Founded
in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic
honor society. The Hendrix Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1998.
The Society’s mission is to promote the liberal arts and sciences, to recognize
academic excellence, and to foster freedom of thought and expression.
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.
Because 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 the program of
study. Some representative indicators of program
breadth include having completed at least three courses in each of the academic
areas at Hendrix (Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences) and
exploring beyond the introductory level in the area(s) outside the
major(s). Further, because of the historic
importance of Mathematics within the liberal arts, successful completion of
MATH 130 or higher (aside from Introductory Statistics) can 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.
More information about this
honor society can be found on the national organization website: https://www.pbk.org/