What is Psi Chi?

Psi Chi is the National 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 men and women who are making the study of psychology one of their major interests and who meet the minimum qualifications. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (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 more than 900 senior colleges and universities in the USA. The National Office is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A National 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.

Membership in Psi Chi represents those students most outstanding in Psychology and those dedicated to its purpose: Advancing the science of psychology and maintaining scholarship in its members. Psi Chi essentially serves two goals: the first is to provide and nourish academic growth, the second is to provide academic prestige and recognition to its members.

At Southern Illinois University, our chapter succeeds at both of these goals. In fact, in 1994, the National Office of Psi Chi selected our chapter as the recipient of the national Outstanding Psi Chi Chapter award. The following year, 1995, our Psi Chi Advisor at the time, Dr. Robert O. Engbretson, recieved the Psi Chi Award for the Outstanding Faculty Advisor in the nation. Our chapter is certainly one you can be proud to be affiliated with, one that has many benefits to offer.

The benefits of membership in Psi Chi are many. A major draw to many of our members is the opportunity to network with professors and other talented students. Active membership fosters stronger professional and personal relationships between students and faculty. Membership may lead to oppurtunities for research, being selected for special projects, a better letter of recommendation, developing a specialized area of interest, volunteer oppurtunities, possibly even job prospects. Sometimes the best oppurtunities come about from being in the right place at the right time and membership in Psi Chi can help you with that.

Of course, if such benefits are not convincing enough, consider the honor that comes with being a member of such a well-respected organization. Psi Chi is a prestigious organization whose members take pride in their society.

SIUE Home Page
URL: http://www.siue.edu/PSYCHOLOGY/psichi/index.html
Published by: Psi Chi
Last update: 7/25/07