Association of College Honor Societies
The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), is a predominantly American group that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS coordinates member organizations, facilitates communications between them, and provides both scholarships and an outlet for publication to members. ACHS member societies undergo periodic audits to validate their adherence to ACHS standards and their qualification for membership and ACHS certification.
ACHS was formed in 1925 to create a network of affiliated societies and promote high standards for scholarship and leadership on campus. The intention of the founding societies was to establish and maintain desirable standards for groups wishing to call themselves honor societies. These standards include criteria for membership, governance and chapter operation.[1] Four organizations were represented at a preliminary meeting held on October 2, 1925. They were Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi.
While ACHS certifies each of its members as legitimate, credible organizations, not all legitimate honor societies apply for membership in ACHS. Factors to evaluate in determining a non-member honor society's legitimacy include setting a high bar for minimum scholastic criteria, membership participation in society governance, membership invitation through campus chapters, and organizational transparency.
The honor society standards set by the Association of College Honor Societies are recognized by the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management for entry into government employment at GS-7 Level: "Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed... by the Association of College Honor Societies. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies.[2]" As such, the Association of College Honor Societies is the nation's only certifying agency for college and university honor societies.
List of member organizations
66 organizations are affiliated with the ACHS:[3]
| Society | Discipline | Processional colors[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha Beta Gamma | Business | Red and Gold Medallion on Red and Black Ribbon, Stole: Sapphire Blue with Emblem in Gold. Advisors different. |
| Alpha Chi | All Academic Fields | Honor Gold or Blue and Green |
| Alpha Epsilon | Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering | |
| Alpha Epsilon Delta | Premedicine | Red and Violet |
| Alpha Epsilon Rho | Electronic Media | Green and Gold (1999) |
| Alpha Eta Mu Beta | Biomedical Engineering | |
| Alpha Iota Delta | Decision Sciences and Information Systems | Green and Gold |
| Alpha Kappa Delta | Sociology | Teal |
| Alpha Kappa Mu | All Academic Fields | Royal Blue and White (2000) |
| Alpha Lambda Delta | Freshman Scholarship | Red, Gold, and White (1924) |
| Alpha Phi Sigma | Criminal Justice | Blue and Gold |
| Alpha Pi Mu | Industrial Engineering | White Satin with Gold Logo |
| Alpha Sigma Lambda | Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning | |
| Alpha Sigma Mu | Metallurgy and Materials Engineering | Silver and Gold (2004) |
| Alpha Sigma Nu | General Scholarship - Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education | Gold Medallion on Maroon Ribbon |
| Beta Gamma Sigma | Business and Management | Gold Cord, Yale Blue Tassel, Gold Wrap and Yale Blue Cord, Gold Tassel, Yale Blue Wrap |
| Beta Kappa Chi | Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Royal Blue |
| Beta Phi Mu | Library & Information Studies and Information Technology | Purple and White (1948) |
| Chi Epsilon | Civil Engineering | Purple and White (and collars) |
| Chi Sigma Iota | Professional Counseling | Blue and White (1985) |
| Delta Epsilon Sigma | General Scholarship in Colleges and Universities with a Catholic Tradition |
Gold and Maroon (1939) |
| Delta Mu Delta | Business Administration | Purple and Gold |
| Delta Tau Alpha | Agriculture | Hunter Green and Harvest Gold (2005) |
| Epsilon Pi Tau | Professions in Technology | Blue, Gold, and White |
| Gamma Theta Upsilon | Geography | Brown, Light Blue, and Gold |
| Kappa Delta Pi | Education | Purple and Jade Green |
| Kappa Mu Epsilon | Mathematics | |
| Kappa Omicron Nu | Human Sciences | Burgundy and Cream (1990), Medallion: Gold/Burgundy w/ Burgundy Ribbon |
| Kappa Tau Alpha | Journalism and Mass Communication | Blue and Gold (2002) |
| Lambda Iota Tau | Literature of all Languages | Purple and Gold |
| Lambda Pi Eta | Communication | Red, White, and Gold |
| Lambda Sigma | Student Leadership, Scholarship and Service | Blue and Gold (1976) |
| Mortar Board | Scholarship, Leadership and Service | Gold and Silver tassel w/Mortar Board Fob (1980), stole: Gold with Logo, medallion: White Ribbon with Logo |
| Mu Kappa Tau | Marketing | Navy |
| National Society of Collegiate Scholars | Scholarship, Leadership & Service | Burgundy and Gold |
| Omega Chi Epsilon | Chemical Engineering | Maroon and White |
| Omega Rho | Operations Research & Management Science | Blue and Red |
| Omicron Delta Epsilon | Economics | Blue and Gold (1998) |
| Phi Beta Delta | International Scholars | |
| Phi Sigma | Biological Sciences, All Pure and Applied Fields | Yellow, Green, and White |
| Phi Sigma Iota | Foreign Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, ESL, & Cultures | Purple and White (2008) |
| Phi Sigma Tau | Philosophy | White and Purple |
| Phi Upsilon Omicron | Family and Consumer Sciences | Yellow, White, and Purple (1993) |
| Pi Alpha Alpha | Public Affairs and Administration | Light Blue and Yellow |
| Pi Delta Phi | French | Blue, White, and Red |
| Pi Gamma Mu | Social Sciences | Royal Blue and White (1994) |
| Pi Kappa Lambda | Music | |
| Pi Omega Pi | Business Education | Silver, Royal Blue, and Gold |
| Pi Sigma Alpha | Political Science | Red, White, and Black |
| Pi Tau Sigma | Mechanical Engineering | |
| Pi Theta Epsilon | Occupational Therapy | Navy and Gold |
| Psi Beta | Psychology at Two-Year Colleges | Royal Blue and Gold |
| Psi Chi | Psychology | Navy and Platinum with Navy and Platinum Tassels (2008) |
| Rho Chi | Pharmacy | Royal Purple and White (2001) |
| Scabbard and Blade, National Society of | Reserve Officer Training Corps | |
| Sigma Beta Delta | Business, Management, and Administration | Hunter Green and Gold |
| Sigma Delta Pi | Spanish | Red and Yellow Gold |
| Sigma Lambda Alpha | Landscape Architecture | Gold and Green |
| Sigma Lambda Chi | Construction Management Technology | Green and Gold (1949), stole: Silver with Logo, medallion: Green & Gold on Green & White Ribbon |
| Sigma Pi Sigma | Physics | Forest Green and Ivory (1921) |
| Sigma Tau Delta | English | Cardinal and Black (1924) |
| Sigma Theta Tau | Nursing | Orchid and White |
| Tau Alpha Pi | Engineering Technology | Green and Gold |
| Tau Beta Pi | Engineering | Orange and White (2005), stole: White with Orange Bent (trestle symbol) |
| Tau Sigma Delta | Architecture and Allied Arts | |
| Theta Alpha Kappa | Religious Studies / Theology | Scarlet |
| Upsilon Pi Epsilon | Computing and Information Disciplines | Maroon and White, stole: White with Gold ΥΠΕ Logo |
References
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- ↑ ACHS Quick-links to Member Honor Societies, accessed 10 June 2014
- ↑ Cord colors from ACHS honor cord registry, accessed 10 June 2014
External links
- Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education - The Role of College Honor Societies, CAS Standards Contextual Statement
- Association of College Honor Societies website
- Qualifying for U.S. Government GS-7 under Superior Academic Achievement through Honor Society Membership
- Searchable database of ACHS member society chapters
- ACHS member Honor Cord Registry
