IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities.

The following information provides an overview of IEEE offerings and services.

IEEE Quick Facts

IEEE has:

  • More than 421,000 members in more than 160 countries, more than 50 per cent of whom are from outside the United States
  • More than 114,000 Student members
  • 334 Sections in ten geographic Regions worldwide
  • 2,116 Chapters that unite local members with similar technical interests
  • 2,806 student branches at colleges and universities in over 100 countries
  • 1,159 student branch chapters of IEEE technical societies
  • 459 affinity groups; IEEE affinity groups are non-technical sub-units of one or more Sections or a Council. The affinity group patent entities are the IEEE-USA Consultants’ Network, Young Professionals (YP), Women in Engineering (WIE), and Life Members (LM)

IEEE:

  • Has 39 Societies and seven technical councils representing the wide range of IEEE technical interests
  • Has nearly 4 million documents in the IEEE Xplore® Digital Library, with more than 8 million downloads each month
  • Has over 1,100 active standards and more than 500 standards under development
  • Publishes approximately 180 transactions, journals, and magazines
  • Sponsors more than 1,800 conferences in 95 countries while:
    • Partnering with more than 1,300 non-IEEE entities globally
    • Attracting more than 485,000 conference attendees
    • Publishing more than 1,400 conference proceedings via IEEE Xplore

    *Data current as of 31 December 2015. This information is updated annually.

Membership

There are more than 421,355 IEEE members in over 160 countries around the world. IEEE members are engineers, scientists, and allied professionals whose technical interests are rooted in electrical and computer sciences, engineering, and related disciplines.

The highest grade of membership, IEEE Fellow, is attained through nomination by peers and approval by the IEEE Board of Directors for distinction in the profession.

Publications

IEEE publishes nearly a third of the world’s technical literature in electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics. This includes approximately 180 transactions, journals, and magazines published annually. In cooperation with John Wiley and Sons, Inc., IEEE also produces technical books, monographs, guides, and textbooks.

IEEE journals are consistently among the most highly cited in electrical and electronics engineering, telecommunications, and other technical fields.

The IEEE Xplore Digital Library contains nearly 4 million documents from IEEE and IEEE journals, transactions, magazines, letters, conference proceedings, and active IEEE standards.

Conferences

Each year, over 100,000 technical professionals attend the more than 1,800 conferences sponsored by IEEE.

From microelectronics and microwaves to sensors and security, IEEE conferences cover relevant topics that showcase the depth and breadth of members’ technical fields.

Standards

IEEE is a leading developer of international standards that underpin many of today’s telecommunications, information technology, and power-generation products and services.

Often the central source for standardization in a broad range of emerging technologies, the IEEE Standards Association has a portfolio of over 1,100 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. This includes the prominent IEEE 802® standards for local, metropolitan, and other area networks, including Ethernet and Wireless LAN (commonly referred to as Wi-Fi®).

Education and careers

By awarding continuing education units and professional development hours, IEEE helps its members meet their continuing education requirements and develops products and services in support of these efforts.

IEEE follows strict guidelines for developing and delivering continuing education materials, conforming to the highest industry practices for awarding continuing education units, professional development hours, and certificates of completion.

At the pre-college level, IEEE works with industry, universities, and government to raise students’ literacy in science, math, engineering, and technology.

IEEE Foundation

As the philanthropic arm of IEEE, the IEEE Foundation inspires the generosity of donors so it may enable IEEE programs that enhance technology access, literacy, and education, as well as support the IEEE professional community.

The IEEE Foundation fulfils its purpose by:

    • Soliciting and managing donations
    • Recognizing the generosity of donors
    • Awarding grants to IEEE grassroots projects of strategic importance
    • Supporting high-impact Signature Programs
    • Serving as a steward of donations that empower bright minds, recognize innovation, and preserve the history of technology

With donor support, the IEEE Foundation strives to be a leader in transforming lives through the power of technology and education. IEEE Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization in the United States.

Awards

Accomplishments in IEEE technical fields are recognized with annual awards for outstanding contributions to technology, society, and the engineering profession.

IEEE Medals are the highest awards that the IEEE presents on behalf of the IEEE Board of Directors. IEEE Medals embrace significant and broad IEEE interests and purposes. The highest honour is the IEEE Medal of Honor, which recognizes an individual for an exceptional contribution or extraordinary career in the IEEE fields of interest. Past recipients have included such visionaries as:

• Guglielmo Marconi (1920, for radio telegraphy)
• William Shockley (1980, for junction, analogue, and junction field-effect transistors)
• Andrew S. Grove (2000, for pioneering research in metal oxide semiconductor devices and technology)
• Gordon E. Moore (2008, for pioneering technical roles in integrated-circuit processing, and leadership in the development of MOS memory, the microprocessor computer and the semiconductor industry)