Salisbury University students on campus

Phi Alpha

Chi Eta Chapter at Salisbury University

Purpose

The purpose of Phi Alpha Honor Society is to provide a closer bond among students of social work and promote humanitarian goals and ideas. Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.

Eligibility

Notice of the start of the upcoming application period is emailed to all Social Work students at the start of each Fall and Spring semester. We ask students to examine the eligibility requirements as they are outlined below and apply if they meet those criteria. In the fall, this application period takes place in late September and for the spring this usually happens in late February. The induction ceremony for new members takes place in December for fall inductees in May for spring inductees; both ceremonies are usually held on a date close to Winter and Spring graduation, respectively. Accepted applicants will be sent further details regarding these ceremonies.

The following criteria must be met for a student to qualify as a member of Phi Alpha:

  • Be in the top 35% of their program.
    • For undergraduate students. this requires a GPA of 3.3 and above.
    • For graduate students, this requires a GPA of 3.70 and above.
  • Applicants must have completed 37.5% of the required coursework for their degree, including 9 social work credit hours.
    • For undergraduate students, this means you must have completed 45 credits towards your degree overall and 9 credits of social work courses.
    • For MSW traditional students, you must have completed a minimum of 24 credits toward your degree to qualify.
    • For MSW advanced standing students, you must have completed 12 credits toward your degree to qualify.

Membership costs are $45.00 which includes costs for registration with National Society, honor cords, Phi Alpha pin and certificates. Dues must be paid within 10 business days at the end of the application period. A link with payment instructions will be sent to all accepted students.

Direct questions about Phi Alpha to Dr. Stephen Oby.

Application Form

Please complete the application form and email completed applications to socialwork@salisbury.edu. NO HANDWRITTEN APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Spring Application Deadline: February 16, 2024. Applications will not be accepted after this date.