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The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a voluntary association of national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies.
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The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a voluntary association of national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies.
The Association of College Honor Societies was formed in 1925 to create a network of affiliated societies and promote standards for scholarship and leadership on campus. The founding societies intended to establish and maintain desirable standards for groups wishing to call themselves honor societies. These standards included criteria for membership, governance, and chapter operation. [1] Representatives of Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi attended its preliminary meeting held on October 2, 1925. When ACHS was officially established on December 30, 1925, its founding members were Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, and Tau Beta Pi. [2]
Since that time, more than 65 honors societies have joined ACHS, turning it into an international organization. [3] However, not all legitimate honor societies apply for membership in ACHS. ACHS coordinates member organizations and facilitates communications between them. It also provides both scholarships to members of its member organizations. [4]
The honor society standards set by the Association of College Honor Societies are mentioned by the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management for entry into government employment at GS-7 Level: "Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed... by the Association of College Honor Societies. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies." [5]
As of 2024, 65 organizations are affiliated with the ACHS. [6]
| Society | Greek letters | Discipline | Founded [7] | Joined ACHS [8] | Processional colors [9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Beta Gamma | ΑΒΓ | Business and Professional Studies | 1970 | 1996 | Red and Gold Medallion on Red and Black Ribbon, Stole: Sapphire Blue with Emblem in Gold. Advisors are different. |
| Alpha Chi | ΑΧ | All Academic Fields | February 22, 1922 | February 1955 | Honor Gold or Blue and Green |
| Alpha Epsilon | ΑΕ | Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering | May 14, 1959 | 1968 (Assoc), 1970 (Full) | Black and Gold |
| Alpha Epsilon Delta | ΑΕΔ | Premedical | April 28, 1926 | April 22, 1945 [10] | Red and Violet |
| Alpha Epsilon Rho | ΑΕΡ | Electronic Media | April 30, 1943 [11] [n 1] | 2009 | Green and Gold |
| Alpha Eta Mu Beta | ΑΗΜΒ | Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering | March 15, 1979 | 2013 | Red and Gold |
| Alpha Iota Delta | ΑΙΔ | Decision, Information, and Operations Sciences | 1971 | 2009 | Green and Gold |
| Alpha Kappa Delta | ΑΚΔ | Sociology | November 21, 1920 | 1967 | Teal |
| Alpha Kappa Mu | ΑΚΜ | General Scholarship | November 26, 1937 | 1952 | Royal Blue and White |
| Alpha Lambda Delta | ΑΛΔ | First-year Success/Freshmen | May 31, 1924 | 1939 | Red, Gold, and White |
| Alpha Phi Sigma | ΑΦΣ | Criminal Justice | January 1942 | 1981 | Blue and Gold |
| Alpha Pi Mu | ΑΠΜ | Industrial Engineering | January 5, 1949 | February 1952 (Assoc), February 1959 (Full) [12] | White Satin with Gold Logo |
| Alpha Sigma Lambda | ΑΣΛ | Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning | 1946 | 2011 | Burgundy and Gold |
| Alpha Sigma Mu | ΑΣΜ | Materials Science and Engineering | January 1932 | 1965 | Silver and Gold |
| Alpha Sigma Nu | ΑΣΝ | General Scholarship - Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education | June 4, 1915 [n 2] | 1975 | Gold Medallion on Maroon Ribbon |
| Beta Gamma Sigma | ΒΓΣ | Business and Management | February 19, 1913 | February 27, 1937 (Readmitted 1990) | Gold Cord, Yale Blue Tassel, Gold Wrap and Yale Blue Cord, Gold Tassel, Yale Blue Wrap |
