Requirements at Westminster College
Psi Chi is the National
Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging,
stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the
science of psychology. Membership is
open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of
psychology one of their major interests and who meet the minimum
qualifications. Psi Chi is a member of
the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American
Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society
(APS). Psi Chi’s sister honor society
is Psi Beta, the national honor society in psychology for community and junior
colleges.
Psi chi functions as a federation of chapters
located at more than 840 senior colleges and universities in the USA. The national office is located in Chattanooga,
Tennessee. A National Council, composed
of psychologists who are Psi Chi members and who are elected by the chapters,
guides the affairs of the organization and sets policy with the approval of the
chapters.
Psi Chi serves two major goals--one immediate and visibly rewarding to
the individual member, the other slower and more difficult to accomplish, but
offering greater rewards in the long run. The first of these is the Society’s
obligation to provide academic recognition to its inductees by the mere fact of
membership. The second goal is the obligation of each of the Society’s local
chapters to nurture the spark of that accomplishment by offering a climate
congenial to its creative development. For example, the chapters make active
attempts to nourish and stimulate professional growth through programs designed
to augment and enhance the regular curriculum and to provide practical
experience and fellowship through affiliation with the chapter. In addition,
the national organization provides programs to help achieve these goals,
including national and regional conventions held annually in conjunction with
the psychological associations, research award competitions, and certificate
recognition programs. Also, the Society publishes a quarterly Psi Chi Newsletter,
which helps to unite the members as well as to inform and recognize their
contributions and accomplishments.
Students become members by joining the chapter at the school where they are enrolled. Psi Chi chapters are operated by student officers and faculty advisors. Together they select and induct the members and carry out the goals of the Society. All chapters register their inductees at the national office, where the membership records are preserved for reference purposes. The total number of memberships preserved at the national office during the first 65 years is over 270,000. Many of these members have gone on to distinguished careers in psychology.
Advantages of Psi Chi Membership
·
Psi
Chi provides national recognition for academic excellence in psychology, an
honor, which can be noted on employment applications, vitae, and resumes.
·
Through
membership in Psi Chi, students gain a sense of community with others in
psychology and an identification with the discipline.
·
Psi
Chi provides a local, regional, and national forum for obtaining information
and developing perspectives about the field of psychology, learning about
educational and career opportunities, and forming meaningful professional
networks.
·
The
local level, chapter membership facilitates leadership development, interaction
with other students who have similar interests, and service to the department
and institution sponsoring Psi Chi.
·
Members
receive a membership card and certificate and, through chapter mailings, copies
of the Psi Chi newsletter. (Following graduation, members may subscribe to the
quarterly newsletter.)
·
Psi
Chi chapter activities provide students with valuable opportunities develop
one-on-one relationships with professors who can stimulate their interest in
psychology, involve them in research projects, and write meaningful letters of
recommendation for them.
·
Psi
Chi encourages student research at the regional and national as well as local
levels through undergraduate and graduate research award competitions and
provides opportunities for students to present research and receive
certificates recognizing their accomplishments at regional and national
psychological association meetings.
·
Psi
Chi sponsors outstanding programs at regional and national psycho- logical
association meetings. Members benefit not only from the programs, but also from
the opportunity to meet leading psychologists and students from other chapters.
·
Membership
in Psi Chi meets one of the requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level in
numerous professional and technical occupations in the United States
government.
· Membership is for life. The national registration fee of $25 is the only payment ever made to the national organization, which does not charge dues.
Psi Chi Requirements
·
Must
have completed FOUR Psychology courses.
·
Must
have a 3.5 Cumulative GPA in your completed PSYCHOLOGY courses.
·
Must
be within the top 35% of your class
·
You
do NOT need to be a Psychology Major or Minor to be a member of our Psi Chi Chapter.
Ø
THE
APPLICATION FORMS FOR PSI CHI ARE LOCATED IN THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE
