Membership Levels and Entry Requirements

The Society has various levels of membership – Student, Associate,Companion, Member, Senior Member and Fellow. Individuals who have attained the knowledge/educational requirements for Associate and Member but have not yet satisfied the experience or other requirements will be classified as ProvisionalAssociate and ProvisionalMember. The Members, Senior Members and Fellows of the Society together form the Professional Division.

STUDENT

To be eligible for admission as a Student Member, a person must be enrolled in an Acceptable Course and not be eligible for a higher grade of membership.

NOTES

(i) Acceptable Courses include all courses offered by Australian universities which have majors or minors in ICT, and by other institutions which are state Registered Training Organisations and are offering courses in ICT which have been accredited by a government authority (federal or state) at Advanced Diploma or Diploma level.

(ii) Persons who are studying overseas for a qualification in IT in an Acceptable Course for which qualifications on completion they are eligible to receive an Australian award, may apply to join as a Student member.

(iii) Applicants for Student membership may upon request from the Society be required to provide proof they are enrolled as a student.

ASSOCIATE

Provisional Associate

To be eligible for admission as an Provisional Associate an applicant must have met the educational requirements through

• completion of an Associate Level Course;

  OR

• satisfying the Society that he or she has acquired an acceptable portion of the Society Core Body of Knowledge(CBOK) through alternate means.

NOTES:

(i) An Associate Level Course is:

the ACS Diploma in Information Technology (formerly the Australian Computer Society Examination in Information Technology;

OR

a university course accredited at the Associate level;

OR

an Australian National Training Authority accredited Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Information Technology (ICA5nnnn and ICA6nnnn courses) delivered by a Registered Training Authority accredited to deliver such courses. (See www.ntis.gov.au );

(ii) University undergraduate degrees will be considered equivalent where they include a minor (one sixth or more of the course) in information and communications technology or include a major in a discipline that works closely with information and communications technology (ie multimedia design, e-commerce, ERP) but does not include sufficient content or depth of study from the CBOK knowledge areas.

(iii) University graduate diplomas that are under-graduate in content and less than three semesters in length will normally be considered equivalent to an Associate Level Course.

(iv) In the case of overseas qualifications the equivalency of courses will be assessed based on NOOSR guidelines.

(v) Certain vendor certification courses either individually or in combination and supported by substantial relevant experience may be sufficient to meet the ACS body of knowledge requirements for entry to the Associate level of membership.  (Applicants with vendor qualifications MCSE, MCSD, CLP and CNE gained from 1997, and CDE , Master CNE , CNI , CCE , and OCM gained from 2004, and MCPD and MCITP gained from 2007, CISA and CISM gained from June 2007, CISSP from May 2008, MCTS gained from August 2009  with such experience will be considered eligible for at least Associate Membership).

(vi) Where applications do not meet the requirements described above such applications may be referred to the Manager, Professional Standards and Development for determination. The Manager, Professional Standards and Development will advise on how the applicant can proceed to Associate level membership. This may include undertaking ACS Diploma of Information Technology in part or full. Until the applicant has met the requirements determined by the Manager: Professional Standards and Development they will be admitted as a Provisional Associate of the Society.

Associate

To be eligible for admission as an Associate, a person must qualify for Provisional Associate and have at least 2 years’ relevant post-qualification associate professional experience in ICT. The experience requirement will be determined at the time the applicant is admitted as a Provisional Associate

AND

Demonstrate knowledge of and commitment to the Society Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice.

NOTES:

(i) Relevant experience will take into account both the nature of the experience and the size and complexity of the organisations in which the experience has been gained.

(ii) Where an applicant has completed an Australian AQF Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Information Technology, knowledge of the Society Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice will be assumed as included in the educational requirements for Associate membership. Other applicants may be required to demonstrate knowledge.

COMPANION MEMBER

The Companion Member grade allows senior executives and members of other non-ICT professions who have a significant involvement in ICT yet do not wish to be or qualify as professional division members of ACS to be members of the ACS.

Applicants are required to demonstrate either their organisational position or professional activity in a non-ICT occupation and the nature of their complimentary ICT activity. The application for membership should indicate that it is an application for companion membership and the necessary documents should accompany the application.

