The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is the professional body for construction management. Its chartered grade, MCIOB, is the mark of a qualified construction manager, in the same way MRICS marks a chartered surveyor. Plenty of people in surveying hold both: quantity surveyors, project managers and commercial staff at contractors in particular. This guide explains the membership grades, the routes to chartership, the Professional Review, and what CIOB support to look for in an employer.
CIOB updates its routes from time to time, and what follows reflects its guidance as it stands in autumn 2026. Always check the current pathway details and fees on the CIOB website before you apply.
Who CIOB is for
CIOB is for people who plan, manage and deliver building work: site, project and construction managers, contracts managers, commercial and cost staff at contractors, and directors. It also welcomes client-side project managers and academics who teach construction. If your day job is running projects rather than advising on property, CIOB is likely to fit you as well as, or instead of, RICS.
CIOB and development management
Development managers at housebuilders, developers and investors sit between the land and the build: appraising sites, steering planning, appointing the design and cost team, and keeping the scheme on programme and on budget. Many of them come up through construction, and CIOB membership is a common way to show it. CIOB's own Code of Practice for Project Management covers construction and development projects from inception to handover, so its competencies fit a development manager's day job well. Development surveyors, who focus on appraisals, valuations and site acquisition, are more often RICS members, through the Planning & Development pathway of the APC.
If you are a development manager thinking about CIOB, the Professional Review asks for examples of managing people, programme, cost and quality: the delivery side of development counts, not just site management.
The membership grades
- Student: for people studying a construction-related course.
- Technical Member (TechCIOB): for people in technical and supervisory roles who are not yet at chartered level.
- Chartered Member (MCIOB): the chartered grade, and the one most job adverts ask for.
- Fellow (FCIOB): for senior members who have made a significant contribution to the industry.
The routes to MCIOB
CIOB offers several pathways to chartership, all leading to the same MCIOB. Which one you take depends on your qualifications and experience:
- Degree plus experience: a degree-level qualification and three years' construction management experience (five years if your degree is not construction-related). You go straight to the Professional Review.
- Not enough experience yet: graduates and students can build their experience on CIOB's Professional Development Programme with their employer's support, or join and gain membership benefits while they build up the years they need.
- No degree: experienced practitioners without a degree can take the Chartered Membership Programme, a set of modules followed by a chartership assessment.
- Level 7 NVQ or SVQ: people with a recent Level 7 NVQ Diploma in Construction Senior Management (or the Scottish equivalent) and at least three years' construction management experience have a shorter route.
- Academics: people teaching or researching construction at degree level have their own route.
Degree apprenticeships in construction management are another way in: they combine paid work with a degree, and can lead on to chartership. Ask any employer offering one how it links to CIOB membership.
The Professional Review
For most candidates, the last step is the Professional Review. It looks at your knowledge, experience and competence in three areas: occupational, management and professionalism. You answer set questions on an application form, using real examples from your own work. If written work is not your strength, you can ask for an interview-based assessment instead when you sign up.
CIOB says results usually take around 12 to 14 weeks after you submit your application and payment, longer if anything is missing. The detailed competencies and guidance notes are in the CIOB members' portal once you apply for a pathway.
CIOB or RICS?
They are not either/or. RICS is the main body for surveyors who advise on land, property and construction costs, through the APC (see The APC explained). CIOB is the main body for managing construction itself. A quantity surveyor or project manager at a contractor may well hold both, and many employers list either as acceptable. For a fuller comparison of the bodies, read RICS, CIOB or CABE: which chartership is right for you?
Finding an employer who will support you
Chartership is much easier with an employer behind you. When you read an advert or go for an interview, look for:
- paid CIOB membership fees and Professional Review fees;
- a chartered member (MCIOB or FCIOB) who can guide you and review your answers;
- the range of work you need to show competence, not just one narrow task;
- time set aside for study, and a clear say on how chartership affects your grade and pay.
Adverts on SURVEYINGJOBS.COM that mention CIOB membership or chartership carry a CIOB route label, so they are easy to spot.
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