Honor Societies

Alpha Phi Sigma: Eta Phi Chapter - National Criminal Justice Honor Society

In 2006, John Jay established a chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the nationally recognized honor society for students in the criminal justice sciences. The honor society is open to those with a declared Criminal Justice major or minor. The society recognizes the achievement of academic excellence by undergraduates as well as graduate students of criminal justice. To become a member, students must have completed 40 credits at the College, with a minimum of 3.2 overall GPA and a 3.2 GPA in criminal justice courses. Students must also rank in the top 35 percent of their classes and have completed a minimum of four courses within the criminal justice curriculum. For more information, please contact the faculty advisor at alphaphisigma@jjay.cuny.edu.

Chi Alpha Epsilon - National Honor Society for SEEK Students

John Jay College was the first CUNY college to establish chapters of the Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society. The Alpha Xi and Alpha Xi Omega chapters of Chi Alpha Epsilon were established in October 2000. SEEK students may be elected to the corresponding chapter of the honor society when they have completed two semesters of full-time, non-developmental work with a 3.0 average GPA. For more information, please contact the SEEK Department Director/ Chair, Professor Nancy Velazquez-Torres, at ntorres@jjay.cuny.edu.

Omicron Delta Epsilon - International Honor Society in Economics

The Omicron Delta Epsilon chapter at John Jay College, Beta Phi, recognizes scholastic excellence in economics. Eligible applicants must have completed 12 credits of economics classes (courses with an ECO prefix) taken at John Jay, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, and a GPA of 3.0 or higher in economics courses.

For more information, please visit the Omicron Delta Epsilon website at http://www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org. For more information about the John Jay College chapter, please contact the faculty advisor, Professor Catherine Mulder, at cmulder@jjay.cuny.edu.

Phi Eta Sigma - National Freshman Honor Society

As the oldest and largest national freshman honor society, Phi Eta Sigma encourages and rewards academic excellence among first-year students in institutions of higher learning. Membership is open to individuals who have earned GPA of 3.5 or better during one or both semesters of their freshman year as full-time students, have passed or been exempted from all three placement exams, and have not been registered for any remedial or developmental courses during the freshman year. 

Pi Alpha Alpha - National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration

Pi Alpha Alpha is the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. Under the auspices of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), this honor society encourages and rewards scholarship and accomplishment among students and practitioners of public affairs and administration, promotes advancement of education and scholarship in the art and science of public affairs and administration, and fosters integrity and creative performance in the conduct of governmental and related public service operations. To be eligible, undergraduates must have completed at least 90 credits toward the bachelor's degree with a major in public management and a GPA of at least 3.67. For more information, please contact the faculty advisor, Professor David Shapiro, at dshapiro@jjay.cuny.edu.

Psi Chi - National Honor Society for Psychology

Selection for membership is based upon the student’s academic record in psychology (with a minimum of 12 credits), as well as overall class standing. Membership is open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to faculty members in the Department of Psychology. For more information, please contact the faculty advisor, Professor Demis Glasford, at dglasford@jjay.cuny.edu.

Sigma Delta Pi: Alpha Alpha Kappa Chapter - National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society (Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica)

Sigma Delta Pi, the only national honor society for students of Spanish at the university level in the United States, provides a nationally recognized way for the College to acknowledge student achievement. Sigma Delta Pi offers an annual scholarship program for study abroad, grant programs to assist member chapters with local events and collaborative initiatives, and special recognition honors to people who are particularly supportive of Hispanic cultures in all their various forms. Members are eligible to participate in the society’s annual conference sessions held in conjunction with the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Sigma Delta Pi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and numbers among its partner organizations the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Estudio Internacional Sampere, the Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Estudios Norteamericanos Benjamin Franklin, the Universidad Veritas, the International Association of Hispanists and the North American Academy of the Spanish Language. For more information, please contact the chapter advisor, Professor Liliana Soto-Fernández, at lsfernandez@jjay.cuny.edu.

Sigma Tau Delta - International English Honor Society

Membership in Sigma Tau Delta provides opportunities for literary awards and competitions, publication, scholarships, and participation in the annual national conference held each spring semester. Sigma Tau Delta also provides a framework for organizing local service projects as well as social events.

Candidates for membership must have a minimum of two college courses in English language or literature beyond the usual requirements of first-year English composition. They must also have a minimum of a B or equivalent average in English. In general scholarship, students must rank at least in the highest 35 percent of their class, and must have completed at least three semesters or five quarters of college coursework. There is a one-time $40 membership fee. For more information, visit the Sigma Tau Delta website at http://www.english.org. For information about the John Jay chapter, please contact the faculty sponsor, Professor John Staines, at jstaines@jjay.cuny.edu.