Are you a Wake Forest University Business major with a strong commitment to the liberal arts? If so, please consider submitting an appeal to be considered for membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society for the liberal arts.
In November, 2013 the Wake Forest chapter of Phi Beta Kappa adopted the following eligibility requirements in compliance with standards of the national Society: Students are eligible for membership in Phi Beta Kappa if they have a major in the College of Arts and Science. Students may have a second major in any field including business or other professional or technical fields. Students who have not met the criterion of a second major but who have 90 semester hours in traditional liberal arts courses may appeal for eligibility.
What this means for Business majors:
You may appeal if you have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.6 AND you will have completed 90 semester hours in the liberal arts (humanities, social studies, math, and sciences) by the end of the spring semester of the Academic Year (AY) prior to the one during which election is desired. Course credits may be from AP credit, transfer or study abroad.
Please note that the following groups do not need to appeal; their records will be reviewed automatically:
- Students with a second major in the College of Arts and Sciences
- Mathematical Business majors
How to appeal:
Please send a Wake Forest transcript to the secretary of the Wake Forest Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (name and address below) by the deadline below. The transcript should indicate courses in progress. Students who intend to graduate in May of the Academic Year (AY) for which election is sought, or who have already graduated in August or December of the prior Calendar Year may submit an appeal.
The fine print:
Invitations to join Phi Beta Kappa are issued after careful review by a committee of faculty and staff who are members of Phi Beta Kappa. Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee that an invitation will be extended. Actual GPA cut-offs vary from year-to-year and are usually above 3.7. Other factors beyond GPAs are considered.
Send appeal with transcript to Susan Fahrbach, Department of Biology, Box 7325, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109. PDFs of transcripts may also be sent as e-mail attachments to fahrbach@wfu.edu. Deadline for AY 2022-2023 is March 1, 2023.