Pi Sigma Alpha

History

Pi Sigma Alpha was founded in 1920 at the University of Texas. Pi Sigma Alpha is the national honor society for undergraduate and graduate students of political science, with over 440 chapters established in colleges and universities in the United States.

Qualifications for Membership

The purpose of Pi Sigma Alpha is to stimulate scholarship and interest in the subject of government by providing tangible recognition to students who have excelled in the field. Minimum standards for admission, established by the national constitution, are as follows:

• Completion of at least 15 quarter-hours or 10 semester-hours of work in government, political science, international relations or public administration including at least one course not open to students in the first two years of collegiate work;
• Maintenance of an average of B or higher in all political science courses;
• An overall academic standing in the upper third of the college class.

Individual chapters may, and often do, adopt higher scholastic standards in their by-laws than these national minimum requirements. Membership is possible only through local chapters.

Programs

The life of the honor society is carried on mainly at the chapter level with coordination by the National Office.

Programs for Pi Sigma Alpha Chapters and Students are:

• Annual Chapter Activity Grant Awards
• Annual Scholarship for Graduate Study in Political Science
• Student membership in APSA (one per chapter per year)
• Best Chapter Awards
• Best Chapter Adviser Award
• Best Graduate Student Paper Award
• Best Undergraduate Student Paper Award

Benefits of Membership

Membership in an honor society is a worthy distinction in itself, and as a measure of academic achievement can provide a tangible advantage in a competitive world. All Pi Sigma Alpha members, regular and honorary, receive a certificate of membership and permanent enrollment in the society's membership rolls, maintained by the National Office.

Pi Sigma Alpha gives students the opportunity for valuable administrative experience as chapter officers or organizers of chapter activities.

National Headquarters Web Site

• Pi Sigma Alpha Home Page