Honor society

File:1909 Tyee - Honor Societies.jpg

"Honor Societies", illustration from the 1909 Tyee (yearbook of the University of Washington)

In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard 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.

History

The origins of honor societies in the United States can be traced back to the establishment of Phi Beta Kappa in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, which began as a debating society and did not initially impose grade point average (GPA) restrictions for membership.

Many honor societies invite students to become members based on the scholastic rank (the top x% of a class) and/or grade point averages, either overall or for classes taken within the discipline for which the honor society provides recognition. In cases where academic achievement would not be an appropriate criterion for membership, other standards are usually required for membership (such as completion of a particular ceremony or training program). Scholastic honor societies commonly add a criterion relating to the student's character. Most honor societies are invitation-only, and membership in an honor society might be considered exclusive, i.e., a member of such an organization cannot join other honor societies representing the same field.

Many honor societies are referred to by their membership or by non-members as fraternities and sororities. Honor societies exist at the high school, collegiate/university, postgraduate, and professional levels, although university honor societies are by far the most prevalent. In the United States, the oldest academic society, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded as a social and literary fraternity in 1776. Other honor societies were established a century later, including Tau Beta Pi for engineering (1885), Sigma Xi for scientific research (1886), and Phi Kappa Phi for all disciplines (1897). Mortar Board was established in 1918 and was the first national honor society for women who were college seniors.

During the era of honor society expansion in the early 20th century, these organizations were generally supportive of cultural changes that challenged racism, classism, and sexism. Like other aspects of academia, honor society integration and diversity grew with the expansion of an increasingly multicultural and co-educational student body. There were some holdouts, but academia in general, and its honor societies as a reflection, were on the vanguard of change. Several Jewish-only organizations merged into (or absorbed) formerly Christian-exclusive societies. Title IX forced most single-sex societies to admit women, though many had already opted to embrace this change.Template:Efn Racial barriers, where they existed, were challenged and retired, with any holdouts subject to significant criticism. The presence of these holdovers and the demise of those that exhibited overt racism offer an opportunity for a critical reassessment of the criteria and culture within honor societies.

While changes sparked from within these societies were prevalent between the massive influx of students after World War II and before and after the adoption of Title IX, additionally, the demand for recognition of racially diverse scholars spurred the 2005 founding of the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society by Yale University and Howard University. Rather than adopting the traditional tapping to identify top students from a given academic class based on merit, a distinct aspect of this society's nomination process is its focus on self-nominations.Template:Efn A Ph.D. or Ph.D. track is required, among other qualifications. Modern honor societies are increasingly focused on creating supportive environments that promote the academic and personal development of all scholars, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups. This evolution reflects a broader movement within academic institutions towards a more equitable and comprehensive recognition of student excellence.

Regalia

Academic robes and regalia identifying by color the degree, school, and other distinctions, are controlled under rules of the voluntary Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume. In addition, various colored devices such as stoles, scarves, cords, tassels, and medallions are used to indicate membership in a student's honor society. Of these, cords and mortarboard tassels are most often used to indicate membership. Most institutions allow honor cords, tassels, and/or medallions for honor society members. Stoles are less common, but they are available for a few honor societies. Virtually all, if not all honor societies have chosen such colors and may sell these items of accessory regalia as a service or fundraiser.

Umbrella organizations

The Honor Society Caucus and Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) are two voluntary associations for national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS formed in 1925 to establish and maintain desirable standards for honor societies. Later, four founding members of ACHS established the Honor Society Caucus, expressing that the ACHS had diluted and lost sight of the mission of its founding members. While ACHS membership is a certification that the member societies meet these standards, not all legitimate honor societies apply for membership in ACHS.

Collegiate honor societies

Notable national and international honor societies based in or at schools include the following.

General and leadership societies

General collegiate societies are open to all academic disciplines, although they may have other affinity requirements. Leadership societies recognize leadership, with a multi-disciplinary scholarship component.

