Enhance your professional value through national honor societies.
Dean's List
If you complete at least 6 credits (in courses graded A, B, C, D, or F) with a GPA of at least 3.5 in a term and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 at UMGC, you are eligible for the dean's list.
If you fail to earn the required average by the end of the academic term, you must complete a minimum of 6 more credits during the next academic term to be considered for the dean's list again. All courses taken during an academic term are used in computing the average, even though the total number of credits may exceed 6. A term is designated as fall, spring, or summer. Eligibility for the dean's list is calculated each term.
If you make the dean's list, you will be notified via e-mail of your achievement by the Office of the Dean, the Undergraduate School.
Academic Honors
Academic honors for excellence in scholarship are determined by your cumulative GPA at UMGC at the time of your bachelor's degree conferral. The distinction of summa cum laude is conferred on those students with a cumulative GPA of 4.000, magna cum laude on those students with a cumulative GPA of 3.901 up to 3.999, and cum laude on those students with a cumulative GPA of 3.800 up to 3.900. To be eligible for any of these categories of recognition, you must have earned at least 30 credits at UMGC in courses for which a letter grade and quality points were assigned. For honors to be conferred with a second bachelor's degree, you are required to have a total of 30 new UMGC credits and the requisite GPA. Honors are not calculated or awarded for your associate's degree.
Honor Societies
UMGC students with superior academic records have the opportunity to join several national honor societies.
As a UMGC student, you are eligible for membership in Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national honor society for students in continuing higher education. To qualify for membership, you must be pursuing a first bachelor’s degree; have completed at least 24 credits at UMGC in courses graded A, B, C, D, or F; and maintained a GPA of 3.7 or higher in all UMGC courses.
At least 15 credits, from UMGC or transferred, must be in courses outside the major.
How to join: Students are invited into Alpha Sigma Lambda. Please contact asl@umgc.edu for more information.
Membership in Lambda Pi Eta, the official communication studies honor society of the National Communication Association, is open to qualified UMGC students. To be eligible, you must have earned at least 60 credits toward the bachelor’s degree, including at least 30 credits at UMGC and 12 credits in communication studies, with a GPA of 3.5 or higher both in communication studies and overall coursework.
How to join: Please contact commclub@umgc.edu for more information.
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is an honor society recognizing students who have completed fewer than 60 credits toward an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree and have shown academic excellence. The honor society encourages members to participate in honor society, university, and community events and provides resources to enable them to focus on their professional and leadership development.
To be eligible, you must be seeking a first associate’s or bachelor’s degree. You must have completed at least 12 credits at UMGC in courses graded A, B, C, D, or F and have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher. In addition, you must have completed between 12 and 59 credits toward your degree. You are invited to join the honor society in the spring session.
How to join: Students will be invited to join in the spring term. Please contact umgcnscs@umgc.edu for more information.
As a UMGC student, you may qualify for membership in Phi Alpha Theta, the international honor society in history. To qualify for membership, you must attain a GPA of 3.5 or higher in at least 12 credits of UMGC history courses and have an overall UMGC GPA of 3.4.
How to join: Students may contact histclub@umgc.edu if they are interested in becoming a member.
The honor society of Phi Kappa Phi promotes the pursuit of excellence in all fields of higher education and recognizes outstanding achievement by students, faculty, and others through election to membership and through various awards for distinguished achievement. To qualify for membership in Phi Kappa Phi, you must have completed at least 90 credits toward the bachelor’s degree, at least 45 of which must have been for UMGC courses carrying letter grades of A, B, C, D, or F. Your GPA in UMGC courses must be in the top 10 percent of the previous UMGC graduating class.
How to join: Membership is by invitation. Students eligible for Phi Kappa Phi will receive an informational package regarding their nomination.
Phi Theta Kappa is a national honor society for associate’s degree students. UMGC Europe’s chapter has been active since the 1998-1999 academic year. To be eligible for membership, you must have completed at least 45 credits toward your first associate's degree, including at least 30 credits with UMGC Europe with a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Eligible students are invited to join the honor society in the fall and spring terms.
How to join: Membership is by invitation. Students will receive a message regarding their nomination. For more information, please contact studentaffairs-europe@umgc.edu.
Pi Gamma Mu is the international honor society for the social sciences and recognizes outstanding scholarship in the social sciences at UMGC. Membership is offered to qualified students interested in anthropology, criminal justice, economics, gerontology, history, legal studies, political science, social psychology, sociology, and women’s studies.
Students who are in their last 60 credits of undergraduate study, have earned at least 20 hours of social science credit (including at least 9 credits at UMGC), and have a GPA of 3.5 or higher may be invited to join.
How to join: Membership is by invitation. Students may contact marylandtheta@umgc.edu for more information.
SALUTE is a nationally recognized honor society for military and veteran students at two-year and four-year institutions of higher education. Established in 2009, SALUTE is the first national honor society for active-duty military servicemembers, National Guard members, reservists, retirees, and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
To be eligible for SALUTE, you must be currently enrolled at UMGC, currently serving or have received an honorable discharge, have completed at least 12 credit hours with UMGC, display the highest ethical standards, and maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 as an undergraduate student or 3.5 as a graduate student. A copy of your DD-214 or current orders is required to verify military service. After induction, you will receive a challenge coin, certificate, and a braided honor cord. You are eligible to apply for higher tiers based on your cumulative GPA.
How to join: Students may apply in summer, fall, or spring semesters. Please visit SALUTE for details on applying or contact vrc@umgc.edu.
Sigma Phi Omega is a national academic honor and professional society in gerontology that seeks to promote scholarship, professionalism, friendship, and services to older persons and to recognize exemplary attainment in gerontology and aging studies and related fields. Student membership is open to undergraduate students majoring or minoring in gerontology and aging services, social science (with a focus on gerontology), and related fields. You must be in at least your second term of enrollment, have completed a minimum of 12 credits at UMGC, and have a GPA of at least 3.3.
How to join: For more information about joining UMGC's chapter of Sigma Phi Omega, Upsilon Chi, contact spo@umgc.edu.
Membership in Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, is open to qualified UMGC students with a major in English. To be eligible, you must have earned at least 45 credits toward the bachelor’s degree with an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher. At least 30 credits must have been earned through UMGC and must include 12 credits of English, not including WRTG 101, and 6 credits of upper-level coursework. You must also have earned a GPA of 3.6 in English coursework at UMGC.
How to join: Students may contact englclub@umgc.edu if they are interested in becoming a member.
Upsilon Phi Delta is a national academic honor society founded by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration for students in health care management and policy and designed to recognize, reward, and encourage academic excellence in the study of health administration. To be eligible for undergraduate student membership, you must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and at least 18 credits of coursework in health services management with a GPA of 3.25 or higher in those courses.
The Kappa Chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the international honor society for the computing and information disciplines, is open to graduate and undergraduate students. To qualify for membership as an undergraduate, you must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a major in the computing and information disciplines and must have completed at least 45 credits. You should have completed at least 30 credits at UMGC in courses graded A, B, C, D, or F, including at least 15 credits in the computing and information disciplines, and you must have a GPA of at least 3.5 overall and in all computing and information systems coursework. Students are inducted into the honor society twice a year.
How to join: Students who are eligible to join the chapter are sent invitations in the fall or spring semesters. Please e-mail upe@umgc.edu for more information.