PSA students

Pi Sigma Alpha

Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, has an active local chapter, Epsilon Xi, at UWM. The one time initiation fee is $35.00. Graduation cords (optional) may be purchased for an additional $17. Students are encouraged to join the UWM chapter.

Qualifications (Undergraduate Students):

  • Completion of a minimum of ten political science credits (one course must be an upper-division political science course)
  • 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in political science courses
  • Junior or senior standing
  • Student’s cumulative GPA is in the upper one-third of the student’s junior or senior class

Qualifications (Graduate Students):

  • Completion of a minimum of nine credits in political science graduate coursework (A or B grades in all courses)
  • Student is enrolled in a political science graduate program

Benefits of Membership:

  • Membership in the Pi Sigma Alpha is a recognition of serious interest and achievement in the field of political science.
  • Employers and university admissions evaluators look favorably upon such membership in their reviews of student applications.
  • Pi Sigma Alpha brings together students of similar interests and achievements at UWM.
  • The honor society is an active organization at UWM with more than 35 members.

If you have any further questions, please contact:

Kristin Trenholm
trenholm@uwm.edu


Students who received honors with the chancellor
Honors students at commencement

Honors and High Honors in the Major

Departmental honors are awarded upon graduation to students who achieve a 3.5 GPA overall in all UWM courses attempted and also in their advanced-level political science courses. Students meeting these GPA requirements will automatically be slated for graduating with honors in the major.

Students meeting the grade point requirements might also wish to be considered for departmental high honors. If a student wishes to be considered for departmental high honors, s/he should request that the faculty member supervising her/his substantial research paper nominate her/him for high honors. The supervising faculty member then will decide if the student should be recommended to the high honors committee, which is composed of three political science faculty members. The committee will determine if the quality of the nominee’s paper is sufficient to earn the high honors designation and, if so, will bestow the high honors accordingly. Do note that any student interested in receiving high honors needs to contact a Political Science faculty member to be considered; these high honors are not bestowed automatically.

Questions about any of the above honors designations can be directed to any of the Political Science faculty advisors.

Honors College

Students invited to join the UWM Honors College have exclusive access to Honors classes and upon completion of the Honors requirements can graduate with Honors distinctions. Honors courses are typically smaller than average and taught in a seminar style. Freshmen are invited to join based on their admissions application materials demonstrating high achievement in high school. Current students and transfer students can contact the Honors College to inquire about eligibility to apply.

Dean’s Honor List

Students with a major in the College of Letters & Science majors who earn a GPA of 3.750 or above in any semester where 12 or more graded credits are earned will be placed on the Dean’s Honors List for that semester.

Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest honor society. Membership is by invitation only. Just ten percent of U.S. universities have Phi Beta Kappa chapters, and within the UW System, only Milwaukee and Madison have chapters.

Membership criteria include the completion of a broad range of liberal arts coursework spanning the arts, sciences, humanities, social sciences, and languages; and academic achievement with a minimum GPA in these classes of 3.850 for juniors or 3.750 for seniors.

Phi Kappa Phi

Phi Kappa Phi is also recognized as one of the nation’s premier academic honor societies. Membership is by invitation only and is based on class rank — top 7.5% for juniors or top 10% for seniors. All majors are eligible.

Graduation Honors

Undergraduate students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester will receive all-university commencement honors and will be awarded the traditional gold cord at the commencement honors convocation.

UWM Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida and Mohican nations remain present.   |   To learn more, visit the Electa Quinney Institute website.