Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest honorary society in America, was founded by students at the College of William and Mary in 1776; the Alpha of Texas chapter was organized at the University in 1904–1905. Membership is available by invitation only to upper-division students who achieve distinguished scholastic records in disciplines that Phi Beta Kappa designates as liberal arts and sciences. The student must have completed at least sixty semester hours of coursework at the University.
All eligible students are notified by the University Honors Center after the fall, spring, and summer chapter elections. Alumni members are occasionally selected from among graduates of at least five years’ standing who have won appropriate distinction since graduation; honorary members are selected for special merit.