Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society

Student membership is available to undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at a college or university with an active Sigma Tau Delta chapter and who meet the following academic qualifications:

• Candidates for undergraduate membership must have completed a minimum of two college courses in English language or literature beyond the usual requirements in freshman English. The candidate must have a minimum of a B or equivalent average in English and in general scholarship, must rank at least in the highest thirty-five percent of his/her class*, and must have completed at least three semesters or five quarters of college course work. (Local chapters may raise, but not lower, these criteria.) Candidates for undergraduate membership need not be majoring or minoring in the discipline of English. *This requirement may also be interpreted as "have an overall B average in general scholarship" (e.g., 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale).
• Candidates for graduate membership who did not hold undergraduate membership must be enrolled in a graduate program in English or one of its specializations, have completed six semester hours of graduate work or the equivalent, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

Membership Benefits: 

Academic Recognition

• Members receive a personalized Sigma Tau Delta membership certificate and the official Society pin to signify high achievement in English language, writing and literature.
• Members may wear Sigma Tau Delta regalia at graduation and other important ceremonies to celebrate their accomplishments

Scholarships

• Members are eligible to apply for a variety of Sigma Tau Delta scholarships valued at up to $5,000 each.
• Members are eligible to apply for a merit-based $1,000 scholarship to attend The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) Summer Institute or Capital Semester. This scholarship is available to one Sigma Tau Delta member per year through a partnership with TFAS and the Association of College Honor Societies.

Writing Awards and Opportunities

• Members may submit papers for publication in The Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review. Works selected for publication are also eligible for overall awards and monetary prizes.
• Members may submit articles to Sigma Tau Delta's online publications, The Sigma Tau Delta Newsletter and WORDY by Nature, the official Sigma Tau Delta blog.
• Members may submit articles to Sigma Tau Delta's regional publications, where available.

Internships

• Members may apply for Sigma Tau Delta co-sponsored internships with a major publisher and an online book store that funds worldwide literacy initiatives.
• Members are eligible for a $500 merit-based scholarship to attend The Washington Internship (WII) internship program through a partnership with WII and the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS).
• Members are eligible to apply for a $1,000 housing scholarship to attend The Washington Center (TWC) internship program through a partnership with TWC and the Association of College Honors Societies. TWC has designated three scholarships per year for Sigma Tau Delta members (both undergraduates and recent college graduates).

Annual Convention

• Members may submit papers for presentation at the annual Sigma Tau Delta international convention. Works selected for presentation are also eligible for overall awards and monetary prizes.
• Members who attend the annual convention have opportunities to hear students from throughout the U.S. and abroad present their creative and critical writing, to attend to sessions on student leadership and chapter activities, and to listen to presentations by noted authors. Featured speakers at recent conventions include Neil Gaiman (2009), Azar Nafisi (2010), Poet Laureate Kay Ryan (2011), Natasha Trethewey (2012), Ursula Le Guin (2013), Alison Bechdel (2014), Gary Soto (2015), Charles Baxter (2016), Jeff VanderMeer (2017), and Mary Norris (2018).

Student Leadership and Community Service

• Members may compete for officer positions and take part in community service projects at many campus chapters.
• Members may compete for student leadership positions at the regional and Society levels. Student leaders serve on the Sigma Tau Delta Student Leadership Committee and represent student needs and concerns to the Sigma Tau Delta Board of Directors.

Career Advancement

• Members may use their honor society affiliation as a tangible sign of academic success to help advance their professional career.
• Members meet one of the U.S. Civil Service Commission requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level in numerous professional and technical occupations in the Federal service, thus beginning employment at a higher level and higher salary. Visit USAJobs to search for positions listed with the United States Office of Personnel Management.

Lifetime Affiliation and Fellowship

• Members have many opportunities to network with other Sigma Tau Deltans through local chapter activities, regional events, the annual Sigma Tau Delta international convention, and online site such as Facebook, Twitter, and WORDY by Nature, the official Sigma Tau Delta blog.
• Members who wish to stay connected with the Society after graduation are eligible to join Sigma Tau Delta's Alumni Epsilon Chapter.

For information about Sigma Tau Delta, please visit www.english.org.

Dr. Kelly Nims is the Faculty Sponsor for Sigma Tau Delta. If you are interested in becoming a member, please email our chapter athetabetachapter@gmail.com.