In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America. Chiefly, the term refers to scholastic honor societies, those that recognize students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, often within a specific academic discipline.
The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a predominantly American, voluntary association that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS coordinates member organizations, facilitates communications between them, and provides both scholarships and an outlet for publication to members. ACHS member societies undergo periodic audits to validate their adherence to ACHS standards and their qualification for membership and ACHS certification.
Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority is a co-educational service sorority.
Professional fraternities, in the North American fraternity system, are organizations whose primary purpose is to promote the interests of a particular profession and whose membership is restricted to students in that particular field of professional education or study. This may be contrasted with service fraternities and sororities, whose primary purpose is community service, and general or social fraternities and sororities, whose primary purposes are generally aimed towards some other aspect, such as the development of character, friendship, leadership, or literary ability.
Sigma Alpha Iota (ΣΑΙ) is an International Music Fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public. Sigma Alpha Iota operates its own national philanthropy, Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. Sigma Alpha Iota is a member of the National Interfraternity Music Council and the Professional Fraternity Association.
Phi Sigma Phi (ΦΣΦ) is a national fraternity in the United States founded on July 30, 1988 in South Bend, Indiana by chapters formerly of Phi Sigma Epsilon that declined to participate in that fraternity's merger into Phi Sigma Kappa. There are currently 10 active chapters of Phi Sigma Phi nationwide. The current National President is Travis Steinke.
Theta Nu Epsilon is a sophomore class society. Founded at Wesleyan University in 1870 as a chapter of Skull and Bones, the society accepts members regardless of their fraternity status.
Mu Phi Epsilon (ΜΦΕ) is a co-ed international professional music fraternity. It has over 75,000 members in 227 collegiate chapters and 113 alumni chapters in the US and abroad.
The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an association of national, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed in 1978. Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing graduate degrees as well as undergraduate degrees. PFA groups seek to develop their members professionally in addition to the social development commonly associated with general fraternities. Membership requirements of the PFA are broad enough to include groups that do not recruit new members from a single professional discipline. The PFA has welcomed service and honor fraternities as members; however, Greek letter honor societies more commonly belong to the Association of College Honor Societies.
The Syracuse University fraternity and sorority system offers organizations under the Panhellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, the National Multicultural Greek Council, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Clemson University opened in 1893 as an all-male military college. It was not until seventy years later in 1959 that the first fraternities and sororities arrived on campus. In the 1970s, they became recognized as national fraternities and sororities. The Greek life has now increased to 44 chapters on campus: fraternities and sororities from the National Panhellenic Conference, the North American Interfraternity Conference, the Multicultural Greek Council, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
The Phi Epsilon Pi (ΦΕΠ) fraternity, active between 1904 and 1970 with a predominantly Jewish membership, was founded in New York City and eventually opened at least 48 chapters on college campuses across the United States and one in Canada.
Phi Epsilon Kappa (ΦΕΚ) is a national professional fraternity for persons engaged in or pursuing careers in the fields of physical education, health, recreation, dance, human performance, exercise science, sports medicine and sports management.