Society	Symbols	Emphasis	Colors	References
Alpha Alpha Alpha		General, first-generation college students	Blue and   Grey/Silver
Alpha Chi		General	Emerald Green and   Sapphire blue
Alpha Kappa Mu		General	Royal blue and   White
Alpha Lambda Delta		General, Freshman	Maroon and   Gold
Alpha Sigma Lambda		General, Non-traditional students	Burgundy and   Gold
Alpha Sigma Nu		General, scholarship and service at Jesuit institutions of higher education	Maroon   Gold
Bouchet Graduate Honor Society		General, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral
Chi Alpha Sigma		General, student athletes	Gold and   Black
Delta Alpha Pi		General, students with disabilities	Royal blue and   Gold
Delta Epsilon Sigma		General at traditionally Catholic colleges	Black and   Gold
Delta Epsilon Tau		General, Distance Education Accrediting Commission institutions
Epsilon Tau Pi		General, Eagle Scouts	White,   Red,   Blue, and   Black
Golden Key International Honour Society		General	Navy Blue,   Gold, and   White
Ku Klux Klan (defunct)		Interfraternity leadership, Juniors	Black
Lambda Sigma		Scholarship, leadership, and service	Blue and   Gold
Mortar Board		General, Seniors	Gold and   Silver
National Residence Hall Honorary		Residence hall leadership and service	Blue and   White
National Society of Collegiate Scholars		Leadership, scholarship, and service	Purple and   Gold
Omicron Delta Kappa		Leadership and scholarship, upperclassmen and graduate students	Sky blue,   White, and   Black
Order of Omega		General, fraternities and sororities	Ivory and   Gold
Phi Beta Kappa		Arts and sciences, undergraduate	Pink and   Sky blue
Phi Eta Sigma		General, freshman	Gold and   Black
Phi Kappa Phi		General	Blue and   Gold
Phi Sigma Pi		General	Purple and   Gold
Phi Tau Phi		General
SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society		General, veterans and active military
Scabbard and Blade		General, ROTC. JROTC. and midshipmen	Red,   White, and   Blue
Sigma Alpha Lambda		Leadership and scholarship	Navy,   Black, and   Gold
Tau Sigma		General, transfer students	Burgundy and   Gold
Tu–Mas (defunct)		Interfraternity leadership, Juniors	Black

Humanities

These societies are open to Humanities disciplines and may be department-specific.

Society	Symbols	Academic emphasis	Colors	References
Alpha Iota Sigma		Interdisciplinary studies
Alpha Mu Gamma		First-year foreign languages	Gold
Alpha Psi Omega		Theatre	Moonlight Blue and   Bastard Amber	Template:Efn
Alpha Upsilon Alpha		Reading and language arts	Gold and   Silver
Chi Tau Epsilon		Dance
Delta Epsilon Chi		Divinity
Delta Phi Alpha		German	Black,   Red, and   Gold
Delta Phi Delta		Art	Red and   Bright blue
Eta Sigma Phi		Classics	Purple and   Gold
Kappa Kappa Psi		Music - band	Blue   White
Kappa Pi		Art	Purple and   Gold
Kappa Tau Alpha		Journalism and mass communication	Light blue and   Gold
Lambda Iota Tau		Literature	Purple and   Gold
Lambda Pi Eta		Communication	Crimson and   Silver
Mu Beta Psi		Music	Red and   White
Omega Xi Alpha		Journalism
Phi Sigma Iota		Foreign languages, literatures, or cultures, and any interdisciplinary field with a significant foreign language component.	Purple and   White
Phi Sigma Tau		Philosophy	White and   Purple
Pi Delta Phi		French	Blue,   White, and   Red
Pi Kappa Lambda		Music	Gold and   White
Pi Nu Epsilon		Music
Sigma Delta Pi		Spanish and Portuguese	Red and   Gold
Sigma Tau Delta		English	Cardinal and   Black
Society for Collegiate Journalists	SCJ	Journalism
Tau Beta Sigma		Music - band	White and   Blue
Theta Alpha Kappa		Religious studies, theology, and philosophy	Red and   Gold
Theta Alpha Phi		Theatre	Purple and   White
Theta Chi Beta		Religious studies

Social sciences

These societies are open to social science disciplines and may be department-specific.

