Eastern Illinois University :: History

Phi Alpha Theta

This international history honor society encourages history writing through its journal, awards, and history conferences.

Established March 17, 1921, at the University of Arkansas
Charter Member of Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS)
839 active chapters and 275,000 members
12,500 member and over 1,000 library subscribers to The Historian (quarterly journal)
2,500 subscribers to The News Letter (published three times annually)
9,300 initiates (average annually)
35 regional meetings nationwide each spring
Over 25 scholarships and prizes awarded annually (paper prizes, book awards, manuscript award, best chapter awards, student history journal awards, world history award, etc.)
Membership qualifications (undergraduate)
- At least 3.1 minimum GPA in 12 or more credit hours of history
- At least 3.0 minimum overall GPA
- When class rank is available, should be in upper 35% of class
- Not necessary to be history major
- (Graduate students and faculty members have separate requirements)

Formed in 1957
Has sponsored Lower Illinois regional history conferences in 1993, 2002, and 2006
Has been well-represented by both undergraduate and graduate students reading papers every year since 1990. And Eastern's students have invariably earned recognition and cash/book awards at each conference. A 10-page or longer course research paper can be fairly easily shortened to make a 20-minute conference paper. Plan to submit one.
Has won "best student journal" for our student journal, Historia, in a nation-wide competition sponsored by Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honors society several times. Historia so far has proudly shared Phi Alpha Theta's Gerald D. Nash History Journal Prize in Division I (large departments): 1999, 2001, and 2002
Has won "Best Chapter" commendation, 1996
To join Epsilon Mu, future conferences, or journal activity, contact advisor Dr. Mark Hubbard.