Honor Societies

Alpha Kappa Delta is an international sociological honor society first established in 1920 “to investigate humanity for the purpose of service.” It works to spread awareness, broaden perspectives, and encourage people to think critically about issues that affect different groups of people around the world with sociological reasoning.

Meetings and programs are open to all students, however students who wish to become members must have an overall GPA of 3.0 and must have completed at least four courses in sociology with a GPA of 3.0. For applications and information, please contact Michael Indergaard, Ph.D., at (718)-990-5665 or [email protected].

The St. John’s University chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the national theatre honor society, works to stimulate interest in theatre activities at St. John’s and to reward and acknowledge student participants for their talents and dedication to the performing arts. Membership is by invitation only and is based on participation in campus shows. For more information about membership and performances, please visit the chapter website.

Students who have completed 12 credits in speech and who have an outstanding academic record may be eligible for induction into Epsilon Delta, the St. John’s University chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association honor society. Epsilon Delta recognizes exceptional academic achievement, stimulates interest in the field of communication, promotes professional development among Rhetoric and Public Address majors, and encourages strong relationships among students and faculty. Induction for the society is held yearly. For more information, please contact Jeremiah Hickey, Ph.D., at 718-990-5629 or [email protected].

The Gamma Kappa Alpha Italian honor society at St. John's University was founded by Gaetano Cipolla, Professor Emeritus of Italian, in 1984. It encourages students to acquire a greater interest in, and a deeper understanding of, Italian culture, art, and history. Scholarships are offered by the national chapter to outstanding undergraduate students of Italian on an annual basis.

Eligible students are in at least their junior year, have taken at least two Italian courses with a minimum GPA of 3.5, and have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0. Applications are accepted each January for induction in the spring semester. For more information, please contact Florence Russo, Ph.D., at [email protected].

St. John’s University has established the Sigma chapter of Lambda Alpha, the national honor society for students of anthropology. The society provides competitive scholarships and funding for approved student activities, such as travel to attend and participate in professional conferences and seminars. The national chapter also publishes the Lambda Alpha Journal, which appears annually and is internationally distributed. The Journal reserves 50 percent of its content for student work.

Students who wish to become members of Lambda Alpha Sigma must have an overall GPA of 3.0, a major GPA of 3.5, and at least 18 credits in anthropology. For more information, please contact Anne Galvin, Ph.D., at [email protected].

Lambda Kappa Phi recognizes students of St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on the Staten Island campus who have achieved academic excellence while also enhancing the extracurricular life of the University.

Membership in this honor society is open to students in the College who attend the Staten Island campus and have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 for a minimum of 64 credits. The major GPA must be at least 3.5. Applicants must have also demonstrated leadership in the extracurricular life of the campus or in community and service activities. For more information, please contact Carolyn Vigorito, Ph.D., at 718-390-4402 or [email protected].

Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE), The International Honor Society for Economics, is one of the world’s largest academic honor societies, honoring eligible students in economics, encouraging collaboration and scholarship. The Society offers scholarly enrichment opportunities through service projects, internationally recognized publications, scholarships, and grants.

To qualify for membership, undergraduate students majoring in Economics must have completed at least 12 credits in economics with a minimum 3.0 GPA in those courses and an overall GPA of at least 3.0. For more information, please contact Aleksandr V. Gevorkyan, Ph.D., the Theta Chapter of ODE coordinator at St. John’s University or visit the ODE website.

Phi Alpha Theta promotes the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication, and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. It brings students, teachers, and writers of history together for intellectual and social exchanges. All history majors and graduate students are eligible for Phi Alpha Theta if they have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, have taken 12 or more credits in history, and have a major GPA of at least 3.5. For more information, please e-mail [email protected].

The Phi Sigma National Biological Sciences Honor Society was founded at Ohio State University on March 17, 1915. In 1950, it became a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The Greek letters phi and sigma come together to signify “fellows in science.”

To qualify as an invitee, a student must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a 3.2 GPA in the sciences. When invited to join, the student is on probation and must maintain these GPA requirements. In addition, Phi Sigma is a service-oriented group and requires each probationary student to contribute six hours of service per month. Three examples of qualifying service are: becoming an emergency medical technician (EMT), tutoring, or doing research (with a presentation at one of the monthly meetings). Members who graduate from probationary status and are inducted into Phi Sigma must continue to maintain these standards.

Phi Sigma also sponsors campus events, such as fundraisers and Women in Science meetings. For more information, please contact Javier Juarez, Ph.D., at (718)-990-5360 or [email protected].

Pi Delta Phi is the French national honor society for undergraduate and graduate students at accredited public and private colleges and universities. The purpose of the society is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the French language and its literatures, to increase the knowledge and appreciation of Americans for the cultural contributions of the French-speaking world, and to stimulate and to encourage French and francophone cultural activities.

The Pi Delta Phi chapter at St. John’s inducts students in the spring. Membership is open to students who have taken at least three semesters of college French, of which one must be at an upper level, and have shown a high level of achievement in their French courses and in their courses overall. For more information, contact Steve Puig, Ph.D. at 718-990-8094 or [email protected].

