Phi Beta Kappa Honors Thesis Prize

The Penn State Chapter (Lambda of Pennsylvania) of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, will award its Honors Thesis Prize of $1000 to a meritorious research project completed in an eligible field by a Schreyer Scholar for his or her honors thesis. Please consider nominating a student who meets the criteria outlined below. 

Award recipients must be majoring and/or have the thesis completed in a discipline included within Phi Beta Kappa. Virtually all majors in the College of Liberal Arts and in the Eberly College of Science fall into this category, as well as numerous others in a number of other Penn State colleges. A list of approved majors is available at the chapter website, and also below. Besides the quality of the thesis itself, the potential for the student to continue making significant contributions to one or more liberal studies fields will also be considered. 

Application for this award consists of an electronic submission of the following items, should be emailed to Awards Chair Prof. Elizabeth Mansfield (ecm289@psu.edu).

1. the completed thesis;
2. a letter of support from the thesis adviser; and
3. a 1-2 page statement by the student on the role the thesis has played in his or her overall intellectual development, and on future plans, especially as those intersect with liberal studies.

All application materials must be sent in no later than Friday, April 19, 2024.

Please contact Prof. Elizabeth Mansfield at ecm289@psu.edu if you have any questions.

Baccalaureate Majors and Codes included in the Phi Beta Kappa Eligibility/Selection Process

reviewed February, 2014