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Special Case Criteria for GBC for Academic Scholars

These Guidelines are for UK applicants only. Academic psychologists from outside the UK, please see Overseas Membership Information.

Introduction

The Society welcomes applications for Chartered Membership from psychologists whose primary areas of activity are research and teaching. Indeed, the Society's criteria provide both teaching and research routes to Chartered Membership.

The Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) is the prerequisite to Chartered Membership for both academic and practitioner applicants. The Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) is granted to applicants who have completed qualifications specifically accredited by the Society for the purpose. This normally means that candidates must hold an undergraduate degree in psychology. However, the Society acknowledges that academic competence as a researcher through completion of a research PhD or DPhil in psychology can be attained by individuals whose initial qualifications are in disciplines other than psychology. These individuals will not have established the GBC through 'conventional' means, but the Society would like nonetheless to recognise their achievements by admitting them to Chartered Membership via the research route.

As the Society is obliged by Statute not to overlook the absence of the GBC, it has developed special case criteria for GBC for academic scholars who hold research doctorates in psychology and have thereby attained the 'gold standard' for competence as a research psychologist. The Society wishes strongly to encourage these candidates to apply for Chartered Membership.

1. The Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC)

All applicants for Chartered Membership must establish the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). This requirement is laid down in the Society's Statutes and applies both to academic and to practitioner applicants.

Graduate Basis for Registration is awarded to applicants who:

(i) hold a Society-accredited degree in psychology; or
(ii) have passed the Society’s Qualifying Examination; or
(iii) have completed a Society-accredited conversion qualification

Many (but not all) academic applicants who are eligible for Chartered Membership will have established the GBC through one of the above routes.

2. Special case route to the GBC for academic psychologists

For UK academic psychologists who are eligible for Chartered Membership but who do not have the Graduate Basis for Registration (GBC), the Society has developed special case criteria. Statute 12(3)(a)(iii) provides the framework and allows the Society to grant the GBC to applicants with postgraduate qualifications and experience who are deemed to have 'at least as broad a grasp of the general areas of psychology as required by the Qualifying Examination and to the same standard'.

The Society's Psychology Education Board (PEB) has approved a protocol for assessing special case academic applicants for the GBC in accordance with the Statutes. There are two key features of this protocol:

(i) It applies only to academic psychologists who are eligible for Chartered Membership via the research route; that is, by dint of a research doctorate in psychology
(ii) the research doctorate that provides the basis for Chartered Membership cannot also count towards the evaluation of the GBC.

3. Does the special case route to the GBC apply to me?

Yes, provided that:

(a) you have not already established the GBC by one of the routes described in 1 above; and

(b) you hold a UK research doctorate in psychology that meets the criteria for Chartered Membership. This means that the topic of your thesis must be recognisably in the area of psychology and either your supervisor or external examiner (or both) must be clearly identifiable as psychologists.

4. How does the Society assess special case eligibility for the GBC?

The Admissions Committee (AC) has responsibility for assessing individual applications for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership. The onus is on you to demonstrate that your qualifications and experience apart from your research doctorate have given you a knowledge of the general areas of psychology that is to the breadth and standard of the knowledge required to pass the Society’s Qualifying Examination (QE). Remember that your doctoral degree cannot count as part of your GBC assessment.

Apart from your doctorate you will need to have at least a second class honours bachelor or Scottish Masters degree that is not accredited by the Society that contains some courses that map onto the syllabus of the QE, together with one or more of the following:

(a) postgraduate qualifications that contain some courses that map onto the syllabus of the QE, and/or

(b) postgraduate experience as a researcher or a teacher of psychology, and/or

(c) publications in refereed journals of psychology, and/or

(d) published books (including chapters in books) or conference papers on topics in psychology

The AC will look for the following evidence:

• original certificates or authenticated copy certificates for all of the qualifications you wish to be assessed
• original academic transcripts or authenticated copy transcripts for all of the qualifications you wish to be assessed
• syllabus or course handbook information to confirm the psychology content of any of your courses where this is not clear from the title (e.g. General Psychology)

You will need to show that courses with psychology content that have not been taken as part of a psychology qualification (e.g. as a component of a Sports Science or Sociology degree) have been taught by psychologists and moderated by the external examiner for psychology. You will also need references from senior colleagues who can vouch for your postgraduate experience as a teacher or researcher.

You will need to nominate at least two referees who should themselves be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). Ideally, at least one of these should have been in a supervisory relationship with you. They will need to confirm how you have extended your knowledge of psychology beyond the topic area of your doctoral research.

You will also need to supply a publications list. Relevant publications are papers in refereed journals of psychology, conference papers, books, edited books, and book chapters that address the core topics of psychology as defined in the QE syllabus and show that you have extended your knowledge of psychology beyond the topic area of your doctorate. Please ensure that you list your publications in chronological order and highlight your name in bold, especially for joint/co-authored items.

5. How do I apply for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership via the special case route?

1. Please download an application form for Chartered Membership. If you are not already a Graduate Member of the Society, you will need to apply for both Graduate Membership and the GBC as well as for Chartered Membership.

2. Please complete the application form in accordance with the guidance notes. Don’t forget to obtain the signatures of two Proposers, who must be Chartered Psychologists themselves.

3. Please enclose appropriate evidence, as described in (4) above, to support your case for the GBC.

4. Include details of proposers and referees.

We will write to your two Proposers for references. These referees will be asked to verify the information you have given on your form and to confirm that you are a suitable candidate to be admitted to the Register.

If appropriate, you should nominate at least two additional referees specifically to vouch for any teaching and research experience that you wish to be taken into account in your GBC assessment. These referees need not necessarily be Chartered Psychologists, but should be eligible for the GBC. They will be asked to confirm in some detail how you demonstrate your knowledge of the general areas of psychology as defined by the Qualifying Exam syllabus.

6. Checklist

The special case route to the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) for academic applicants applies to psychologists who:

• Do not have a qualification that confers automatic GBC
• Do have a UK research doctorate in psychology that meets the criteria for Chartered Membership
• Do have at least a second class honours bachelor or Scottish Masters degree that contains some courses in general areas of psychology
• Do have other postgraduate qualifications and experience that show a broad knowledge of the general areas of psychology as defined by the syllabus for the Qualifying Exam

Please remember that:

• The onus is on you to send appropriate information that clearly demonstrates your breadth of knowledge of the general areas of psychology as described in the syllabus for the QE
• All applications are considered by the Admissions Committee on an individual basis

Contact us

If you have any queries please contact the Membership Team (e-mail: applications@bps.org.uk; telephone +44 (0)116 252 9911.