architectural Technologist

Architectural Technician*

Associate* Associate* profile candidate

• BSc/BA (Hons) • Relevant construction • No/unrecognised

Architectural Technology related Higher National qualification
• Equivalent qualifications • Equivalent qualifications • Self-employed as sole
(including overseas) (including overseas) practitioner, partner,
• Related industry • Associate degrees director or LLP member
Honours degrees • Foundation degrees

Student* (no designation)

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 Applying for student
membership
If you are studying on any higher or
further education programme, part
or full-time, designed to lead to a
career in Architectural Technology,
student membership is free for the
duration of your studies and you
can join online at: www.ciat.org.uk/
en/Join_CIAT/what-do-i-join-as/
student/Student.cfm
If you are self-employed as a sole
practitioner, principal, partner,
director, LLP member or freelancing,
offering/providing services directly
to clients (whether paid or not)
or you are giving guidance or
services to friends, family or others,
you will need to join as a profile
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candidate student. Please contact
membership@ciat.org.uk for further
information.
Applying for Associate
membership, ACIAT
If you have a recognised qualification
within the built environment then you
can apply as an Associate member.
Those who are self-employed as a
sole practitioner, principal, partner,
director, LLP member or freelancing,
offering/providing services directly
to clients (whether paid or not) or you
are giving guidance or services to
friends, family or others, you will need
to join as a profile candidate. For full
details and to complete the online
application form visit www.ciat.org.uk/
en/Join_CIAT/Associate.cfm
Applying as a profile
candidate
(holding category)
If you are self-employed* or without
a formal qualification or have an
unrecognised qualification then
you must apply as a profile
candidate. For full details and to
complete the application form visit
www.ciat.org.uk/en/Join_CIAT/
Profile_candidate.cfm
* If you are self-employed as a
sole practitioner, principal, partner,
director, LLP member or freelancing,
offering/providing services directly
to clients (whether paid or not) or
you are giving guidance or services
to friends, family or others, you will
need to join as a profile candidate
type B and register your practice by
completing a practice profile form
for profile candidates, providing
evidence of current adequate
Professional Indemnity Insurance
and copies of business stationery
for approval. Please contact
membership@ciat.org.uk for further
information.
Dual CIAT and CIOB
Membership
As part of the Institute’s
Memorandum of Understanding
with the Chartered Institute of
Building (CIOB), Corporate Members
of the CIOB are eligible for direct
entry to CIAT’s Associate grade of
membership or profile candidate,
depending on the applicant’s
employment status. If applicants
hold any other grade of CIOB
membership, it is recommended
they contact membership@ciat.org.uk
for further guidance. CIOB
members will also receive a 25%
reduction in their annual
subscription.
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 Dual CIAT and RIBA
Membership
As part of the Institute’s collaborative
agreement Chartered Members of
the Royal Institute of British Architects
(RIBA) are eligible for direct entry to
CIAT’s Associate grade of membership
or profile candidate, depending on
the applicant’s employment status.
If applicants hold any other grade of
RIBA membership, it is recommended
they contact membership@ciat.org.uk
for further guidance.
RIBA members will also receive a 25%
reduction in their annual subscription.
Group Membership
Dual CIAT and RICS Scheme
Membership If you are a practice or organisation
with three or more paying members
As part of the Institute’s Memorandum
or applicants applying for any grade of
of Understanding with the Royal
membership (excluding student) then
Institution of Chartered Surveyors
you are eligible to apply through the
(RICS), Corporate Members of the
Group Membership Scheme (GMS)
RICS are eligible for direct entry to
and save money in the process.
CIAT’s Associate grade of membership
or profile candidate, depending on Financial benefits include:
the applicant’s employment status.
If applicants hold any other grade of • Waived application fee saving
RICS membership, it is recommended £60 per applicant
they contact membership@ciat.org.uk • 50% reduction in first year annual
for further guidance subscription per applicant
• 25% reduction in future assessment
fees when submitting en bloc, which is
a maximum saving of £75 per applicant
• Professional Interview Boards held at
a practice (four or more candidates)
• Use the CIAT GMS Logo
Further details on this can be found
at: www.ciat.org.uk/en/Join_CIAT/
Group_Membership_Scheme

