Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society
Gamma of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park

Election to Phi Beta Kappa
Organized in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most widely respected academic honorary society in the United States. Invitation to membership is based on outstanding scholastic achievement in studies of the liberal arts and sciences. Student members are chosen entirely on the basis of academic excellence; neither extracurricular leadership nor service to the community is considered. Election is held twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring semester.

The process for election to Phi Beta Kappa involves a review in November for those who graduated the previous August or those who will graduate in December, and a review in March for those graduating in May. For juniors the review occurs in March. The review is conducted by a select committee of faculty members representing the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The committee reviews transcripts of all students with qualifying grade point averages. Whether a student qualifies for membership in Phi Beta Kappa depends on the quality, depth, and breadth of the student's record in liberal courses. The final decision for election rests with the faculty committee and faculty Phi Beta Kappa members.
Transcripts are reviewed automatically; there is no application procedure for election to Phi Beta Kappa.

Requirements for selection to membership in Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Maryland, College Park, campus chapter include:

  1. Grade Point Average: For seniors a grade point average of at least 3.5 overall as well as in all liberal arts and sciences courses taken. For juniors the grade point average is at least 3.75. National PBK rules, however, require that no more than 20 percent of the students elected in any one year can be juniors, so the actual minimum grade point average for junior admission may be higher than 3.75.

  2. Residence: At least 60 credit hours must be taken at the University of Maryland, College Park.

  3. Liberal Courses: For seniors, at least 90 credit hours in courses in the liberal arts and sciences (where "liberal" courses are to be distinguished from professional or technical courses), at least 45 of which must be taken at the University of Maryland, College Park. For juniors, at least 75 total credit hours must be completed, at least 60 of which are in courses in the liberal arts and sciences; of these, at least 45 must be taken at the University of Maryland, College Park. Students would ordinarily be majors in one of the programs in the liberal arts and sciences. However, students with the requisite number of liberal credit hours can be admitted if they have completed at least 5 courses (15 credit hours or more) for seniors or three courses (9 credit hours or more) for juniors in a single liberal arts and sciences department/program at UMCP.

  4. Required Courses: One semester of mathematics, which must be fulfilled by college-level credit hours (including AP credit, but not exemption by SAT), and two college semesters of the same foreign language at the elementary level, or at least one semester above that level. The language requirement may also be satisfied by completion of four years of the same language other than English at the high-school level or above, or the equivalent. Students with such a foreign language background who wish to be considered for admission to Phi Beta Kappa should notify the Phi Beta Kappa office (2226H Benjamin) in writing and provide the appropriate documentation (an official high school transcript) prior to the month of consideration. Juniors providing late documentation (after March 1) will be considered only as seniors.

  5. Distribution: The credit hours presented for Phi Beta Kappa must contain at least nine liberal arts credit hours in each of the three following areas: (a) arts and humanities, (b) behavioral and social sciences, (c) natural sciences and mathematics (including a laboratory science course). The laboratory science course cannot be fulfilled by AP credit. All the courses in at least two of the three required areas must be completed at the University of Maryland, College Park, and in the remaining area no more than one AP course can be used to fulfil the requirement. In general, Phi Beta Kappa will accept the CORE classification of courses. In satisfying the distribution requirement, however, a maximum of one course that satisfies multiple CORE categories, alloted to the category that helps the student the most, can be used. AP History courses will be considered as satisfying only the arts and humanities requirement.
    Students with more challenging courses and moderately high grade point averages are preferred by the committee to those with higher grade point averages but a narrow range of courses. Minimal qualifications in more than one area may preclude election to Phi Beta Kappa.
Recommended criteria include
  1. Regular grades (rather than pass/fail) in mathematics, foreign language courses, and distribution areas.
  2. Some traditional social sciences and humanities courses that require written essays and papers. (Note that internships may be counted as professional courses and not as liberal courses).
Meeting the above requirements does not guarantee election to Phi Beta Kappa. The judgement of the resident faculty members of Phi Beta Kappa on the quality, depth, and breadth of the student's record is the deciding factor in every case.
  • The current Phi Beta Kappa officers are:
    Associate Professor Richard Ellis (Physics), President
    Professor Maurine Beasley (Journalism), Vice President
    Professor Denny Gulick (Mathematics), Treasurer
    Professor William Suart (Anthropology), Historian
    Professor Denis Sullivan (Curriculum & Instruction), Executive Secretary
    Mr. William Forester, Executive Assistant .

    The PBK office is at 2226H Benjamin Building.

  • Visit the National Headquarters of Phi Beta Kappa .