Eligibility and Election
Eligibility for election to membership in course requires that students satisfy at least the following requirements.
- Students must be currently enrolled as undergraduates at James Madison University.
- Students must have completed at least three full semesters of work in residence at JMU and be fully registered for a fourth.
- Students must major in the liberal arts and sciences. At James Madison University, qualifying majors are Anthropology (BA or BS), Art History (BA), Biology (BA or BS), Biotechnology (BS), Chemistry (BS), Communication Studies (BA or BS), Earth Science (BA), Economics (BA, BS, or BBA), English (BA), Geographic Science (BA or BS), Geology (BA or BS), History (BA), Information Analysis (BS), Integrated Science and Technology (BS), Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies (BS), International Affairs (BA), Justice Studies (BA or BS), Mathematics (BA or BS), Modern Foreign Languages (BA in any languages), Philosophy and Religion (BA), Physics (BA or BS), Political Science (BA), Psychology (BA or BS), Sociology (BA or BS), Statistics (BS), Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication (BA or BS).
- Students must have completed at least 90 hours of study in the liberal arts and sciences.
- Students must have completed at least 40 credits of work outside his or her major.
- Juniors must have completed at least one academic term of the junior year of college work with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.75.
- Seniors must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.
- Students must demonstrate a knowledge of college-level mathematics and of a foreign language at least through the intermediate level, as demonstrated via credits earned or placement.
- Students must be of good moral character.
The number of undergraduates elected from any class, including those who may be elected as juniors, shall ordinarily not exceed ten percent, and in no case shall exceed fifteen percent, of the undergraduates expected to receive the liberal bachelor's degree in that class. A maximum of one-fifth of the members elected from any class may be elected on the basis of junior standing
In addition, JMU graduates of at least ten years' standing who, by contributions in the fields of the humane sciences and letters or by works of pure literature have given clear evidence of the possession of distinguished scholarly capacities, may be elected to alumni membership. Outstanding individuals who are not graduates of JMU but who are similarly distinguished may be offered honorary membership.
Each winter the Committee on Members in Course obtains the credentials of juniors and seniors satisfying the eligibility requirements listed above. The committee selects the most qualified candidates for election and recommends them to the chapter. The chapter then votes on this recommendation. Candidates receiving the endorsement of at least four-fifths of the chapter membership are extended invitations to join the chapter.
The Committee on Members in Course may also propose candidates for almuni and honorary membership. These must likewise receive the endorsement of four-fifths of the chapter membership before being invited to join the chapter.