MEMBER

Provisional Member

To be eligible for admission as a Provisional Member, a person must have met the educational requirements under the Core Body of Knowledge through:

the completion of a Professional Level Course,

OR

by satisfying the Society that he or she has acquired the Core Body of Knowledge through experience and professional development in the workplace coupled with some tertiary education (Demonstrated Equivalence)

NOTES

(i) A Professional Level Course is a course accredited by the Australian Computer Society in accordance with Guidelines for Accreditation of Coursesat the Professional Level or equivalent. The list of Accredited Courses is on the ACS website.

(ii) The Core Body of Knowledge clearly requires a degree at Bachelor level with, among other requirements, a major in Information and Communications Technology.

(iii) Genuine post graduate qualifications in ICT will, by their nature, be deemed to be the equivalent of a Professional Level Course.

(iv) One year graduate diplomas (with undergraduate content) will not normally meet the requirements of the Core Body of Knowledge.

(v) In the case of overseas qualifications the equivalency of courses will be assessed based on NOOSR guidelines.

(vi) Where the course is accredited by the ACS the applicant need only provide proof of completion.

(vii) In cases where the nominated course is not accredited by the ACS at the Professional Level applicants are required to include a full official transcript that includes subjects undertaken and completed in the course for determination of the appropriate level by the Manager, Professional Standards and Development.

(viii) The Manager, Professional Standards and Development will assess the course against the educational requirements of the Core Body of Knowledge.

(ix) Demonstrated Equivalence requires applicants for Member level who do not have a required professional level qualification to apply to have their application processed based on recognition of the totality of their activity in the workplace and education. Applicants seeking Demonstrated Equivalence should present their curriculum vitae with details of all training and education, work experience and two referees to the Manager: Professional Standards and Development. The application should include details of two significant and recent ICT projects in which the applicant played a significant role. The nature (size and complexity) on these projects will be influential in a decision as to the level of membership to be offered to the applicant. The applicant may also be required to attend an interview either in person or by phone.

(x) It is difficult for the Demonstrated Equivalence process to be successful for Member level in cases where an applicant has relevant professional ICT experience only. To be eligible for the Demonstrated Equivalence process a person should normally have a qualification at least at the AQF Diploma level or a degree in a non-ICT area with evidence of professional development and experience over a period of at least eight years.

(xi) Demonstrated equivalence is only available to Australian citizens or those holding permanent residence status.

Member

To be eligible for admission as a Member, a person must qualify for Provisional Member and have at least 4 years’ relevant post-qualification professional experience in ICT.

NOTES

(i) For the purpose of evaluating whether the Society's experience requirements are satisfied applicants are required to provide evidence of their experience in Information and Communications Technology, including any of the following activities:

(ii) Only full-time involvement in appropriate Information and Communications Technology activities is considered, however part-time work may be counted at a pro-rata basis

(iii) Written verification of the type of work is required from your nominated supporters.

(iv) The Society must be satisfied that the experience is of suitable quality as well as being in suitable job classifications. The size and complexity of the organisation in which the experience is gained will also be taken into account.

(v) Fifty percent of time spent in the position of trainee programmer, designer or analyst prior to completion of a recognized degree in Information Technology may also be considered as relevant experience.

(vi) Time spent on formal postgraduate courses in Information and Communications Technology will count as relevant experience.

AND

Demonstrate knowledge of and commitment to the Society Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice.

NOTES:

(i) Where an applicant has completed a course accredited by the ACS at Professional level knowledge of the Society Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice will be assumed as included in the educational requirements for Associate membership. Other applicants will be required to demonstrate knowledge or may be required to undertake further study in this area.

SENIOR MEMBER

To be eligible for admission as a Senior Member, a person must:

• demonstrate exemplary knowledge of and commitment to the Society Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice.

NOTES:

A Senior ICT Manager is defined as a person who has a proven management achievement over a period of not less than four years or more in a senior management position such as CEO, GM, CIO or CTO or other senior ICT manager/director who delegates authority to several other managers who hold positions of work that would normally require professional ICT qualifications and membership of ACS .

An important factor in assessing a position against the criteria is whether or not the person delegates authority to other managers who themselves are responsible for planning, organisation, decision making, staffing and control of the ICT activities of the organisation.

The complexity and size of the position as well as the complexity and size of the organisation should be taken into account.

