SDPS membership will be offered to professionals with appropriate academic and work experience. College students in all disciplines with a in-depth interdisciplinary involvement will also accepted. Qualified individuals should submit their applications with membership dues to the SDPS for review and processing.

The SDPS membership will consist of Corporate membership, Member, Senior Member, Fellow, Honorary Member. In addition, there will be Student members.

Corporate Membership

Corporate membership will be given to legal entities such as corporations and organizations.

Member

The Member grade is given to those who have demonstrated professional competence in design and process science. For admission or advancement to the grade of Member, a person should hold a baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent from a recognized educational program in any field.

Fellow

A Fellow, a membership grade of distinction in SDPS related professions, is elected by the Board of Directors based upon a candidate having been responsible for significant engineering achievements in design and process improvement. Normally, a candidate should have ten years of active practice and should hold Senior member grade at the time of nomination. Ten years of membership requirement may be waived for a Fellow candidate who has 15 years of professional practice (as needed to qualify for Senior member grade) and who has demonstrated significant achievements or truly outstanding contributions in at least one of the following categories:

1. Integration of disciplines, theories and methodologies.
2. Development scientific principles and methods for design and process science as applied to traditional disciplines of engineering.
3. Industrial leadership and innovation.
4. Educational leadership and creativity.

A nomination for promotion to Fellow must be initiated by a Fellow of any other society or a Member of SDPS and supported by at least five additional sponsors. The candidate and at least 3 out of 5 sponsors must be Members of SDPS at the time of nomination.

Honorary Member

The grade of Honorary Membership recognizes unusual accomplishment in engineering, science, or public service and other allied pursuits beneficial to the design and process science.

Student Member

An undergraduate or graduate students regularly enrolled, in a university program who feels the need for interdisciplinary involvement at a professional level will meet the requirements for appointment to Student grade.