A chartered professional is a person who has gained a specific level of skill or competence in a particular field of work, which has been recognised by the award of a formal

credential A credential is a piece of any document that details a qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or ''de facto'' authority or assumed competence to do so. Examples of credentials include aca ...

by a relevant professional organization. Chartered status is considered a mark of professional competency, and is awarded mainly by

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

ed professional bodies and

learned societies A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

. It is common in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

but is also used in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

, and has been adopted by organisations around the world. Chartered status originates from

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

s issued to professional bodies in the UK by the British Monarch, although such is the prestige and credibility of a chartered designation that some non-UK organisations have taken to issuing chartered designations without Royal or Parliamentary approval. In the UK, chartered titles may still only be awarded by institutions that have been incorporated under royal charter, with the permission of the Privy Council. The standards for chartered titles in the UK are set between the professional bodies and relevant government departments, and cannot be changed without government permission. Some chartered statuses in Ireland are regulated professional titles under

European professional qualification directives Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications provides for a system of recognition of professional experience and promotes automatic recognition of professional experience across the European Union (EU). It covers the E ...

, as were many in the UK until

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

. The full title used differs from profession to profession and is normally of the form "Chartered Profession", for example, Chartered Engineer and Chartered Accountant.

Standing and usage

Chartered status is generally considered a terminal qualification in a particular profession. In some fields professional bodies also offer lower level qualifications, such as Incorporated Engineer (IEng),

Engineering Technician An engineering technician is a professional trained in skills and techniques related to a specific branch of technology, with a practical understanding of the relevant engineering concepts. Engineering technicians often assist in projects relat ...

(EngTech) or Registered Scientist (RSci). The status is not the same as the senior membership grade of

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

in many professional institutes and learned societies, which is usually a measure of achievement or standing in a profession rather than a professional qualification based on assessment of competencies. Chartered status is a form of

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

, with there being a grant of a protected title but no requirement to be chartered in order to practice a profession (making it distinct from

licensing A license (American English) or licence ( Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another par ...

). In the UK and other countries that follow its model, the professional bodies overseeing chartered statuses have a duty to act in the public interest, rather than in the interests of their members, ensuring that chartered professionals must meet ethical standards of behaviour. As a status, rather than simply a qualification, a chartered title may be removed for failure to adhere to codes of conduct, or lost through non-renewal. Someone who has lost the status may no longer describe themselves as chartered. Many chartered statuses require initial academic preparation, and the guidance provided by the Privy Council in the UK states that "the usual expectation is qualification to

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

level or above". After completion of academic training, it is normal to have to complete Initial Professional Development (IPD), which may include professional courses and examinations, to gain the competencies necessary for chartered status. Many chartered statuses also have a requirement that holders undertake

Continuing Professional Development Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing praxis in addition to the transferab ...

(CPD) to maintain and update their competencies, with some requiring evidence of CPD at regular intervals to renew the status, and "a robust Continuous Professional Development regime" is expected by the Privy Council. In the UK, the Privy Council has stated that its policy is "that the criteria for individual Chartered Status should be broadly similar across the professions". They also caution that "Individual Chartered designations that are not approved by The Sovereign in Council, or the Privy Council are not recognised by the UK Government and no assurance can be given that such designations meet the same high standards as authorised designations". There is also an expectation that professional bodies granted power to award individual chartered statuses should have a complaints procedure and a disciplinary procedure in place. In the UK, chartered professional titles may only be trademarked if issued by a body holding a royal charter and which has permission under its charter to grant that title. Chartered professional titles are normally only permitted to be registered as collective trade marks. Guidance provided by the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office is that the use of the word "chartered" in a trademark by a non-chartered organisation "would mislead the public into believing that the association and its members have chartered status". In the US, "chartered" is considered a descriptive term, thus trademarks using "chartered" along with a descriptive title for the profession may only be registered on the principal register if they can be demonstrated to have acquired distinctiveness through exclusive usage in trade for at least five years. Alternatively, they may be registered on the supplemental register.

International use

The two best known chartered statuses are probably Chartered Engineer and Chartered Accountant, along with their derivatives. Examples of their use outside of the UK include '' Chartered Engineer'' (CEng) in Ireland (granted in 1969 by the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...

), India and Singapore; '' Chartered Professional Engineer'' (CPEng) in Australia and New Zealand (under the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act 2002); ''ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer'' (ACPE) in participating

ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

member states by the ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer Coordinating Committee; '' Chartered Accountant'' in Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa and Zambia; and ''

Chartered Professional Accountant Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA; ) is the professional certification, professional designation which united the three Canadian accounting designations that previously existed: :* Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Chartered Acc ...

