Phase 2 · Settle your educational base
Further Learning
Closing the gap between an accredited qualification and the level required, without treating it as a formality.
Who this is for:Candidates at any stage ·CEng MICE candidates
Further Learning is how an accredited qualification that partially meets the Chartered requirement is brought up to the full requirement. It is a genuine programme of learning, not an administrative step.
The most common situation is an accredited bachelor's degree held by someone seeking Chartered registration. The degree is not deficient — the framework simply expects more depth for Chartered than a bachelor's degree alone provides, and Further Learning supplies it.
Routes vary, and the current options must be checked with ICE. Historically they have included accredited postgraduate study, individual postgraduate modules, and work-based learning demonstrated through a written submission. What they have in common is that they must be assessed, not merely completed.
Approaching it sensibly
- 01
Confirm you actually need it
Get ICE's written view of where your qualification stands. Some candidates start a master's degree they did not need; others assume they are fine and discover otherwise while assembling an application.
- 02
Choose learning that helps your evidence too
If you are going to spend a year or more studying, choose subject matter that strengthens a thin attribute area — commercial, sustainability, or a technical specialism you will write about.
- 03
Record it as CPD as you go
Further Learning is learning. It belongs in your personal development record with reflection on the benefit gained, not just as a certificate at the end.
- 04
Do not treat it as sequential
Further Learning and IPD run in parallel. Waiting until you have finished studying before starting to record evidence wastes years of perfectly good experience.
Further Learning is not the same as an Academic Assessment
| Further Learning | Academic Assessment | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Your qualification is accredited, but only partially meets the requirement for the grade you want. | Your qualification is not accredited, or was awarded outside the UK and is not covered by a recognition arrangement. |
| What you do | Undertake and evidence additional learning to close a known gap. | Submit what you already hold for ICE to assess against the requirement. |
| Typical timescale | Months to years, depending on the route chosen. | Weeks to months, depending on ICE's process. |
| Where to start | Confirm with ICE that you need it, and how much. | Gather your transcript, then contact ICE. |
Queensferry's summary, to help you ask ICE the right question. ICE decides which applies to you.
Questions to ask yourself
Has ICE told me I need Further Learning, or am I assuming?
Some candidates start a master's degree they did not need. Others assume they are fine and find out while assembling an application.
Will this learning also strengthen a thin attribute area?
If you are going to spend a year or more studying, the subject matter may as well do two jobs.
Am I waiting for this before starting to record evidence?
Further Learning and IPD run in parallel. Sequencing them wastes years of perfectly good experience.
Before committing to a route
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Related pages and tools
- Educational baseWhat ICE means by educational base, the four ways of satisfying it, and why this is the stage to resolve first.
- Accredited qualificationsWhat accreditation means, why it is course-and-year specific, and how to establish where your own qualification stands.
- Academic AssessmentHow ICE assesses a qualification that is not accredited, when it is the right route, and what to prepare.
- CPDWhat ICE requires, what counts, and how to keep a record that is useful rather than defensive.