| Beta Kappa Chi | ΒΚΧ | Natural Sciences and Mathematics | January 31, 1923 | 1961 | Royal Blue |
| Beta Phi Mu | ΒΦΜ | Library & Information Studies and Information Technology | August 1948 | 1969 | Purple and White |
| Chi Sigma Iota | ΧΣΙ | Counseling | January 1, 1985 | 2001 | Blue and White |
| Delta Epsilon Sigma | ΔΕΣ | General Scholarship in Colleges and Universities with a Catholic Tradition | April 13, 1939 | 1967 | Gold and Maroon |
| Delta Mu Delta | ΔΜΔ | Business Administration | November 18, 1913 | 1963 | Purple and Gold |
| Epsilon Pi Phi | ΕΠΦ | Emergency Management | 2006 | 2017 | Green, Gold and Blue |
| Epsilon Pi Tau | ΕΠΤ | Professions in Technology | March 13, 1929 | 2005 | Blue, Gold, and White |
| Gamma Theta Upsilon | ΓΘΥ | Geography | May 15, 1931 | 1976 | Brown, Light Blue, and Gold |
| Kappa Mu Epsilon | ΚΜΕ | Mathematics | April 18, 1931 | 1968 | Pink and Silver |
| Kappa Omicron Nu | ΚΟΝ | Human Sciences | February 21, 1990 [n 3] | February 25, 1951 [13] | Burgundy and Cream, Medallion: Gold/Burgundy w/ Burgundy Ribbon |
| Kappa Tau Alpha | ΚΤΑ | Journalism and Mass Communication | March 10, 1910 | February 25, 1951 [13] | Blue and Gold |
| Lambda Pi Eta | ΛΠΗ | Communication | 1985 | February 1996 [14] | Red, White, and Gold |
| Lambda Sigma | ΛΣ | Student Leadership, Scholarship and Service | November 7, 1922 [n 4] | 1981 | Blue and Gold |
| Mortar Board | Scholarship, Leadership, and Service | February 15, 1918 | February 27, 1937 | Gold and Silver tassel with Mortar Board Fob Stole: Gold Satin, Medallion Cast medallion on white grosgrain ribbon | |
| Mu Kappa Tau | ΜΚΤ | Marketing | 1966 | 1996 | Navy |
| National Society of Collegiate Scholars | Scholarship, Leadership & Service | April 30, 1994 | 2004 | Burgundy and Gold | |
| Omega Chi Epsilon | ΩΧΕ | Chemical Engineering | Spring 1931 | 1967 | Maroon and White |
| Omega Rho | ΩΡ | Operations Research & Management Science | April 1, 1976 | 1983 (Assoc), 1986 (Full) | Blue and Red |
| Omicron Delta Epsilon | ΟΔΕ | Economics | January 1, 1963 [11] | 1965 (Readmitted 1981) | Blue and Gold |
| Phi Alpha | ΦΑ | Social Work | 1962 | January 2019 | Royal Blue and Light Gold |
| Phi Alpha Theta | ΦΑΘ | History | March 17, 1921 | April 22, 1945 [10] (Left 2011–2012, readmitted 2017) | Madonna Red and Madonna Blue |
| Phi Beta Delta | ΦΒΔ | International Education | February 27, 1986 [15] | 2013 | Gold and Red |
| Phi Eta Sigma | ΦΗΣ | Freshman Scholarship | March 22, 1923 | February 27, 1937 (Left 2011, readmitted 2018) | Gold and Black |
| Phi Lambda Sigma | ΦΛΣ | Pharmacy Leadership | March 1965 [16] | 2018 | Green and Gold |
| Phi Sigma | ΦΣ | Biological Sciences, All Pure and Applied Fields | March 17, 1915 | 1950 | Gold, Green, and White |
| Phi Sigma Iota | ΦΣΙ | Foreign Language, Literature & Cultures | October 1922 | 1950 | Purple and White |
| Phi Sigma Tau | ΦΣΤ | Philosophy | October 21, 1955 [11] | 1958 | White and Purple |
| Phi Upsilon Omicron | ΦΥΟ | Family and Consumer Sciences | February 10, 1909 | 1979 | Yellow, White, and Purple |
| Pi Delta Phi | ΠΔΦ | French | 1906 | 1967 | Blue, White, and Red |
| Pi Gamma Mu | ΠΓΜ | Social Sciences | December 1, 1924 | 1953 | Royal Blue and White |
| Pi Kappa Lambda | ΠΚΛ | Music | May 17, 1918 | February 24, 1940 [10] | Gold and White |
| Pi Sigma Alpha | ΠΣΑ | Political Science | October 1, 1920 | 1949 | Red, White, and Black |
| Pi Tau Sigma | ΠΤΣ | Mechanical Engineering | March 16, 1915 | March 1, 1947 | Murray and Azure |
| Pi Theta Epsilon | ΠΘΕ | Occupational Therapy | 1959 | February 1996 [17] | Navy and Gold |
| Psi Beta | ΨΒ | Psychology at Two-Year Colleges | November 5, 1981 | 1994 | Royal Blue and Gold |
| Psi Chi | ΨΧ | Psychology | September 4, 1929 | 1965 | Navy and Platinum with Navy and Platinum Tassels |
| Rho Chi | ΡΧ | Pharmacy | May 19, 1922 | March 1, 1947 | Royal Purple and White |
