Honor societies tend to focus on specific areas of study where students excel, but did you know there are honor societies and organizations that celebrate outstanding achievements in all areas of academics? Alpha Kappa Mu is one of them.

Founded in 1937 at Tennessee State University (then Tennessee A&I College), Alpha Kappa Mu is an all-encompassing honor society recognizing academic excellence across all areas of study. It was born out of an idea of the Dean of Tennessee A&I along with representatives from five colleges with already established honor societies on their campuses.

According to their website, the purpose of Alpha Kappa Mu “is to promote high scholarship; to encourage sincere and zealous endeavor in all fields of knowledge and service; to cultivate a high order of personal living; and to develop an appreciation for scholarship and scholarly endeavor in others.”

In order to qualify for membership, undergraduate applicants must:

• Be registered as full time and be in good standing with the institution 
• Be at least a junior in a degree program
• Have completed 50% of the requirements for graduation
• Have a minimum of a 3.3 GPA of a 4.0 scale
• Be ranked in the top 10% of his/her class
• Exemplify good character
• Exhibit the potential for leadership and service

Alpha Kappa Mu currently has over 91,900 members spread across 67 chapters. You’ll recognize these all-around scholars by their royal blue and white honor cords on graduation day. 

Below is an example of a similar product offered at Senior Class Graduation Products, though students are recommended they check with their chapters for specific purchasing information.

Are you a member of Alpha Kappa Mu? What was your area of study? Let us know in the comments!

Cover photo by Mikael Kristenson on Unsplash