Are You Eligible for An Upgrade?

SWE has several grades of membership and you may qualify for an upgrade. If you meet the following criteria, please visit the Member Service Center and submit your request. Educational and technical information must be up-to-date. The omission or lack of information will delay your upgrade request. If you have additional questions, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Professional Members

Upgrade from Associate (A) -->Member (M)

Member (M) – any person who is or has been actively engaged in engineering work. She/he qualifies under one of the following classifications:

• Holds a baccalaureate or advanced degree in engineering, engineering technology, or a science related to engineering

• Has at least five years engineering experience indicating engineering competency and achievement

Upgrade from Member (M) -->Senior (S)

Senior (S) – any person who is or has been actively engaged in engineering work is eligible to become a Senior Member. She/he qualifies under one of the following classifications:

• Holds a baccalarureate or advanced degree in engineering, engineering technology, or a science related to engineering and has at least ten years of engineering experience

• Has at least six years of increasingly important engineering experience

• Has at least 15 years of engineering experience, indicating engineering competency and achievement

• Anyone who receives the SWE Achievement Award

The next member status after Senior is Fellow (F). A SWE member who has been a Senior Member for at least ten years or a member for at least 20 years may be chosen a Fellow of the Society in recognition of significant and long-term service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession. Fellows are usually nominated by their peers.

Recent Graduates (Member Recent Graduate, 1st year (M1), Member Recent Graduate Unemployed, 1st year (MU1), Member Recent Graduate, 2nd year (M2), or Member Recent Graduate Unemployed, 2nd year (MU2) are automatically upgraded each year at renewal time. Once your member grade is M (Member), you must submit a request for an upgrade to S (Senior) when you qualify.

Collegiate (T) members can transition to a professional if you have graduated in the last 12 months or will be graduating by June 30, and are not continuing your education at this time. Visit the Member ServiceCenter at https://www.swe.org/MSC-SWE/renewredirect.aspx to submit your request and payment. Please select collegiate transistion on the online form as shown below. Students wishing to transition their membership should not use the new member application form nor apply as a Recent Grad.