Society	Symbols	Academic emphasis	Colors	References
Alpha Iota Delta		Decision sciences	Green and   Gold
Alpha Kappa Delta		Sociology	Teal
Alpha Mu Alpha		Marketing	Red
Alpha Phi Sigma		Criminal justice and law	Blue and   Gold
Beta Alpha Psi		Accounting and finance	Crimson and   Black
Beta Gamma Sigma		Business programs accredited by AACSB	Royal blue and   Gold
Chi Sigma Iota		Counseling	White and   Blue
Delta Mu Delta		Business programs accredited by ACBSP	Purple,   Gold, and   White
Eta Sigma Delta		Hospitality management	Blue and   White
Eta Sigma Gamma		Health education	Dark green and   Gold
Gamma Theta Upsilon		Geography	Brown,   Light blue, and   Gold
Kappa Delta Pi		Education	Purple and   Gold
Kappa Omicron Nu		Human sciences	Maroon and   Gold
Lambda Alpha		Anthropology	Red,   White, and   Black
Lambda Epsilon Chi		Paralegal	Royal Purple
Mu Kappa Tau		Marketing	Navy blue
Nu Lambda Mu		Nonprofit management
Omega Rho		Operations research and management science	Blue and   Red
Omicron Chi Epsilon (defunct)		Economics
Omicron Delta Epsilon		Economics	Royal blue and   Gold
Omicron Delta Gamma (Order of Artus) (defunct)		Economics
The Order of Barristers		Law school
Order of the Coif		Law school graduates	Maroon and   Black
Order of the Sword & Shield		Homeland security, emergency management, and protective studies	Blue and   Gold
Phi Alpha		Social work	Royal blue and   Light gold
Phi Alpha Theta		History	Madonna Red and   Madonna Blue
Phi Beta Delta		International education	Gold and   Red
Phi Delta Phi		Law	Garnet and   Pearl Blue
Phi Sigma Chi (defunct)		Business administration	Yellow and   Blue
Phi Upsilon Omicron		Family and consumer science	White,   Yellow, and   Violet
Pi Alpha Alpha		Public administration	Light Blue and   Gold
Pi Gamma Mu		Social sciences	Royal blue and   White
Pi Lambda Theta		Education	Gold
Pi Omega Pi		Business education	Blue,   Silver and   Gold
Pi Sigma Alpha		Political science	Red and   Black
Psi Chi		Psychology	Platinum and   Dark Blue
Sigma Beta Delta		Business, management, and business administration	Hunter green and   Gold
Sigma Iota Rho		International relations	Black,   Blue, and   Red
Sigma Nu Tau		Entrepreneurship
Tau Upsilon Alpha		Human services
Upsilon Phi Delta		Health administration	Crimson red and   Blue

STEM

These societies are open to students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and may be department-specific. This section also includes all healthcare-related fields, including veterinary science.

