RSO - Pi Sigma Alpha

What is Pi Sigma Alpha?

Founded in 1920 at the University of Texas for the purpose of bringing together students and faculty interested in the study of government and politics. Professor C. Perry Patterson was an early leader of the first chapter and served as national president of PSA from 1920 until 1932. The success of the honor society at the University of Texas prompted other institutions to apply for chapters, with the Universities of Oklahoma and Kansas establishing chapters by 1922. In March of that year the society held its first national convention at the University of Oklahoma.

Pi Sigma Alpha is classified by the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) as an “upper division, specialized” honor society. The academic requirements for membership eligibility follow those set by ACHS for this category of honor society, and are specified in the Pi Sigma Alpha Constitution, under the section pertaining to membership.

Membership in Pi Sigma Alpha is open to qualifying undergraduate and graduate students currently taking courses in government, political science, international relations, public administration, or a related interdisciplinary area and enrolled in institutions where chapters are located. See the Qualifications for Membership below for more information.

Benefits of Membership

Chapter Membership Benefits:

Chapter membership benefits include (1) leadership opportunities such as valuable administrative experience as chapter officers or organizers of chapter activities, (2) networking opportunities with peers and faculty, (3) independent research opportunities, (4) grants and scholarships by the National Society, (5) attending an annual research conference, and (6) proudly wearing PSA honor regalia at graduation!

National Membership Benefits:

Entitled to wear the medallion and honor cord with cap-and-gown at graduation and on other official occasions.

All Pi Sigma Alpha members, regular and honorary, receive a certificate of membership and permanent enrollment in the society’s membership database, maintained by the National Office.

Upon request, the National Office will provide letters verifying membership to prospective employers or graduate schools.

Eligible to apply for the Pi Sigma Alpha/Howard Penniman Scholarships for Graduate Study in Political Science, the Nancy McManus Washington Internship Scholarships, and for Best Paper Awards.

Chapters can compete for the Chapter Activity Grants awarded each year by the National Office.

Because Pi Sigma Alpha is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies(ACHS), the U. S. Office of Personnel Management allows its members to apply for federal government positions listed at a higher entry-level grade than non-member candidates.

Members All ACHS honor society student members are also entitled to automatic tuition reductions for Washington internship programs run by the Washington Internship Institute, the Fund for American Studies, and The Washington Center.

The National Office supports the awarding by each chapter of a one-year student membership in the American Political Science Association for one member each year.

Entitled to wear the Pi Sigma Alpha key at any time.

Qualifications for Membership

The National Pi Sigma Alpha honors society requires members to meet specific criteria. Qualifying colleges and universities are granted a charter, which allows for the formation of a local chapter. Membership in the U of A Pi Sigma Alpha chapter (or any chartered chapter) requires students to meet the following National Pi Sigma Alpha standards:

Minimum standards for national membership admission, established by the national constitution, are:

For Undergraduates (Juniors and Seniors):

Complete at least one-half of the credits required by their institution for the baccalaureate degree (60).

Completion of at least ten semester-credits (or fifteen quarter-credits) of work in political science, government, international relations, public administration, or a related interdisciplinary area (which includes significant political science curriculum), with an average grade of B or higher in those courses.

Achieved an overall GPA placing them in the top one-third of their whole class (e.g. third- or fourth-year class). This threshold changes a bit each academic year. The faculty advisor will update this threshold each year, but students should first begin with the assumption that a GPA of below 3.5 will not be sufficient.

For Graduate Students:

Completion of at least nine hours of graduate work in political science (or related areas) with no grade lower than a B (Undergraduate coursework does not count towards graduate student eligibility).

Applying for Membership via the University of Arkansas Chapter:

First and foremost, students are not considered members of the University of Arkansas chapter until they become National members. To become a National member, The faculty advisor, after ensuring the student meets all membership requirements mentioned above, will log into the National Association’s “GreekTrack” portal to input the student’s information into the National system. NOTE: Students are NOT Pi Sigma Alpha members unit the student has paid the one-time, lifetime $35 membership fee to the National Association. Only then will students be allowed to join the University of Arkansas Pi Sigma Alpha chapter.

Membership Dues:

Membership requires a one-time, lifetime fee paid to the National association of $35. The individual student is responsible for paying this fee.

The University of Arkansas chapter may choose to assess additional dues, whether annually or otherwise (Note: Only paying chapter dues is NOT sufficient for Pi Sigma Alpha membership). Check with the appropriate officer listed on this website for details.

How to apply:

To apply to the U of A Pi Sigma Alpha chapter, you may use one of two processes:

Use the QR code provided on this website, or

Apply through HogSync – search for Pi Sigma Alpha – the membership application is under "forms."

The student Recruitment Director will submit applicants for verification to the faculty advisor. Once the student is verified to have met all criteria, the faculty advisor will submit the student’s information to the National Association’s GreekTrack system. Again, the student is NOT a Pi Sigma Alpha member, neither National nor local, until the $35 one-time fee is paid to the National Association.

Social Media

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