About Us
Psi Chi is the International 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 students who are making the study of psychology one of their major interests, and who meet the minimum qualifications: At least 15 completed quarter credits of psychology. A minimum GPA for psychology classes of 3.3. A minimum overall EWU GPA of 3.0.Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Psychological Science (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 over 1,000 senior colleges and universities in the USA and Canada. The International Office is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A 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: Academic recognition to its inductees by the mere fact of membership;Local chapters 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. The Society publishes a quarterly magazine, Eye on Psi Chi, which helps to unite the members, inform them and recognize their contributions and accomplishments. The quarterly Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, fosters and rewards the scholarly efforts of undergraduate psychology students and provides a valuable learning experience by introducing them to the publishing and review process. 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 75 years is over 467,000. Many of these members have gone on to distinguished careers in psychology.
