What Is the IEEE Constitution?

The IEEE Constitution is the foundational governing document of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, establishing the organization's purpose, structural framework, membership structure, and the authority and obligations of its governing bodies. Together with the companion IEEE Bylaws, it forms the legal and procedural basis for how the world's largest technical professional society operates. The Constitution sets out provisions that are intentionally broad and durable, while the Bylaws implement those provisions through specific operational rules that can be amended with less friction.

The current IEEE Constitution reflects the 1963 merger of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE, founded 1884) and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE, founded 1912), though its text has been revised multiple times since then to accommodate the organization's growth to more than 400,000 members across 160 countries.

Purpose and Objectives

The Constitution opens by defining IEEE's fundamental purpose: the advancement of the theory and practice of electrical, electronics, and communications engineering and computer science, and the related arts and sciences, and the maintenance of a high professional standing among its members. This statement of purpose governs how IEEE may legitimately direct its resources and activities. Subsidiary purposes include fostering technical education, representing members' professional interests, and serving the public interest in matters touching on engineering and technology. The full text of the IEEE Constitution is publicly available on IEEE's governance pages and is updated to reflect formal amendments approved by the membership.

Membership and Voting Rights

The Constitution defines the categories of IEEE membership, including Student, Associate, Member, Senior Member, and Fellow grades, and specifies the voting rights associated with each. Full members and Senior Members hold voting rights that allow them to elect the IEEE Board of Directors and participate in referenda on constitutional amendments. The Fellow grade, the highest conferred by the organization, is governed by criteria specified in the Bylaws but the grade's existence and general character are established in the Constitution. Membership classifications were designed to accommodate IEEE's international scope, with provisions accommodating the participation of members from regions that may have different professional credentialing systems than those in the United States.

Board of Directors and Governance Bodies

The Constitution establishes the Board of Directors as the supreme governing body of IEEE, authorized to manage the organization's property and affairs. It specifies that the Board must include both directors elected by the general membership and directors elected by the IEEE Assembly, ensuring that both at-large members and organizational units (societies, councils, and regional bodies) are represented in governance. Corporate Officers, including the President, who serves as Chief Executive Officer, the Secretary, and the Treasurer, are defined in the Constitution. The IEEE Governing Documents page maintains the current Constitution and Bylaws alongside the policies and procedures that flow from them. Amendments to the Constitution require approval by a two-thirds majority of votes cast in a formal membership referendum, reflecting the document's role as a stable foundation for the organization.

Applications

The IEEE Constitution underpins a wide range of organizational activities and member experiences, including:

• Elections of IEEE's Board of Directors and corporate officers by the general membership
• Governance of IEEE's technical societies, councils, and geographic sections under a unified framework
• Establishment and administration of the IEEE Awards Program, which has operated since 1917
• Definition of member rights, obligations, and the professional standards members are expected to uphold
• Authorization for IEEE to engage in standards development, publishing, and public policy advocacy