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What happens once
I am a member?
Once your application has been
processed, you will receive an
electronic welcome pack with details
of your local Region/Centre along
with additional information. As a
member, you can be involved with
your Region/Centre or at national
level with the Institute. Associate
members also receive a certificate.
Each Region/Centre has a
Committee and aspirATion
Group which organise Continual
Professional Development (CPD)
events and other professional/social
networking opportunities. Members
are encouraged to attend these
events and play an active part within
their Region/Centre Committee or
aspirATion Group. You can attend
any CPD events organised in other
Regions/Centres at your own cost.
You can also attend relevant local
events arranged by the CIOB, RIBA
and RICS, however, you may need
to pay to attend these events.
Details of all these events can be
found at www.ciat.org.uk/en/news_
and_events/events.cfm and in the
weekly ebulletin.
There are various opportunities to
be involved with the Institute at
national level by joining a Committee,
Group or Taskforce as well as
standing for election in an honorary
capacity, as part of the Institute’s
Executive Board and Council.
Further details can be obtained
from Central Office.
What can I call myself?
Recommended descriptors are
available and can be found at
www.ciat.org.uk/en/Join_CIAT/
Recommended_descriptors.cfm
What happens if I decide
to leave the Institute?
If you lapse your membership at any
time, you can rejoin and full details
can be found at www.ciat.org.uk
/en/Join_CIAT/reinstating-your-
membership
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 Progressing your membership
As a Chartered Architectural
Technologist, MCIAT
To qualify as a Chartered Architectural
Technologist you have two options:
Option 1:
MCIAT Professional Assessment
application process which is a holistic
self-assessment of your professional
experience cross referenced
against the Professional Standards
Framework (PSF). The PSF defines the
minimum threshold standards for all
prospective Chartered Architectural
Technologists and is linked to the UK
Quality Assurance Agency subject
benchmark statement for Architectural
Technology.
It covers 3 stages:
• Stage 1 - Educational Standards
• Stage 2 - Practice Standards
• Stage 3 - Professional Standards.
Your application must be supported
by a qualified professional who
acts as a referee. Once this has
been successfully completed
and assessed, you must then
pass a Professional Interview. The
Professional Assessment is a flexible
qualifying process for those who
are suitably experienced and/
or specialise within Architectural
Technology. It is based around you
and your experience and it is up to
you to demonstrate the required
level of knowledge, experience
and professional competence.
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The Professional Standards (stage
3) of the assessment process
involves attending the Professional
Interview and demonstrating to
the assessors that you have the
required knowledge, experience
and competence to represent the
Institute as a Chartered Architectural
Technologist.
www.ciat.org.uk/en/Join_CIAT/
qualifying/Chartered/professional-
assessment/index.cfm
Option 2:
Completion of the Chartered
Architectural Technologist
Professional and Occupational
Performance (POP) Record. Once this
has been completed and successfully
assessed, you must then pass a
Professional Practice Interview. The
POP Record sets out the standards
which you must assess your own
competence against with confirmation
from a qualified professional, who
will act as a Supervisor. Full details
on this qualifying process, along
with a film based on the professional
interview process and example units,
can be found at www.ciat.org.uk/
en/Join_CIAT/qualifying/Chartered/
POP_Records/index.cfm
As a professionally
qualified Architectural
Technician, TCIAT
To qualify as an Architectural
Technician you must complete and
successfully pass the assessment
of your Architectural Technician
Professional and Occupational
Performance (POP) Record. The
POP Record sets out the standards
which you must assess your own
competence against with
confirmation from a qualified
professional, who will act as a
Supervisor. Full details on this, along
with a film and example units, can
be found at www.ciat.org.uk/en/
Join_CIAT/qualifying/Technician/
POP_Records_home/index.cfm
Which qualifying route
should you choose?
You are welcome to apply for either
qualification via any of the routes.
However, you must be able to
demonstrate the required standard of
knowledge, competence, experience
and professionalism.
The Professional Interview
The Professional Interview is the final
stage of assessment if you are seeking
to attain Chartered Architectural
Technologist, MCIAT status. If you
are seeking to attain professionally
qualified Architectural Technician
status, you do not attend an interview.
The Professional Interview allows the
Institute’s membership Assessors to
assess your level of professionalism and
competence in Architectural Technology.
Full details on the Interview, along with
a film, can be found at www.ciat.org.uk/
en/Join_CIAT/Professional_Interview/
For further insight into the Institute’s
qualifying processes, please visit
our YouTube Channel and watch
the qualifying in Architectural
Technology films parts 1 and 2 at:
www.youtube.com/ciatechnologist
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9
Post-qualifying
The Institute has two Schemes for Chartered Architectural Technologists
to recognise specialisms in specific areas.

Conservation Register Chartered

— CIAT-Accredited Environmentalist
Conservationist As a constituent body for the
Society for the Environment, CIAT
The CIAT Conservation Register
is licensed to award the Chartered
identifies Chartered Architectural
Environmentalist qualification
Technologists competent in the
to its Chartered Members. The
conservation of historical buildings
Society for the Environment is
and their surroundings. Suitability
the leading co-ordinating body in
for the Register is based upon
environmental matters and is a pre-
a technical assessment of a
eminent champion of a sustainable
candidate’s portfolio followed by
environment, and has registered over
a formal interview. This Register is
8000 Chartered Environmentalists
relevant for those working in the UK,
(CEnv) internationally. To be eligible
but applicants from other countries
to become a Chartered
may also apply. CIAT-Accredited
Environmentalist, applicants must
Conservationists are recognised by
be MCIAT and demonstrate relevant
English Heritage, Historic Scotland
academic and/or professional
and The Heritage Lottery fund.
experience. Applicants may be from
For further information please visit any country. For further information
www.ciat.org.uk/en/Join_CIAT/ please visit www.ciat.org.uk/en/
conservation_register Join_CIAT/chartered_environmentalist
or www.socenv.org.uk

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 Chartered Institute of
Architectural Technologists
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London
EC1V 1NH UK
T: +44 (0)20 7278 2206
membership@ciat.org.uk
www.ciat.org.uk
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©CIAT 2016