Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, is the only honor society for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students of government in the United States. Founded in 1920, PSA has grown to over 480 chapters on campuses across the country. Pi Sigma Alpha programs for members and chapters include grants for chapter programs, scholarships for graduate study, best graduate and undergraduate student paper awards, and best chapter and best chapter advisor awards. Pi Sigma Alpha programs for the profession include best paper awards for the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association and the regional political science associations, and lectures by public figures or journalists at the APSA, regional, and state association meetings. Pi Sigma Alpha publishes a Newsletter, a Chapter Handbook, and a videotaped series of lectures by distinguished thinkers in the discipline of political science. Pi Sigma Alpha is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies.

Chapter Sponsor -- Rachael Cobb

Eligibility

To be eligible for membership as an undergraduate, you must have earned at least 10 credits in government, and must either: 

• Have earned at least 63 credits, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5, and an average of 3.5 in government courses, or
• Have earned at least 92 credits, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.3, and an average of 3.3 in government courses.

To be eligible for membership as a graduate student, you must:

• Have earned at least 10 graduate credits in political science at Suffolk University, with an overall grade point average in graduate courses of 3.5, and an average of 3.5 in graduate political science courses.

Application Process

To apply for membership, please submit the following to Professor Cobb:

• Official transcripts from all colleges you have attended and
• Check, payable to Suffolk University, for the $30 initiation fee (all of the money goes to the national office of Pi Sigma Alpha, and covers your lifetime dues.)