National Honor Society [PSI CHI]
- Psi Chi is a national honor society in psychology. Founded in 1929, its purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship, and advance the science of psychology. It functions as a federation of chapters located at more than 1,000 colleges and universities in the USA. The national office is in Chattanooga,Tennessee. A national council, composed of psychologists who are Psi Chi members, guides the organization. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Society (APS)
- Membership is open to graduate and undergraduates who are making the study of psychology one of their major interests and who meet the minimum qualifications. Psi Chi chapters are operated by student officers and faculty advisors. The total number of memberships preserved at the national office during the first 69 years was over 340,000.
Recognition
Psi Chi Provides national recognition for academic excellence in psychology, an honor which can be noted on employment applications, vitae and resumes. Also, as part of lifetime membership, members receive membership certificates and cards and are eligible to wear honor cords, medallions, and stoles at graduation.
Awards
The Psi Chi currently bestows 95 research awards each year, including the highly esteemed Newman Award for graduate research - the only student research award presented during the prestigious APA/APF awards ceremony at the annual APA convention. Other research awards include the Guilford Awards and Allyn & Bacon Awards in Cognitive Science for both graduate and undergraduate research, and the Regional and National Convention Research Awards. National and regional awards are also available for outstanding chapters and faculty advisors.
Grants
Psi Chi awards numerous grants of up to $1,500 for undergraduate research projects, and the Thelma Hunt program provides funds of up to $3,000 for empirical research on questions directly related to Psi Chi. In addition, 12 grants of $2,000 each are available for research conducted by Psi Chi faculty advisors.
Research at Level I and II Institutions
Psi Chi is now offering 12 grants for undergraduate members to conduct summer research at Level I and Level II research institutions: six grants of up to $5,000 each to be awarded in conjunction with the National Science Foundation's REU program, and six additional grants of $3,500 each.
Publications
Eye on Psi Chi magazine provides national recognition for members and chapters, and features outstanding articles on careers in psychology, graduate school advise, and personal development, plus special articles by distinguished psychologists on topics of interest. The Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research offers a vehicle for undergraduates to publish their research in a national, fully reviewed journal.
Conference Programs
Psi Chi sponsors outstanding programs at regional and national psychological association meetings. Members benefit not only from the programs, but also from the opportunity to meet the network with leading psychologists and students from other chapters.