Alpha Phi Sigma: Criminal Justice

Alpha Phi Sigma (APS) is the National Criminal Justice Honors Society (IUP has the Alpha Eta chapter). 

The Goals of Alpha Phi Sigma are to honor and promote academic excellence; service; leadership and unity. 

APS provides an opportunity to engage more with the criminology department, focus more on career/internship/research possibilities and/or socialize with other criminology students. Alpha Phi Sigma is recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Because of this, membership in Alpha Phi Sigma makes a resume stronger, can lead to a higher starting salary for certain federal jobs, and makes your resume/job application stand out in state and private sector positions. In addition, Alpha Phi Sigma members are invited to attend the yearly Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences meetings, which can provide opportunities for networking and scholarships.

To be eligible, undergraduate students must have completed 45 credits and at least 4 criminology classes with at least a 3.2 GPA. The credits could have been earned at IUP or transferred in. Master's level students qualify if they have completed at least 4 criminology classes with at least a 3.4 GPA (overall and in criminology) + a 3.2 (or higher) GPA from their BA program.

To join, students can obtain an application for membership from the club advisor or from the alphaphisigma.org website. Students must also submit a one-time $70 payment (typically cash or check) that is sent by the advisor (after determining student eligibility) to the national organization.