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Founded in 1920 at the University of Texas, Pi Sigma Alpha is the national honor society for undergraduate and graduate students of political science. There are now over 500 chapters established in colleges and universities in the United States.
What are the benefits of Membership?
Membership in an honor society is a worthy distinction in itself, and as a measure of academic achievement can provide a tangible advantage in a competitive world. All Pi Sigma Alpha members, regular and honorary, receive a certificate of membership and permanent enrollment in the society’s membership rolls, maintained by the National Office. Upon request, the National Office will provide letters verifying membership to prospective employers or graduate schools. Because Pi Sigma Alpha is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, the United States Office of Personnel Management allows its members to apply for federal government positions listed at a higher entry-level grade than non-member candidates. Members are entitled to wear the Pi Sigma Alpha key at any time or the medallion with cap and gown at graduation and on other official occasions.
Pi Sigma Alpha gives students the opportunity for valuable administrative experience as chapter officers and organizers of chapter activities. Chapters can compete for the Chapter Activities Grants awarded each year by the National Office. Members are also eligible to compete for the Pi Sigma Alpha Graduate Scholarship, the Graduate and Undergraduate Best Paper Awards, and a one-year student membership in the American Political Science Association funded by the National Office for one student selected by each chapter each year.
What are the qualifications for Membership?
The purpose of Pi Sigma Alpha is to stimulate scholarship and interest in the subject of government by providing tangible recognition to students who have excelled in the field. Minimum standards for admission, established by the national constitution, are:
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junior or senior status |
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completion of at least fifteen quarter-hours or ten semester-hours of work in government, political science, international relations or public administration, including at least one course not open to students in the first two years of collegiate work |
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maintenance of an average grade of B or higher in all political science courses |
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an overall academic standing in the upper third of the college class. |
Omega Epsilon, the Saint Leo University chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, warmly extends associate membership status to those Saint Leo University students who have not yet reached junior status and who have a deep interest in political science and to those juniors and seniors who fall immediately below the qualifications for national membership but who wish to partake in association activities.
Omega Epsilon owns two tapes from the Pi Sigma Alpha Distinguished Speaker Series
"What I Wish Political Scientists Would Teach About the Congress" by Lee H. Hamilton. U.S. House of Representatives (D-IN).
"The Politics of Equality and Inequality: Facts and Causes in a Normative Perspective" by Robert A. Dahl, Yale University
These tapes are available to members upon request.
Best Paper Awards, for undergraduate class papers, undergraduate honor thesis, and graduate student papers. Each advisor may nominate one paper for each of the three awards. Nominations are due on June 15; winners are announced by July 15. The cash awards amount to $250 for each first place paper and $100 each for runners-up.
Undergraduate Class Paper Award: Winner $250; Runners-up (2) $100 each. The author must be an undergraduate and a member of . The paper must be an existing paper written for a political science class, and not just for this competition.
Undergraduate Honors Thesis Award: Winner $250; Runners-up (2) $100 each. The author must be an undergraduate and a member of Pi Sigma Alpha. The paper must be written as an honors thesis for an undergraduate Honors program.
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