Society	Symbols	Academic emphasis	Colors	References
Alpha Epsilon		Agricultural food, and biological engineering	Black   and   Gold
Alpha Epsilon Delta		Pre-medical	Red and   Violet
Alpha Eta		Allied health professions
Alpha Eta Mu Beta		Biomedical engineering	Red and   Gold
Alpha Mu		Agricultural systems management
Alpha Nu Sigma		Nuclear engineering
Alpha Omega Alpha		Medical students and physicians	Green,   Gold, and   White
Alpha Pi Mu		Industrial engineering	Purple and   Light Yellow
Alpha Sigma Mu		Metallurgy and materials engineering	Silver and   Gold
Beta Beta Beta		Biology	Blood red and   Leaf green
Beta Kappa Chi		Natural Science and Mathematics	Golden Yellow and   Royal Blue
Beta Phi Mu		Library and information science	Purple and   White
Beta Sigma Kappa		Optometry
Chi Beta Phi		Science and Mathematics	Colonial blue and   Crimson
Chi Epsilon		Civil engineering	Purple and   White
Chi Epsilon Pi		Meteorology	Royal blue and   Silver
Delta Tau Alpha		Agriculture	Green and   Harvest gold
Delta Omega		Public health	Black and   Gold;   Stole color is   Peach
Epsilon Pi Tau		Technology	Blue,   White, and   Gold
Eta Kappa Nu		Electrical engineering and computer engineering	Navy blue and   Scarlet
Gamma Alpha Rho (defunct)		Aeronautical engineering
Gamma Nu Eta		Information technology
Gamma Sigma Delta		Agriculture	Sand and   Forest Green
Gamma Sigma Epsilon		Chemistry	Royal blue and   White
Iota Tau Alpha		Athletic training
Iota Sigma Pi		Chemistry and related fields, women	White,   Gold, and   Cedar green
Lambda Beta		Respiratory Care	Blue and   Green
Nu Rho Psi		Neuroscience	Gold and   Black
Omega Chi Epsilon		Chemical engineering	Black,   White, and   Maroon
Omicron Kappa Upsilon		Dentistry	Navy blue,   Gold, and   Lilac
Phi Alpha Epsilon		Architectural engineering	Purple and   White
Phi Lambda Upsilon		Chemistry	Pink Litmus and   Blue Litmus
Phi Sigma		Biological sciences	Medium Green,   White, and   Old gold
Phi Tau Sigma		Food Science and Technology	Gold and   Maroon
Phi Zeta		Veterinary medicine	Blue and   Yellow
Pi Alpha Xi		Horticulture	Nile green and   Cerulean blue
Pi Delta		Podiatry
Pi Epsilon		Environmental science	Blue and   Green
Pi Epsilon Tau		Petroleum engineering and related fields	Gold and   Black
Pi Tau Sigma		Mechanical engineering	Murrey and   Azure
Rho Beta Epsilon		Robotics	Crimson,   Gold, and   Black
Rho Chi		Pharmacy	Purple and   White
Sigma Gamma Epsilon		Geology and earth science	Gold,   Blue, and   Silver
Sigma Gamma Tau		Aerospace engineering	Red and   White
Sigma Lambda Alpha		Landscape architecture	Gold and   Green
Sigma Lambda Chi		Construction management technology	Green and   Gold
Sigma Phi Alpha		Dental hygiene, women	Deep purple   Bright gold
Sigma Phi Omega		Gerontology	Blue and   Gold
Sigma Pi Sigma		Physics and Astronomy	Forest Green and   Ivory
Sigma Sigma Phi		Osteopathic medicine and medicine	Crimson and   Royal blue
Sigma Theta Tau		Nursing	Orchid and   Fuchsia
Sigma Xi		Research in Science and Engineering	Blue and   Gold
Sigma Zeta		Natural sciences, Mathematics, and Computer science	Blue and   White
Tau Alpha Pi		Engineering technology	Green and   Gold
Tau Beta Pi		Engineering	Seal Brown and   White
Tau Sigma Delta		Architecture	White and   Gold
Upsilon Pi Epsilon		Computer science and computer engineering	Green and   Gold
Xi Sigma Pi		Forestry	Green and   Gray

Local collegiate honor societies

Some universities have their own independent, open honor societies, which are not affiliated with any national or international organization. Such organizations typically recognize students who have succeeded academically irrespective of their field of study.

Society	Emphasis	Institution	Colors	References
Activities Honorary Society	Leadership	University of Illinois at Chicago
Aquinas Honor Society	General, Seniors	University of St. Thomas
Aurelian		Yale University
Bucket & Dipper	Scholarship, service, and leadership; Juniors	Ohio State University
Cap and Skull	Service and scholarship, Seniors	Rutgers University
Cannon and Castle	Military	Yale University
Chimes Junior Class Honorary	Scholarship, service, and leadership; Juniors	Ohio State University
Cincinnatus Honorary Society	General	University of Cincinnati
Dean William Tate Society	Scholarship and activities; Freshmen	University of Georgia
Der Hexenkreis	Leadership and service; seniors	Cornell University
Florida Blue Key	Leadership	University of Florida
Friar Society	Seniors	University of Texas at Austin
Innocents Society	Seniors	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Iron Arrow Honor Society	Leadership and scholarship	University of Miami
Iron Wedge		University of Minnesota		Template:Efn
Lion's Paw Senior Society	Seniors	Pennsylvania State University
Matteo Ricci Society	General, fellowship candidates	Fordham University
Mirrors Sophomore Honorary	Scholarship, leadership, and service; Juniors	Ohio State University
Mountain	Seniors	West Virginia University
Order of the Golden Bear	Honor and service	University of California, Berkeley
Owl and Key	Seniors	University of Utah
Phalanx	Scholarship and activities	Clarkson University
Phalanx Honor Society	Leadership and service, seniors	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Phi Alpha Epsilon (local)	Scholarship and service	Lebanon Valley College
Phi Alpha Epsilon at the University of Maryland College Park	Family science, community health, kinesiology, and public health science	University of Maryland, College Park
Plumb Bob	Leadership	University of Minnesota
QEBH	Seniors	University of Missouri
Quill and Dagger	Leadership and service	Cornell University
Raven Society	General	University of Virginia
Raven's Claw Society	Senior males	Dickinson College
Rho Theta Sigma	Scholarship	Northeastern State University
Romophos (defunct)	Leadership, service, and scholarship; Sophomores	Ohio State University
Senior Skull Honor Society	Seniors leadership, scholarship, and citizenship	University of Maine
Sigma Sigma	Upperclassmen	University of Cincinnati
Sigma Tau Sigma	Textlles	North Carolina State University	Blue and   White
Signet Society	Literary and artistic ability	Harvard University
Skull and Bones	Seniors	Pennsylvania State University
Skull and Dagger	Seniors	University of Southern California
Society of Innocents	Seniors	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Sphinx (defunct)	Senior men	West Virginia University
SPHINX	Scholarship, leadership, citizenship, and service; Seniors	Ohio State University
Sphinx Head	Seniors	Cornell University
Texnikoi	Engineering	Ohio State University	Black and   Yellow
Tiger Brotherhood	Service	Clemson University
Torch		Yale University
White Key Society	Leadership and service, freshmen and sophomores	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Community college, two-year college, and vocational school honor societies

