Membership Requirements

All members of the honor society are inducted through the local Phi Alpha Theta chapter at their respective college or university. To find out if your school has a Phi Alpha Theta chapter click here. Individual memberships sent directly to the National Office are not acceptable and will be returned. Our one-time initiation fee of $40.00 per student is payable at the time of initiation. This fee includes a membership certificate and four issues of our journal, The Historian. Membership in Phi Alpha Theta is a lifetime membership. Each chapter, however, may levy whatever dues or fees it deems necessary to promote its own local activities. Thereafter, there are no annual dues or fees. Members who wish to continue supporting the honor society may do so by subscribing to The Historian and/or to our newsletter.

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students must complete at least 12 semester hours in History (4 courses) with a GPA of at least 3.1 in History, have a GPA of 3.0 or better overall, and be in the top 35% of the class. Membership is not limited to History majors.

Graduate Students

Graduate students should have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours towards their Master's Degree in History, have a GPA of better than 3.5, and shall have completed approximately 30% of the residence requirements for the Master's Degree.

Faculty Members

Faculty members above the rank of Instructor who teach History automatically qualify, pay the same induction fee, and receive the same membership privileges.

Note: We encourage our Faculty Advisors to invite their fellow faculty to join Phi Alpha Theta.