A notation is posted on a student's transcript by the Registrar's Office for induction to Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Pi. Induction into other National Honor Societies on the UM—Ann Arbor campus is not noted on the student's transcript.

Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most widely recognized scholarly honorary society in America. Founded in 1776, it celebrates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.  The UM chapter, Alpha of Michigan, was founded in 1907 and has inducted almost 7000 exceptional students into its ranks.   

Fewer than ten percent of each year's graduating seniors and a very few juniors may be invited to join Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Seniors with outstanding achievements in the liberal arts in other schools and colleges of the University of Michigan may be invited to join if they have earned a substantial number of liberal arts credits. Transfer students with superior academic records in the liberal arts may also receive invitations to join.

Invitations to membership in the national Phi Beta Kappa Society are issued by the local chapter, taking into account achievement in the liberal arts as indicated by a student's cumulative grade point average, strength of curriculum, demonstrated proficiency in foreign language and mathematics, and other factors. The selection committee looks for evidence of both breadth and depth of interest in the liberal arts and sciences. A very high GPA alone is not a guarantee of election to Phi Beta Kappa. Fourth-term proficiency in a language other than English (the equivalent of the LSA language requirement) is required, as is graded work in a sufficiently advanced quantitative area (MATH 115 or higher, STATS 350 or higher, most, but not all, QR/1 courses). A combination of two QR/2 courses is not acceptable. Elements that can mitigate against an invitation include a large amount of pass/fail work, an entire distribution area taken pass/fail, more than one or two academic terms of fewer than four academic courses of at least three credits each, and repeated semesters with light course loads.

Membership in Phi Beta Kappa lasts a lifetime and shows commitment to the liberal arts and sciences and to freedom of inquiry and expression.  It also  provides a competitive edge in the marketplace.  Potential employers regularly contact local chapters or the national office to confirm the membership of job seekers who have listed Phi Beta Kappa among their credentials.

For information, e-mail phibetakappa@umich.edu.

Phi Kappa Phi

www.umphikappaphi.umich.edu

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, the distinguishing characteristic of Phi Kappa Phi is its belief that all branches of higher education merit recognition. It extends its interest and eligibility across the entire range of academic inquiry and calls attention to the fact that today’s world needs a breadth of understanding far beyond that of a specialist who restricts his or her outlook to a specific specialty.

Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society’s mission is "to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."

Phi Kappa Phi annually inducts approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni. Once inducted, Phi Kappa Phi members gain a lifelong passport to a global network of academic and professional opportunities. Since its founding, more than 1 million members have been initiated.

The University of Michigan chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society was formed in 1926. Since its founding, more than 8,000 students who have met the high academic standards of the organization have been initiated into the University of Michigan chapter.

Please contact the chapter via e-mail at umphikappaphi@umich.edu

or via regular mail at:

U-M Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi
Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
3074 Fleming Administration Building
503 Thompson Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1340

 

Tau Beta Pi

Tau Beta Pi is the oldest engineering honor society and also the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States.  Founded at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, on June 15, 1885, the organization has since initiated a total of 500,000 members, making it the world’s largest engineering society.  Each year, 8,000 new members are initiated through 234 collegiate chapters spread across the country.  Tau Beta Pi was founded “to mark in a fitting manner those who have conferred honor upon their alma mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as undergraduates in the field of engineering, or by their attainments as alumni in the field of engineering, and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in the engineering colleges.”  Invitations to membership are extended to students of exemplary character in the upper 1/5 of the senior engineering class and top 1/8 of the junior engineering class.

The University of Michigan chapter of Tau Beta Pi (Michigan Gamma) was founded in 1906 and continues to honor distinguished scholarship and exemplary character of both eminent and aspiring engineers.  Through service to both the college and our community, Tau Beta Pi members maintain both ethical integrity and liberal spirit.

LSA students who are pursuing a the dual degree program with the College of Engineering are eligible for membership.

For information, e-mail tbp.officers@umich.edu