'' in Canada. Chartered Engineer (or a derivative) is also used in the official translation of titles from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Iceland and Slovakia, while Chartered Accountant (or a derivative) is used in the official translation of titles from Austria, France, Hungary, Iceland, and Romania. In the US ''Chartered'' qualifications are offered by private education providers such as The American College of Financial Services and the Global Academy of Finance & Management (formerly the

American Academy of Financial Management The American Academy of Financial Management (AAFM) was a US-based board of standards, certifying body, and accreditation council focused on the finance sector and wealth management professionals.. AAFM was superseded by the Global Academy of Fi ...

). Unlike chartered qualifications in most countries, these are not issued under a royal/government charter or legislation. The UK Intellectual Property Office refused a trademark application for the US

Chartered Financial Analyst The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program is a postgraduate professional certification offered internationally by the US-based CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research, or AIMR) to investment and financia ...

qualification on the grounds that it was not granted by a body with a royal charter and therefore had the potential to be deceptive.

Historical development

While the concept of

s dates back to the eleventh century, the idea of someone being a chartered professional only dates to the 19th century. The first chartered professionals were accountants in Scotland. The Society of Accountants in Edinburgh (now part of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland) was founded in 1853 and the title Chartered Accountant was in use by 1855. The title spread to England and Wales with the granting of a charter to the

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is a professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports chartered accountants and students around the world. As of December 2024, it has over 210,000 memb ...

in 1880 and to Ireland with the chartering of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland in 1888. The next professionals to adopt the title were Chartered Surveyors in 1903 and Chartered Directors in 1906. These were followed between the wars by Chartered Civil Engineers (1923), Chartered Electrical Engineers (1924), Chartered Architects (1924) Chartered Textile Technologists (1925) and Chartered Mechanical Engineers (1930). Coverage of the grant to the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...

made it clear that the title Chartered Civil Engineer was intended to act as a form of

occupational closure In sociology, an occupational closure (or professional demarcation) is the process whereby a trade or occupation (vocation) transforms itself, or tries to transform itself, into a true profession by closing off entry to the profession to all but ...

: In the

, the title Chartered Accountant was adopted by Acts of Parliament in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1902 and in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in 1927. It spread to Australia in 1928 with the granting of a royal charter to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (now part of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand). The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India was established by Act of Parliament in 1949 and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan by Act of Parliament in 1961. Development in the US began in 1927 with the establishment of the American College of Life Underwriters (now The American College of Financial Services) offering the Chartered Life Underwriter designation. This marked not only the first use of a chartered title in the US but also the first use without government permission by either Charter or Act of Parliament. This was a sharp contrast to the situation in the Commonwealth, where accountants in South Africa and Australia had been engaged in a decades-long struggle to gain the right to use a chartered title that came to fruition at about the same time. The CLU was followed, after many years of preparatory work, by the incorporation of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts (now the

CFA Institute The CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit professional organization that provides investment professionals with finance education. The institute aims to promote standards in ethics, education, and professional excellence in the global investme ...

) in 1962 and the creation of the

designation in 1963. With the engineering profession in the UK fractured into many different professional institutions, the 13 chartered engineering institutions formed the Engineering Institutes Joint Council in 1962, which was chartered as the Council of Engineering Institutions in 1965 and introduced the title of Chartered Engineer with the designatory letters CEng. This marked the introduction of separate post-nominals for chartered status, which had previously been (and still is in many institutions) marked by the same post-nominals as membership. The CEng spread to Ireland a few years later in 1969. Following the introduction of the CEng, many scientific professional bodies also gained the right to award chartered status, such as Chartered Chemist (1975), Chartered Biologist (1979), Chartered Physicist (1985) and Chartered Geologist (1990). This expansion was driven less by occupational closure than a desire to demonstrate professional equality with the engineers. When the European Communities (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations were introduced in the UK in 1991, they featured 40 chartered statuses, including five forms of Chartered Surveyor from the

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for those working in the Built Environment, Construction, Land, Property and Real Estate. The RICS was founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental ...

