Members in course are elected to Phi Beta Kappa primarily on
the basis of broad cultural interests, scholarly achievement, and good
character.
The Phi Beta Kappa Society sets the minimum requirements
that must be met in order for a student to be considered for election and the maximum number of students that can be elected each year. A GPA of 3.8 or higher is required. Beyond
the College’s graduation requirements under the Language Capacity,
students whose mother tongue is English
must achieve intermediate proficiency in a language that
is equivalent to a third semester course at Hendrix. Not all schools
cover material at the same rate, so not all third-semester language courses are
equivalent to Hendrix third-semester courses. Any student with questions
about using a transfer course to fulfill this requirement should feel free to
contact an officer of the chapter. Fulfillment of the College’s graduation
requirements under the Quantitative Skills Capacity satisfies the
minimum criterion in this area for Phi Beta Kappa eligibility. At least
three-fourths of the degree program must be in liberal arts work, i.e., not applied
or professional work. Grades earned in applied or professional coursework are
not counted in the GPA for purposes of Phi Beta Kappa eligibility. Applied and
professional work includes all training intended to develop vocational skills
or techniques. These courses include, but are not limited to, applied education
and accounting courses.
Since the number of students that meet the minimum requirements is usually higher than the number that can be elected, additional weight is given to the breadth of he program of study, A) at least three courses in each of the areas and/or B) a MATH 115 or statistics course. Weight is also given to the balance and proportion of candidate's degree program as a whole. Therefore, exploration of areas outside the major(s) beyond
the minimum coursework required for graduation will strengthen a student’s
qualifications.
Members are elected during the spring semester each year. In
general, the Hendrix chapter considers only students who are in their last
semester prior to graduation or who completed their degrees the previous December
or August.