Psi Chi is the National Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of psychology one of their major interests, and who meet the minimum qualifications.
Psi Chi serves two major goals: academic recognition to its inductees by the fact of membership, and offering a climate congenial to members' creative development. For example, the chapters make active attempts to nourish and stimulate professional growth through programs designed to augment and enhance the regular curriculum and to provide practical experience and fellowship through affiliation with the chapter. In addition, the national organization provides programs to help achieve these goals, including national and regional conventions held annually in conjunction with the psychological associations, research award competitions, and certificate recognition programs.
Students become members by joining the chapter at the school where they are enrolled. Psi Chi chapters are operated by student officers and faculty advisors. Together they select and induct the members and carry out the goals of the Society. All chapters register their inductees at the National Office, where membership records are preserved for reference purposes. The total number of memberships registered at the National Office is now over 500,000 lifetime members. Many of these members have gone on to distinguished careers in psychology.
The UCSD chapter of Psi Chi was chartered in January 1994.
For the 2002-2003 year, Psi recived a certificate of Utmost Appreciation for significant contributions as a UCSD orgranization.
In 2003, Psi Chi recieved a certificate of Appreciation in Recognition of outstanding service to the UCSD Community by AS.
In 2004, Psi Chi was awarded the 2003-2004 Outstanding Program of The Year: "Psi chi Student Faculty Mixer" by AS.