, Chartered Accountants from three different bodies, and two titles from the Chartered Insurance Institute. The 2015 version of the regulations, from 2015, listed 71 chartered statuses, including 20 varieties of Chartered Surveyor. As of 2025, The UK Privy Council list of approved chartered titles includes over 120 titles. The 21st century has seen moves to increase professionalism. The

Chartered Physicist Chartered Physicist (CPhys) is a chartered status and a professional qualification for physicists awarded by the Institute of Physics. It is denoted by the postnominals "CPhys". Description Achieving chartered status in any profession denotes ...

status, for example, has, since 2001, required a master's degree to fulfill the academic preparation and is no longer awarded automatically to all corporate members of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

, and since 2012 has required evidence of CPD to be presented to renew the status every 3 years. Similarly Chartered Engineers in the UK have needed a master's degree since 2012, and in Ireland since 2013. The

Chartered Scientist Chartered Scientist (CSci) is a professional qualification in the United Kingdom that is awarded by the Science Council through its licensed member organisations. Holders of this qualification can use the post-nominal letters CSci. Chartered sci ...

title, introduced in 2004, required a master's degree and annual re-validation through evidence of CPD from the start.

Titles

Not an exhaustive list:

United Kingdom

The following titles have been approved by the Privy Council. * Chartered Accountant (CA/ACA/FCA) *Chartered Actuary (Fellow/Associate) (FIA/FIA C.Act/FFA/FFA C.Act/AIA/AIA C.Act/AFA/AFA C.Act) *Chartered Adjudicator (C.Adj) *Chartered Arbitrator (FCIArb) *Chartered Arboriculturist/Chartered Forester ( MICFor) * Chartered Architect (

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

/ RIAS/ FRIAS) *Chartered Architectural Technologist (MCIAT) *Chartered Banker (MCIBS) *

Chartered Biologist The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education, and research. Fo ...

( CBiol) * Chartered Builder (MCIOB/FCIOB) * Chartered Building Engineer (CBuildE) *Chartered Building Services Engineer (MCIBSE) *

Chartered Certified Accountant The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (CCA). Founded in 1904, It is now the fourth-largest professional accounting body ...

(ACCA/FCCA) * Chartered Chemical Engineer (MIChemE) *

Chartered Chemist Chartered Chemist (CChem) is a chartered status awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the United Kingdom, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) in Australia, by the Ministry of Education in Italy, the Institute of Chemistr ...

(CChem) * Chartered Civil Engineer (MICE) * Chartered Colourist (CCol) * Chartered Construction Manager (MCIOB/FCIOB) *Chartered Cyber Security Professional (ChCSP) * Chartered Designer (MCSD) * Chartered Director (CDir)"Institute of Directors"
/ref> *Chartered Educational Assessor (CEA) *Chartered Electrical Engineer (MIET/FIET) *Chartered Energy Engineer/Chartered Petroleum Engineer/Chartered Energy Manager (MEI/FEI) * Chartered Engineer (CEng) *Chartered Environmental Health Officer (Ch EHO) *Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner (CEnvH) *

Chartered Environmentalist A Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) is a professional qualification in the United Kingdom that is awarded by the Society for the Environment through its 24 licensed member organisations (listed below). Chartered Environmentalists do not come fr ...

(CEnv) *Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist (CErgHF) *

Chartered Financial Planner The Chartered Financial Planner is a qualification for professional financial planners and financial advisers awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute. By definition, holders of the Chartered Financial Planner qualification are among the mo ...

(AFPS) *Chartered Gas Engineer (MIGEM) * Chartered Geographer (CGeog) * Chartered Geologist (CGeol) * Chartered Governance Professional (FCG/FCIS/ACG/ACIS), one of the two designations awarded by the Chartered Governance Institute. *Chartered Horticulturist (CHort) *Chartered Insurer/Chartered Insurance Practitioner/Chartered Insurance Broker/Chartered Insurance Risk Manager/Chartered Insurance Underwriting Agent (ACII/FCII) *

Chartered IT Professional Chartered IT Professional (in full, Chartered Information Technology Professional) denoted by CITP is a professional qualification awarded under Royal Charter to IT professionals who satisfy strict criteria set by the British Computer Society (B ...

