Pi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society

Pi Sigma Alpha is the national political science honor society. Students do not need to be a political science major or minor to qualify for induction. The national Pi Sigma Alpha organization sponsors programs, events, and scholarships for students and faculty interested in political science and government in the United States.

Pi Sigma Alpha is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) and is designated as a "Specialized, Upper-Division" society. Because Pi Sigma Alpha is a member of the ACHS, the U.S. 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 may apply for the Pi Sigma Alpha/ Howard Penniman Scholarships for Graduate Study in Political Science, scholarships for Washington Semester programs, and for Best Paper Awards. All ACHS honor society student members are also entitled to automatic tuition reductions for Washington internship programs run by the Washington Internship Institute, the Fund for American Students, and the Washington Center.

The Induction Criteria is established by Pi Sigma Alpha:

Completion of at least 64 credits required for the baccalaureate degree;
Completion of at least 16 credit hours of work in political science/politics & law (POLS/PLAW) including at least one upper division course (300- or 400-level) not including POLS/PLAW 460 (Public Affairs Internship), POLS/PLAW 262, and/or POLS/PLAW 263;
An average grade of B or higher in all courses in political science/politics & law (including POLS and PLAW);
Maintenance of general scholarship sufficient to place the student in the top one-third of their class;
For transfer students, 32 credits towards the baccalaureate degree and 8 credit hours of political science/politics & law coursework (in POLS/PLAW) should be completed at Rhodes College.
Eligible courses include those with a POLS and a PLAW designation. Only courses that have been completed are counted towards eligibility.

For more information about the Rhodes chapter of PSA—TAU DELTA—please contact our chapter advisor, Dr. Thomas Goodman at goodmant@rhodes.edu.

2023-2024 Inductees

Pi Sigma Alpha’s Tau Delta Chapter held an Induction/Recognition Dinner on April 16, 2024, to welcome their newest members. Presiding over the ceremony was Dr. Thomas Goodman as the new faculty advisor, as well as Ella Peterson and Molly O’Connor, the Chapter Executive.

Our newest inductees are Sophia Comrie ‘24, Annie Cronin ‘24, Patrick Grooms ‘24, Claire Kiernan ‘24, Rogan Phillips ‘24, Michael Neal ‘24, Itamar Almalem ‘25, Mary-Hunter Brown ‘25, Kevin Caltry ‘25, Dylan Farley ‘25, Nathan Mobley ‘25, Anna Grace Travis ‘25, Isaac Vigoren ‘25, Anna Yates ‘25, and Rachel Zurbuch ‘25.