| Sigma Beta Delta | ΣΒΔ | Business, Management, and Administration | January 16, 1994 | 1994 | Hunter Green and Gold |
| Sigma Delta Pi | ΣΔΠ | Spanish | November 14, 1919 | 1966 | Red and Yellow Gold |
| Sigma Lambda Alpha | ΣΛΑ | Landscape Architecture | September 24, 1977 [18] | 1983 (Assoc), 1986 (Full) | Gold and Green |
| Sigma Lambda Chi | ΣΛΧ | Construction Management Technology | April 30, 1949 | 1991 | Green and Gold, stole: Silver with Logo, medallion: Green & Gold on Green & White Ribbon |
| Sigma Pi Sigma | ΣΠΣ | Physics and Astronomy | December 11, 1921 | 1945 (after April 22) [10] | Forest Green and Ivory |
| Sigma Tau Delta | ΣΤΔ | English Language and Literature | December 12, 1922 [11] | 1972 | Cardinal and Black (1924) |
| Sigma Theta Tau | ΣΘΤ | Nursing | October 4, 1922 | 1959 | Orchid and Fuchsia |
| Tau Beta Pi | ΤΒΠ | Engineering | June 15, 1885 | December 30, 1925 | Orange and White, stole: White with Orange Bent (trestle symbol) |
| Tau Sigma Delta | ΤΣΔ | Architecture and Allied Arts | May 1913 | February 28, 1948 [19] | White and Gold |
| Theta Alpha Kappa | ΘΑΚ | Religious Studies / Theology | Fall 1976 | 1985 (Assoc), 1986 (Full) | Scarlet |
| Upsilon Pi Epsilon | ΥΠΕ | Computing and Information Disciplines | January 10, 1967 [20] | 1997 | Maroon and White, stole: White with Gold ΥΠΕ Logo |
| Xi Sigma Pi | ΞΣΠ | Forestry | November 24, 1908 | 1966 (Left 1998–1999, readmitted 2017) | Green and Grey |
While the Association of College Honor Societies, with sixty-nine members as of 2022, remains the largest trade association of honor societies, some former members have resigned from ACHS membership to operate independently. Of these, several have either merged into successor groups that remain part of the ACHS or have gone dormant.
Recently, four of the oldest independent honor societies, including three of the original six founding members of the ACHS, have formed a new coordinating organization called the Honor Society Caucus. [21] [22]
| Society | Greek letters | Discipline | Founded | Joined ACHS | Left ACHS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omicron Delta Kappa | ΟΔΚ | Leadership & Scholarship | December 3, 1914 | March 3, 1930 | 2005 |
| Phi Beta Kappa | ΦΒΚ | Liberal Arts | December 5, 1776 | December 30, 1925 (ACHS founder) | December 15, 1937 Resigned [10] |
| Phi Kappa Phi | ΦΚΦ | All Fields | March 15, 1897 | December 30, 1925 (ACHS founder) | 2006 – 2007 |
| Sigma Xi | ΣΞ | Scientific Research | November 1886 [11] | December 30, 1925 (ACHS founder) | 1933 |
| Society | Greek letters | Discipline | Founded | Joined ACHS | Left ACHS | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Delta Mu | ΑΔΜ | Social Work | Fall 1976 [23] | 1983 (Assoc), 1986 (Full) | February 9, 2007 | Independent |
| Alpha Omega Alpha | ΑΩΑ | Medical | August 25, 1902 [11] | December 30, 1925 | 1977–1998 | Independent |
| Chi Epsilon | ΧΕ | Civil Engineering | May 22, 1922 [11] [n1 1] | 1953 | 2023 | Independent |
| Delta Phi Delta | ΔΦΔ | Art | January 10, 1909 [11] [n1 2] | 1961 | 1977–1988 | Independent |
| Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha | ΔΣΡ-ΤΚΑ | Forensics | August 18, 1963 [n1 3] | February 27, 1937-ΤΚΑ; February 1955-ΔΣΡ | November 2013 | Independent |
| Delta Tau Alpha | ΔΤΑ | Agriculture | March 19, 1960 | 1992 | 2023 | |
| Eta Kappa Nu | ΗΚΝ | Electrical and Computer Engineering | October 28, 1904 | March 1, 1947 | 2008 | Independent |
| Golden Key | General | November 29, 1977 | 2005 | December 31, 2013 [24] | Independent | |
| Iota Sigma Pi | ΙΣΠ | Women in the sciences, especially chemistry | 1900 [11] or 1902 [25] | February 1955 | 1957–1963 | Independent |
| Kappa Delta Pi | ΚΔΠ | Education | March 8, 1911 | 1974 | 2008 | Independent |
| Lambda Iota Tau | ΛΙΤ | Literature of all Languages | December 3, 1953 | 1965 | 2015 | Merged with Sigma Tau Delta |
