Membership eligibility at Coastal Carolina University:

completion of three semesters of college courses at Coastal,

rank in the upper 35% of their class (3.0 Cum GPA),

have completed at least three semester courses in philosophy with an average grade of over the second highest grade of the working scale (GPA in philosophy of 3.5)

Qualifies students will be invited to join each spring semester. Applications for special consideration for membership are also welcome. Please contact the advisor for more details.

Phi Sigma Tau was founded at Muhlenberg College in 1930 as Alpha Kappa Alpha, with chapters at colleges in
Maryland and Pennsylvania. It remained in this regional status until October of 1955, when it was incorporated as
Phi Sigma Tau,a National Honor Society in Philosophy. Its essential purpose was and is to promote ties among philosophy
departments in accredited institutions and students in philosophy nationally.Both on the local and national
levels, Phi Sigma Tau considers its organization as instrumental: a means for developing and honoring academic excellence
as well as philosophical interest. In addition to providing a means of awarding distinction to students having
high scholarship and interest in philosophy, the Society also promotes interest in philosophy among the general collegiate
public.

GROWTH
In 1955, Phi Sigma Tau included twelve chapters in Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, Washington, D.C., New Mexico,
California, and Louisiana. By 1958 ten additional chapters had been added, including those which had formerly constituted
Alpha Kappa Alpha; and the date of the latter’s founding was taken as Phi Sigma Tau’s founding date. In
1958 the Society was admitted to full membership in the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), and by
1969 its chapter network included 55 chapters in 32 states. The Society became international in 1991 with the installation
of its first Canadian chapter; and, as of September,2003, its chapter network includes 187 chapters.

GOVERNMENT
The National Officers consist of President, Vice-President, and Executive Secretary.The PST Executive Council
consists of these three National Officers, plus five Area Council Representatives.

CHAPTER ORGANIZATION
Local chapters retain a high degree of autonomy,and are often associated with philosophy clubs on their college
campuses. Chapter membership is open to qualified graduate and undergraduate students, teachers of philosophy,
and those who qualify as honorary chapter members. At the national level the Society has also established a Laureate
Chapter (whose members are distinguished philosophers throughout the world), and a National Alumni Chap-ter
(for graduated PST members who wish to continue their affiliation with the Society).

INSIGNIA
The Society’s emblem is a pentagon with the letters Phi Sigma Tau at the center.Each of the angles contains a word
representing one of the five streams of world thought: Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Hebrew, and Greek. The seal of the
Society is the reverse side of the Athenian silver tetradrachma (B.C. 480-400), which bears the owl, olive spray,and
small crescent. The margin of the seal carries the legend, Phi Sigma Tau, 1930.

PUBLICATIONS
Beginning in 1930, annual meetings were held at which student papers were read and discussed, then published in
an annual volume entitled Philosophy.Since 1956, the Society has published twice yearly an official journal, Dialogue,
publication in which is open to all students in philosophy. Dialogue appears in October and April of each aca-demic
year.The 2002-03 academic year marked the appearance of Volume 45. The PST Newsletter,which appears
two or three times yearly,had its 108th issue in March of 2003.

INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
The headquarters were originally at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., moved in 1959 to Baldwin-Wallace
College in Berea, Ohio, and in 1970 to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.