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Honor Societies
On this page:
- Criminal Justice
- French
- Geography
- Master of Public Administration (MPA)
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Spanish
Criminal Justice
Alpha Phi Sigma is the only national criminal justice honor society for crime and justice studies majors. The society recognizes academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students of criminal justice as well as juris doctorate. For information about the Wright State chapter, contact Dr. Karen Lahm, faculty advisor, by email karen.lahm@wright.edu.
Visit the national organization website for more information about Alpha Phi Sigma.
Applications are due in late February. The application form must be typed.
Alpha Phi Sigma Membership Requirements and Application (PDF)
French
Pi Delta Phi, Theta Epsilon Chapter
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kirsten Halling
Students who have completed at least one upper-division course in French, whose overall GPA is 3.0 or above, and whose GPA for all courses completed in French is at least a 3.25, are invited to join the WSU chapter of the national French honor society, Pi Delta Phi. The society recognizes outstanding academic work in French studies and a commitment to French and Francophone language, literature, and cultures. A formal initiation ceremony is held once a year, and the society occasionally sponsors other activities.
Geography
Gamma Theta Upsilon, Eta Sigma Chapter
https://www.gammathetaupsilon.org
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Daniel Warshawsky
The purpose of the society is fivefold:
1. To further professional interest in geography by affording a common organization for those interested in this field.
2. To strengthen student and professional training through academic experiences other than those of the classroom and laboratory.
3. To advance the status of geography as a cultural and practical discipline for study and investigation.
4. To encourage student research of high quality and to provide an outlet for publication.
5. To create and administer funds for furthering graduate study and/or research in the field of geography.
Initiates must have completed the equivalent of three semesters of college coursework, a minimum of three courses in geography with a 3.3 GPA (on the 4.0 scale) in those courses, and rank in the top 35% of their class (a 3.3 GPA can be used as a substitute for the ranking if the institution does not calculate rankings). Please note that regular members do not have to be currently enrolled, nor must they be geography majors. Students will be invited in spring semester to join the society; if you are not a Geography student and feel you are qualified, please reach out to the faculty advisor.
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Pi Alpha Alpha is the global honor society for Public Affairs and Administration.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Daniel Warshawsky
Membership in PAA is limited to persons who demonstrate academic achievement in public affairs and administration program in NASPAA member schools and/or outstanding public service, and who fall within the following classes: student, alumni, faculty and honorary. All memberships are national memberships with a local chapter affiliation. All categories of membership enjoy the same rights and privileges.
Students may be inducted from among the master’s degree students in the department, institute, or school wherever the Pi Alpha Alpha chapter membership is based provided:
- They have maintained a GPA of at least 3.7. A chapter may set higher GPA requirements if it chooses.
- Master degree students must have completed at least fifty percent (50%) of the required course work (a minimum of 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours). A chapter may set a higher percent of completion if it chooses.
MPA students will be invited early each spring if they meet the minimum qualifications.
Political Science
Political science majors may become eligible for membership in Theta Zeta Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. Interested students should see Dr. Vaughn Shannon for more information or visit the Pi Sigma Alpha webpage.
Sociology
Alpha Kappa Delta seeks to acknowledge and promote excellence in scholarship in the study of sociology, the research of social problems, and such other social and intellectual activities as will lead to improvement in the human condition.
Admission Requirements
The Alpha Kappa Delta Constitution (Article III, Section 3) states that undergraduates must meet the following minimum criteria(chapters may increase these standards):
- Must be an officially declared sociology major or demonstrate a serious interest in sociology within an official program of the host institution
- Sociology minors are eligible
- Other majors are eligible so long as they have taken at least four SOC classes and meet all other requirements
- Must be at least a junior (third year) by standards of the host institution
- Shall rank in the top 35% of their graduating class in general scholarship
- If class rank is not readily available to a chapter representative, in lieu of class rank, students shall have accumulated the equivalent of an overall grade point average of at least 3.3 by a four-point scale where: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0
- Must have maintained the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA in sociology courses taken at the host institution prior to initiation
- Must have completed at least four regular courses in sociology at the host institution prior to initiation (exclusive of extension or courses graded pass/fail)
Alpha Kappa Delta Membership Application form (PDF)
Spanish Honor Society
Sigma Delta Pi, Iota Omega Chapter
Faculty Advisor: Ms. Dorothy Álvarez
Join the Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica: Sigma Delta Pi!
Sigma Delta Pi, established in 1919 at the University of California at Berkley, is the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society that recognizes excellence, academic work, and offers incentives for scholarships.
Students who have completed at least three years of college-level Spanish, including at least one three-credit-hour class in Hispanic Literature or Hispanic Culture and Civilization; hold a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all Spanish courses taken, and a minimum overall GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale are recommended and invited by the department faculty to become a member of Sigma Delta Pi. A formal initiation ceremony is held annually during the spring semester.
Did you know that its insignia is the royal seal of el rey Fernando and la reina Isabel that represents Castilla, León and Aragón?