| National Collegiate Players/Pi Epsilon Delta | ΠΕΔ | Theatre Honors | June 8, 1919 | 1963 | 1977–1988 | Independent |
| Omicron Nu | ΟΝ | Human Sciences | April 23, 1912 | February 25, 1951, readmitted 1968 | 1990 | Merged into Kappa Omicron Nu |
| Order of the Coif | Law | 1902 | December 30, 1925 | 1947–1957 [26] | Independent | |
| Pi Alpha Alpha | ΠΑΑ | Public Affairs and Administration | 1974 | 1983 (Assoc), 1984 (Full) | 2017 | Independent |
| Pi Omega Pi | ΠΩΠ | Business Education Teachers | June 13, 1923 | 1965 | 2023 | |
| Scabbard and Blade, National Society of | Reserve Officer Training Corps | Fall 1904 | 2010 | 2022 | Independent | |
| Sigma Gamma Tau | ΣΓΤ | Aerospace Engineering | February 28, 1953 | February 27, 1965 [27] | 2001 | Independent |
| Sigma Tau | ΣΤ | Engineering | February 24, 1904 [11] [n1 4] | March 3, 1930 | 1963–1974 | Merged into Tau Beta Pi |
| Tau Alpha Pi | ΤΑΠ | Engineering Technology | 1953 | 2000 | 2023 |
In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who excel in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. These societies acknowledge excellence among peers in diverse fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America. While the term commonly refers to scholastic honor societies, which primarily acknowledge students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, it also applies to other types of societies.
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 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.
Alpha Phi Sigma (ΑΦΣ) is the only Criminal Justice Honor Society accredited by the Association of College Honor Societies. Traditionally a national organization serving United States universities, recent expansion into Canadian universities has distinguished Alpha Phi Sigma as an international honor society. Established in January 1942 at Washington State University, Alpha Phi Sigma recognizes academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students of criminal justice, as well as those seeking a Juris Doctor degree. Presently, its national headquarters is located at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The society's newsletter is called 'The Docket'.
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.
The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an American 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 Panhellenic 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.
This article describes smaller collegiate sororities created in the nineteenth century and early to middle twentieth century on campuses in the United States and Canada. These sororities are defunct. Individual chapters may have affiliated with National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities.
Alpha Kappa Pi (ΑΚΠ) was a collegiate social fraternity founded in 1921 at the Newark College of Engineering. In 1946 it merged with Alpha Sigma Phi.
Fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia include the collegiate organizations on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. First founded in the 1850s with the establishment of several fraternities, the system has since expanded to include sororities, professional organizations, service fraternities, honor fraternities, and cultural organizations. Fraternities and sororities have been significant to the history of the University of Virginia, including the founding of two national fraternities Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ) and Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ).
Kappa Beta Pi (ΚΒΠ) is a Legal Association which was formerly a professional law sorority in the United States.
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.
The National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA) is an umbrella council for twenty Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American fraternities and sororities in universities in the United States.
