Qualifications FAQs

Your qualification will still be relevant. Any CIPD qualification you achieve will both enhance and prove your capabilities as a people professional.

Yes, anyone who has previously obtained a Level 3 certificate or are a Student Member registered for a Level 3 certificate before late summer 2021 and successfully complete their studies by summer 2023, will be awarded Associate Membership.

When you have successfully completed your studies, you will still hold one of the most respected and valued qualifications in your field. Since the Profession Map was launched, your learning provider has been incorporating it wherever relevant. The new qualifications will not affect the outcome of your current studies. For example, if you’re studying a Level 3 (Foundation) qualification, you will still be eligible for Associate Membership.

Transition mapping is included in your Centres specification documentation, however you can download transition guidance including exemptions for the new qualifications below.

Download our transition guidance to determine which units can be used as part of your transition to the new qualifications.

Then, contact your current Study Centre or centre of your choice for advice on the transition arrangements relevant to you. Make sure you have evidence of what you have achieved to date.

CIPD Transition arrangements

All students who are enrolled on and complete their entire qualification successfully by the end of July 2023 will still gain the expected membership outcome.

It is no longer possible to register for a pre-2021 qualification. Those currently studying will need to successfully complete their qualification by the end of July 2023.

No, however employers will recognise skills and behaviours at foundation level of the Profession Map, which is established and accepted widely by organisations as the international benchmark of standards and behaviours for the people profession.

The world of work is changing, never more so than now. That's why we developed the Profession Map which defines the knowledge, behaviours and inherent values underpinning today’s people profession. It provides the platform to help move the profession forward, individually and collectively, and to embrace change in the modern world of work. At the core of the new CIPD qualifications is the Profession Map.

Study Centres offer CIPD qualifications which have been developed by the CIPD in consultation with experts and have the Profession Map at their core. When you have successfully completed the course, you will gain a CIPD qualification and the relevant CIPD membership outcome.

A university accredited programme offers modules that are mapped to the Profession Map. Once you have successfully completed the programme, you will gain a University named degree and the relevant membership outcome from CIPD.

The new Foundation Certificate in People Practice includes broader learning content aligned with the fundamental standards of the Profession Map, and leads to Foundation Membership.

The pre-2021 foundation qualifications, are in either HR or L&D, and led to Associate Membership.

It's important that our membership structure reflects the breadth of people practice and is aligned with the impact levels described in the Profession Map. The knowledge gained by studying the Foundation Certificate of People Practice is aligned with the Foundation impact level in the Profession Map. Foundation Membership provides a clear route into membership for individuals meeting these standards.

Associate Members who have completed an Advanced Diploma will still be eligible to apply for a free upgrade to Chartered Member. You’ll need to upgrade using form-based assessment and submit your application within a year of joining Associate Membership. Members must be able to demonstrate they have a minimum of one year’s experience working at Chartered Member level. Find out more about upgrading to Chartered Member.

The new CIPD qualifications no longer have any unseen examined assessments as a compulsory element. It is now up to Accredited Programme Providers how they assess any mapped CIPD core knowledge and core behavioural content within their programmes. Students would need to check with their centres requirements on this as this may differ depending on the centre and/or programme and therefore some centres may still have exams within their programmes.

When you have successfully completed your studies, you will still hold one of the most respected and valued qualifications in your field. Since the Profession Map was launched, your learning provider has been incorporating it wherever relevant. The new qualifications will not affect the outcome of your current studies. For example, if you’re studying a Level 3 (Foundation) qualification, you will still be eligible for Associate Membership.

CIPD membership, CIPD qualifications and the Profession Map work together to help you progress as a professional. You can use the Profession Map to identify the knowledge and behaviours you need to create impact at four different levels, and through CIPD qualifications you can gain the learning required for you to excel. Your resulting skills and abilities are reflected in your CIPD member grade.

For the new CIPD qualifications, the Foundation Certificate in People Practice leads to Foundation Membership. Associate and Advanced Diplomas lead to Associate Membership. Associate Members who hold an Advanced Diploma are eligible to apply for Chartered Member or Chartered Fellow by completing an upgrading assessment of their professional experience.

All students who are enrolled on and complete their entire qualification successfully by the end of July 2023 will still gain the expected membership outcome.

It is no longer possible to register for a pre-2021 qualification. Those currently studying will need to successfully complete their qualification by the end of July 2023.