(CITP) * Chartered Landscape Architect (FLI/CMLI) * Chartered Legal Executive/Chartered Legal Executive Advocate (FCILEx) * Chartered Fellow/Member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (FCLIP/MCLIP) * Chartered Linguist (CL) * Chartered Fellow/Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT/CMILT) *Chartered Loss Adjuster (CLA) * Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA/FCMA) *Chartered Fellow/Member of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (FCIMSPA (chartered)/MCIMSPA (chartered)) *Chartered Fellow/Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (CFIIA/CMIIA) *Chartered Management Consultant (ChMC) *Chartered Member/Fellow of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (FCIMSPA (chartered)/MCIMSPA (chartered)) *Chartered Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (CMIIA) * Chartered Manager (CMgr) *Chartered Marine Engineer/Chartered Marine Scientist/Chartered Marine Technologist (CMarEng) * Chartered Marketer (CMktr) *Chartered Master Mariner (CMMar) * Chartered Mathematician (CMath) *Chartered Mathematics Teacher (CMathTeach) * Chartered Mechanical Engineer (MIMechE/FIMechE) *Chartered Measurement and Control Technologist (MInstMC) *Chartered Meteorologist (CMet) *Chartered Occupational Hygienist (CMFOH/CFFOH) *Chartered Patent Attorney (CPA) * Chartered Fellow/Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD/MCIPD) *Chartered Photographer (CPhot) *

(CPhys) *Chartered Physiotherapist (MCSP (UK)/MISCP (Ireland)) *Chartered Procurement and Supply Professional (MCIPS/FCIPS) * Chartered Project Management Professional (CPMP) *Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) *Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) *Chartered Public Finance Accountant (CIPFA) *Chartered Public Relations Practitioner (Chart.PR) *Chartered Quality Professional (CQP MCQI/CQP FCQI) * Chartered Radiation Protection Professional ( CRadP) *Chartered Real Estate Consultant *Chartered Safety and Health Professional (CMIOSH/CFIOSH) *

(CSci) * Chartered Science Teacher (CSciTeach) * Chartered Secretary (FCG/FCIS/ACG/ACIS) *Chartered Fellow/Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (Chartered FCISI/Chartered MCISI) * Chartered Fellow/Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (Chartered FCISI/Chartered MCISI) * Chartered Wealth Manager of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment * Chartered Fellow (Financial Planning) of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (Chartered FCSI (Financial Planning)) *

Chartered Security Professional Chartered Security Professional (CSyP) is a professional certification in security offered by the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, a livery company in the City of London. The certification has been established to show the attainment ...

(CSyP) *Chartered Shipbroker (MICS) * Chartered Statistician (CStat) * Chartered Structural Engineer (AIStructE/MIStructE/FIStructE) * Chartered Surveyor (MRICS or FRICS) **Also Chartered Arts and Antiques Surveyor; Chartered Building Surveyor; Chartered Building Control Surveyor; Chartered Civil Engineering Surveyor; Chartered Commercial Property Surveyor; Chartered Construction Surveyor; Chartered Engineering Surveyor; Chartered Environmental Surveyor; Chartered Facilities Management Surveyor; Chartered Forestry Surveyor; Chartered Hydrographic Surveyor; Chartered Land Surveyor; Chartered Machinery Valuation Surveyor; Chartered Management Consultancy Surveyor; Chartered Minerals Surveyor; Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor; Chartered Project Management Surveyor; Chartered Quantity Surveyor; Chartered Valuation Surveyor. * Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) *Chartered Teacher of English (CTE) *Chartered Technological Product Designer CTPD) *Chartered Textile Technologist (CText) *Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI) *Chartered Trading Standards Practitioner (CTSP) *Chartered Transport Planning Professional (CTPP) *Chartered Waste Manager (MCIWM) * Chartered Water and Environment Manager (C.WEM)

United States

* Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) * Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL) * Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) *Chartered Business Consultant *Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst *Chartered Federal Employee Benefits Consultant *

(CFA) *Chartered Financial Consultant * Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) * Chartered Health Care Consultant (ChHC) * Chartered Leadership Fellow (CLF) * Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) *

Chartered Market Technician The CMT Association is a non-profit, global, professional association of technical analysis, technical analysts headquartered in New York City, servicing over 4,500 market analysis professionals in around 137 countries. The CMT Association is a gl ...

(CMT) *Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) *Chartered Realty Investor *Chartered Senior Financial Planner *Chartered Special Needs Consultant *Chartered Wealth Advisor

Australia

* Chartered Accountant *Chartered Building Professional (MAIB/FAIB/LFAIB) * Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng)

Canada

*Chartered Administrator (C.Adm.)/ *Chartered Appraiser/Chartered Assessor *Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) *Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) *

(CPA)

Other countries

*ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer (ACPE) *Chartered Administrator (ACIA) (Nigeria) * Chartered Accountant (India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa and Zambia) *Chartered Development Finance Analyst (CDFA) (South Africa) * Chartered Engineer (CEng) (Ireland, India and Singapore) * Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance (CPIF) (Malaysia) * Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) (New Zealand)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chartered (status) Professional titles and certifications