History Honor Society, PHI ALPHA THETA (PAT)
2026 Phi Alpha Theta officers: Natalie McCullough, Delia Costello, Sawyer Schlecht, Logan Jones, and Sebastian Langley.
Membership Requirements
Membership is not limited to History majors. A chapter advisor may also require that the student be ranked in the top 35% of their class. The chapter advisor has the discretion of making eligibility requirements for his/her chapter more (but not less) stringent than the national requirement.
Undergraduate students must complete:
- a minimum of 12 semester hours (4 courses) in History,
- achieve a minimum GPA of 3.1 in History, and a GPA of 3.0 or better overall.
- A maximum of 3 credit hours of online, transfer, or AP credits may be applied to the membership eligibility requirement.
Graduate students should have completed:
- a minimum of 12 semester hours towards their Master’s Degree in History,
- have a GPA of better than 3.5.
- complete approximately 30% of the residence requirements for the Master’s Degree.
The History of PAT
The American honor society, Phi Alpha Theta (ΦΑΘ) is for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history. The society has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.
Phi Alpha Theta was established on March 17, 1921 at the University of Arkansas by Professor Nels Cleven. Cleven had become convinced in his time at the university that a fraternity of scholars (which would accept men or women) was important for the study of history. He invited students to a meeting to form the society (then called the “University Historical Society”) on March 14, and the society was officially recognized on the 17th. In April, the decision was made for the society to be known by the Greek letters Phi Alpha Theta.
Application Instructions
Contact Phi Alpha Theta Advisor, Dr. Dan Chard to request a link to the PAT Membership Application Form.
2026 PAT Regional Conference
Congratulations Sebastian Langley!
Sebastian Langley’s "Beyond Crash Course: Public History Education Through YouTube in the Misinformation Age,” won the Best Public History Paper Prize at the 2026 Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference in Spokane!
He says, "Preparing to present was nerve-racking at first, but as I talked more with peers and professors, it became much less stressful and more like sharing something I'd made with friends."