Membership

Kappa Tau Alpha is a college honor society that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication. Membership is a mark of high distinction and honor.

Membership is by invitation only by one of the Society’s campus chapters and is based solely on scholarship and character. Chapters may set higher standards than those listed below.

Membership Requirements:

1. Students must be journalism or mass communication members in a program with a chapter.
2. Undergraduate students:
   1. Must rank in the upper 10 percent of their journalism/mass communication class (i.e. juniors among juniors, seniors among seniors).
   2. Must have completed at least 5 semesters or 8 quarters of degree work.
   3. Must have completed at least 9 semester hours of credit in professional skills courses in journalism/mass communication (for example: newswriting, advertising copy, basic photojournalism, broadcast news reporting, editing, magazine writing, reporting, etc.) Examples of courses that do not meet that requirement include journalism/mass communication history, mass media and society, communications law, communication theory, broadcast production.
   4. Must have at least a 3.00 GPA (on 4.0 system) in junior/senior level journalism/mass communication courses.
   5. Must count all college courses applicable to their degree in computing the overall GPA to determine rank in the upper 10 percent.
3. Graduate Students:
   1. Masters students must rank in the top 10 percent of those who have completed the equivalent of two semesters of full-time coursework in the degree program.
   2. Doctoral students must have received no more than two course grades of B in their Ph.D. program, with A grades in all other courses, and must have completed all requirements for the degree but dissertation (ABD).
4. Faculty Members:
   Must meet high standards of excellence equivalent to those required of students (that is, upper 10 percent). In general, they must have demonstrable records of teaching and scholarly excellence at least equivalent to that required at most universities for the conferral of tenure. Faculty status alone is not sufficient for KTA membership.
5. Honorary Members:
   Are those who, by definition, do not meet the qualifications for regular membership but have excelled in other scholarly ways. Chapters may elect as honorary members persons whose scholarly qualities have distinguished them in media and elsewhere. Scholarly qualities include significant contributions in journalism and mass communication that reflect the Kappa Tau Alpha values of knowledge, truth and accuracy. Honorary members can include alumni of at least 10 years’ standing. Chapters must submit a letter of nomination for an Honorary Member and explain how the nominee qualifies. Students are not eligible for honorary membership.

Initiates pay a one-time only initiation fee (currently $35) for lifetime membership. They receive a membership certificate and card and a KTA keypin. See Adviser’s Page for ordering information.

To review the Constitution/By-Laws of Kappa Tau Alpha click here.