Pi Mu Epsilon is the national honor society for mathematics, for which St. John’s University is the New York Rho Chapter. Membership is open to mathematics majors and minors who have completed MTH 1730, 1740, and two courses at or above the calculus level. The major GPA for mathematics courses should be at least 3.0, with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. For more information, please contact Luke Mannion, Ph.D., at (718)-990-2468 or [email protected]. 

Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology, was founded in 1929 to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship, and advance the science of psychology. Membership is open to both graduate and undergraduate students majoring in psychology who meet the minimum qualifications: at least three semesters at St. John’s, nine credits in psychology, a cumulative GPA of 3.4, and a psychology GPA of 3.5. For more information, please contact Mark Terjesen, Ph.D., at [email protected] or Robin Wellington, Ph.D. at [email protected]. 

The Roger Bacon Scientific Honors Society aims to encourage and promote mathematical and scientific studies. At meetings, students are able to interact with professionals in these fields and are offered assistance in meeting their further education and career goals.

Membership in the society is available to students majoring in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, environmental science, and psychology. Students in these majors must attend three meetings, participate in two community service events run by the society, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 to qualify for membership. For more information, please e-mail [email protected].

Sigma Alpha Eta, the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Honor Society, recognizes the outstanding achievement of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology students. Membership is open to students on both the Queens and Staten Island campuses who meet the following requirements: 1) the student is a member in good standing of their campus chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, 2) the student has completed at least 21 credits of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology coursework, 3) the student has a major GPA of 3.5, and 4) the student has an overall GPA of 3.3.

For more information please contact Mellissa Bortz, Ph.D., at (718)-990-6452 or [email protected] (Queens) or Gary Martin, Ph.D., at (718)-390-4121 or [email protected] (Staten Island).

Epsilon Kappa, St. John's University's chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, was established on April 17, 1964. The purpose of the honor society is to foment a wider knowledge of, and a greater love for the Hispanic contributions to modern culture, to provide a nucleus for Spanish language students' activities, and to reward those who show special attainments and interests. It is open to college students on the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Entre Rascacielos, the literary journal of Epsilon Kappa, is published twice a year and features student poetry and prose in Spanish. Epsilon Kappa also conducts monthly “talleres literarios” (literary workshops) to foster literary discussion, creativity, and a love of Hispanic culture among the St. John’s community. For more information, please contact Marie-Lise Gazarian, Ph.D., 718-990-5209 or [email protected], or visit the honor society's Digication page. 

Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society, honors outstanding scholarship in physics, encourages student interest in physics at all levels, and promotes an attitude of service in its members. The St. John’s University chapter has been the recipient of the Sigma Pi Sigma Chapter Project Award for the past five years.

Induction into Sigma Pi Sigma includes lifetime membership to the society and one year of membership to the Society of Physics Students. Undergraduate candidates must be in the upper one-third of their class in general scholarship and have a higher minimum average for physics courses. They must have completed at least three semesters of full-time college work and at least three courses in physics that count toward the major. Graduate students and faculty members may be elected at any time. For more information, please contact Huizhong Xu, Ph.D., at 718-990-1891 or [email protected].

Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society, is open to both graduate students and undergraduates majoring or minoring in English. Graduate students need a minimum 3.5 GPA for membership to the honor society, and undergraduates need a minimum of three English classes beyond the core requirements, an overall GPA of 3.3, and an English GPA of 3.5. For more information, contact Nicole Rice, Ph.D., at (718)-990-6387 or [email protected]. 

Established in 1928, Skull and Circle seeks to recognize outstanding juniors in St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who have attained a high standard of academic excellence and moral character, and who have contributed to University life through involvement in campus activities. Applications are distributed in early March each year to St. John’s College students of junior standing who have achieved a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA. New members are selected solely by the current student membership after a lengthy and arduous review process. Applicants find out they have been selected when they are “tapped” by the current members at the annual St. John’s College Dean’s Convocation and Skull and Circle Tapping Ceremony held in April each year. Induction into Skull and Circle is considered the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a St. John’s College student. For more information, please contact Gregory Gades, Skull and Circle Moderator, at [email protected].

St. John’s University has been a member of Theta Alpha Kappa, the national honor society for religious studies and theology, since its inception in 1976. Students in the chapter have access to Theta Alpha Kappa’s vigorous national program of scholarship awards and fellowship competitions, publication in the society’s journal, and an annual prize for outstanding student papers.

Eligible students who are majoring or minoring in Theology and Religious Studies are invited to join the chapter. These students must have completed three semesters at St. John’s University (or half of the residency requirement for graduate students) and a minimum of 12 credits in theology. They must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 in Theology and Religious Studies, with a 3.0 overall GPA, and be ranked in the top 35 percent of their class. For more information, please contact Rev. Patrick Flanagan, C.M., Ph.D., at [email protected]. 

The mission of the Watson Pre-Health Honor Society is to provide members with activities that enhance their knowledge of the various health care professions. Speakers from medical, dental, chiropractic, and optometry schools, as well as test preparation company representatives, health care professionals, and medical students speak to society members about how to prepare for successful entry into the competitive health field.

Potential members must attend eight meetings of the society and complete eight community service credits. They must have an overall GPA of 3.3 with an index of 3.0 in the sciences. For more information, e-mail [email protected].