Honor Societies

Two kinds of honor societies are recognized at Hunter College: academic and professional. In general the requirements for nomination are: for academic societies, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a departmental GPA prescribed by the department concerned, although in no case less than 3.0; for professional societies, a cumulative GPA of 2.8 and a departmental GPA and professional qualifications that meet departmental requirements. All honor societies except Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi are subject to the rules and regulations established by a committee of the Hunter College Senate. Students may qualify for the following honor societies:

Alpha Kappa Delta - Sociology	Omicron Delta Epsilon - Economics
Dobro Slovo - Slavic Language and Literature	Phi Alpha Theta - History
Eta Beta Rho - Hebrew	Pi Mu Epsilon - Mathematics
Eta Sigma Phi - Latin and/or Greek	Pi Sigma Alpha - Political Science
Gamma Kappa Alpha - Italian	Psi Chi - Psychology
Gamma Theta Upsilon - Geography	Sigma Delta Pi - Spanish
Kappa Delta Pi - Education	Sigma Epsilon Phi - German
Kappa Pi - Art	Sigma Pi Sigma - Physics
Kappa Omicron Nu - Food Science	Sigma Theta Tau - Nursing
and Human Nutrition

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest undergraduate honors organization in the United States. Students do not apply for membership; they are elected on the basis of academic excellence. Eligibility is calculated on the basis of liberal arts courses under Phi Beta Kappa rules, which differ from those used in awarding other honors at Hunter College.

Sigma Xi The Scientific Research Society honors those who have made noteworthy contributions in research. Its purpose is “to encourage original investigation in science, to foster companionship and cooperation among scientists, and to maintain honor, integrity and honesty in all scientific activities.” It has nearly 65,000 active members, scientists and engineers, whose goal is to improve the human condition. The Hunter College Chapter was installed in 1969.