Society	Symbols	Emphasis	Colors	References
Alpha Beta Kappa		Private certificate, vocational and trade schools	Red and   Blue
Alpha Beta Gamma		Business at two-year colleges	Black and   Red
Alpha Gamma Sigma		California community colleges
Delta Psi Omega		Theatre at two-year colleges	Moonlight Blue and   Bastard Amber	Template:Efn
Epsilon Phi Delta		German at two-year colleges
Kappa Beta Delta		Business at community colleges
La Sociedad Honoraria de la Lengua Española		Spanish at two-year colleges	Red and   Gold
Mu Alpha Theta		Mathematics at two-year colleges	Turquoise blue and   Gold
National Technical Honor Society		Workforce vocational education institutions	Purple,   Silver, and   White
Phi Rho Pi		Forensics at two-year colleges
Phi Theta Kappa		General, community and junior colleges	Blue and   Gold
Psi Beta		Psychology at two-year colleges	Royal blue and   Gold
Sigma Kappa Delta		English at community and junior colleges	Green and   Gold

Secondary school honor societies

Commonly referred to as high school societies. This list also includes middle school societies.

Society	Symbols	Emphasis	Colors	References
California Scholarship Federation		General
Computer Science Honor Society		Computer science
Cum Laude Society		General
Delta Epsilon Phi		German
Ephebian Society		General
International Thespian Society		Theatre	Sapphire and   Gold
Mu Alpha Theta		Mathematics	Turquoise blue and   Gold
National Art Honor Society		Visual arts
National Business Honor Society		Business, juniors and seniors
National Beta Club		General	Black and   Gold
National Chinese Honor Society		Chinese
National English Honor Society		English	Cardinal and   Black
National Honor Society		General	Blue and   Gold
National Honor Society for Dance Arts		Dance
National Junior Classical League		Latin and Greek
National Junior Honor Society		General	Blue and   White
National Scholarship Society for Secondary Schools		Genera
National Society of High School Scholars		General
National Speech and Debate Association		Public speaking	Red and   Silver
National Technical Honor Society		Vocational education	Purple,   Silver, and   White
Quill and Scroll		Journalism	Blue and   Gold
Rho Kappa		Social studies
Science National Honor Society		Science
Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica		Spanish and Portuguese
Société Honoraire de Français		French	Blue,   White, and   Red
Technology Student Association		STEM	Red   blue   White
Tri-M		Music	Pink

Community-based honor societies

Society	Symbols	Emphasis	Colors	References
Firecrafter		Boy Scouts Crossroads of America Council
Order of the Arrow		Boy Scouts of America
Tribe of Mic-O-Say		Boy Scouts Heart of America Council and Pony Express Council
Tribe of Tahquitz		Local Boy Scout honor society

See also

• Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS)
• Honor Society Caucus
• Honor Cords
• Professional fraternities and sororities