Each spring, the resident members of the Hofstra Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa meet to elect juniors and seniors to membership in the nation’s oldest honor society. Election is a rare honor: only 286 colleges and universities have chapters of Phi Beta Kappa, and no more than 10% of an institution’s graduating students may be elected. To be considered for election, a student must attain a high GPA while taking broad and rigorous coursework in the liberal arts and sciences. There is no fixed GPA required, nor is a high GPA alone sufficient for election; in making its decision, the chapter examines a student’s entire transcript.
While there are no criteria that guarantee election to membership, the chapter relies on the following guidelines when making its decision.
- Major. In keeping with the chapter’s focus on the liberal arts and sciences, students considered for election must complete one of the following majors:
- any major in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences within the School of Health,
- Mass, Media Studies, Speech, Communication, and Rhetorical Studies, and Film Studies and Production in the School of Communication.
- Residency. Students must complete 75 semester hours at Hofstra.
- Liberal Arts Credits. Students must complete 93 credits in liberal arts courses.
- Math. Students must take one math course numbered 30 or above.
- Foreign Language. Students must complete level 4 of a foreign language (or place into level 5)
- Breadth and Depth. We examine the breadth and depth of the candidate’s study in liberal arts and sciences, taking into account the number, variety, and level of courses taken outside the major.