Essential characteristics of a Senior ICT Manager are:

• defined responsibility and authority for decision-making or an advisory function having a direct bearing on the ICT work of an undertaking or major function. In carrying out these responsibilities, recognises and ensures that all appropriate actions are taken in respect of any safety-related applications within scope. It is expected that the cost of error in making decisions or giving advice would have a serious detrimental effect on the profitability or operating efficiency of the undertaking or function.
• a technical background of sufficient depth and width to be able to recognise and successfully exploit opportunities for effective development or usage of ICT and lead and guide fully experienced technical specialists and/or reporting managers.
• demonstrated high level of presentational skills applicable to all levels of audience.
• plays a major part in formulating ICT strategy and policy across employer's undertaking or significant organisational unit.

OR

occupies a senior consultancy or advisory position (often specialised) where the implementation of advice or plans proposed has a major bearing on the effective usage of IS in a significant undertaking. ICT professionals operating at this level will be expected to exhibit clear evidence of having successfully brought both a specialised technical background and high level management qualities to bear at board or equivalent level in public or private organisations.

OR

occupies the position of Associate Professor and above at University le vel

FELLOW

To qualify for the grade of Fellow a person must:

• have made a distinguished contribution to the field of information and communications technology in Australia ;

  AND

• be a Member;

  AND

• satisfy the criteria for admission as required in the Application for Nomination to the Grade of Fellow

NOTES:

(i) The application must be made by the person, or may be nominated by another with the consent of the person

(ii) The applicant should have at least eight years professional experience at least five of which has been at a responsible level

(iii) A distinguished contribution is a notable, recognised and positive influence within the ICT community, above and beyond normal expectations;

(iv) The application requires a point calculation: applicants are expected to attain at least 100 points, although this should only be taken as a guide. The final decision as to admittance as a Fellow will be based on the distinguished contribution. Applications and referee reports should be clear about the contribution and provide sufficient evidence to allow a decision to be made.

PRACTICING COMPUTER PROFESSIONAL (PCP)

Professionals have an obligation to themselves and the ICT community to sustain their skills and knowledge through continuing professional development (CPD). The PCP scheme enables those members of the professional division to differentiate themselves from other members by undertaking continuing professional development. Members, Senior Members and Fellows can add PCP to their current MACS, MACS (Senior) or FACS post nominal.

To achieve PCP status a member must

be a member of the professional division

AND

have successfully completed the Computer Professional Program (for members who joined the society after 1 June 2006 only)

AND

accrued 30 hours of CPD in any twelve month period including any “Directed Professional Development”

AND

have practiced as a computer professional in the past twelve months

AND

supplied the name of two referees who can attest to the professional activity of the member.

CPD activities should have a clear set of objectives and a logical framework – they can include lectures, seminars, formal education, discussion groups and special interest groups, writing and delivering papers and conducting research. The member may be required to justify the activity to the auditor as a genuine professional development activity.

Directed Professional Development means those activities that members are required complete to maintain PCP status in any particular year as part of the ACS Professional Standards Management Plan. All members will be given sufficient warning to undertake directed professional development.

Members can claim PCP status by providing details of CPD activities in a PCP Activity Statement through the Members Only web site. The member is required to provide details of each activity, including the objectives and outcomes of each activity, dates and times, location, the provider details (if any) and the number of hours claimed. Each member statement is subject to audit on a periodic basis by ACS and any deliberate attempts to misrepresent activity will be regarded as a breach of the Society Code of Ethics and subject to disciplinary action.

CERTIFIED COMPUTER PROFESSIONAL STATUS(CCP)

Certified Computer Professional status is available for those members who wish to be included in the ACS Professional Standards Scheme through the Professional Standards Council. Members who attain the status of CCP are eligible to add CCP to their existing MACS or FACS post nominal. They are precluded from also including PCP.

ACS will publish a current register of Certified Computer Professionals on its web site.

To be eligible to be titled CCP a person must;

• be a current member of the professional division;

  AND

• be currently eligible for PCP status

  AND

• have coverage for Professional Indemnity insurance as required by the scheme

  AND

• be in a position to advertise their participation in the scheme and the consequential limited liability on all business documents

  AND

• have sufficient funds to cover any excess required in the professional indemnity coverage.

APPEALS

An applicant may appeal a grading decision. In such cases the applicant should set out the grounds for an appeal in writing and forward such to the Director, Professional Standards for assessment and decision.

The Director, Membership Board
Australian Computer Society
PO Box 534
QVB Sydney 1230