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Phi Beta Kappa

The is the oldest preeminent collegiate honor society for the liberal arts in the United States. Established in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, Phi Beta Kappa now comprises 286 chapters throughout the United States. Induction into Phi Beta Kappa represents a strong love of learning through diligence and academic merit.

In 1994, the American University Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Zeta of Washington, D.C., was founded. It is a force for the three goods indicated by the stars in the upper left corner of the society's key: friendship, morality, and literature. The pointing hand in the lower corner of the key symbolizes aspiration. On the reverse, the letters S and P represent the second name of the society, Societas Philosophiae, which translates as "the society of the love of knowledge." American University is well suited to cultivate the virtues of Phi Beta Kappa. With the intimacy of a smaller college and strong intellectual enterprises, students at American University are able to pursue rewarding studies in the liberal arts.

Invitation to Induction

Election is highly selective. It is based on performance as measured by GPA in liberal arts courses. All other courses (for example, pre-professional classes or internships) are excluded from the calculation. Students from most programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as from the School of International Service and School of Public Affairs, are potentially eligible, provided the number of credits and GPA for liberal arts courses are sufficient. Students enrolled in majors in the School of Communication, the Kogod School of Business, and the School of Education are not eligible unless they have a second major in a qualifying liberal arts program.

Eligibility:

  • Students must have 75 percent of their work in liberal arts courses and at least 60 credits earned in courses at American University. The liberal arts and sciences encompass the traditional disciplines of the natural sciences, mathematics, social sciences, and humanities. 
  • Candidates shall have demonstrated, by completing intermediate level courses at AU, a knowledge of a second or non-native language at least minimally appropriate for a liberal education.  
  • The candidate's undergraduate record shall include at least one course in college-level mathematics, logic, or statistics, with content appropriate to a liberal arts and sciences curriculum. The course should introduce the student to mathematical ideas, abstract thinking, proofs, and the axiomatic method. 

Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony

Each spring American University's Zeta Chapter welcomes new members through an induction ceremony the Thursday before commencement, with a reception following. Parents, friends, and faculty members are invited to attend both the induction ceremony and the reception. The 2024 ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 9th at 10:00 am in the Katzen Recital Hall. 

American University pays Phi Beta Kappa membership dues on behalf of all of its students invited to join this prestigious national honor society. Induction represents lifetime membership.

Officers

Faculty and staff representing many departments and schools are members of American University's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The chapter's current officers are:

President
Mieke Meurs
Professor, Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences

Vice President
Melissa Daoulas
Instructor, School of Communication

Secretary-Treasurer
Lori Felton
Office of Merit Awards

Historian
Patrick Jackson
Professor, School of International Service

Contact

For more information please contact:
AU Honors Program, pbk@american.edu, or
Jamie Wyatt at 202-885-3839