Theta Alpha Kappa is the only national honor society dedicated to recognizing academic excellence among baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate students and among scholars in the fields of Religious Studies and Theology. Theta Alpha Kappa is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, a member of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion, and an affiliated society of the American Academy of Religion. Established in 1976 at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York, Theta Alpha Kappa has grown to over 250 chapters nationwide, with over 17,000 members at educational institutions ranging from small religiously affiliated colleges to large public research institutions. In addition to encouraging the activities of local chapters, Theta Alpha Kappa maintains a vigorous national program of scholarship awards and fellowship competitions. Its primary publication, the Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa, offers an annual prize and the publication of outstanding student papers. The Alpha Gamma Tau (AGT) chapter was established at the University of Georgia in 1997. The faculty Moderator is Jodie Lyon who can be reached at lyon@uga.edu. Though the UGA Department of Religion has supported the chapter since its inception, the AGT chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa is a campus-wide organization open to all qualified UGA undergrads, regardless of major, as well as to all qualified UGA graduate students. Membership Requirements: To be eligible for membership in TAK at UGA, an Undergraduate must have completed at least three semesters of coursework; must have completed a minimum of 12 semester-hours in RELI courses; must have attained a GPA of 3.5 (B+) in those courses; must have attained at least an overall GPA of 3.0 (B); and must rank in the upper 35% of his or her class at the time of induction. To be eligible for membership in TAK at UGA, a Graduate Student must be matriculated in a program in Religion; must have completed at least 1/2 of the program’s residency requirements; and must have attained a GPA of 3.5 (B+) in his or her course work to date. Honorary members (faculty and others) must meet the requirements specified in the TAK constitution of 1998. Students who expect to fulfill the specified requirements in due course, but have not yet accumulated the necessary number of credit hours, etc., are welcome to participate in the chapter’s activities as associate members.
