Phi Alpha Theta History Honor So

What Phi Alpha Theta History Honor So does

Phi Alpha Theta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit academic honor society founded on March 17, 1921 at the University of Arkansas by Dr. Nels Andrew Nelson Cleven. It serves undergraduate and graduate history students and faculty advisors at accredited four-year colleges and universities, operating as the largest history honor society in the world with 600,000+ lifetime members across 900+ active chapters in all 50 U.S. states and internationally. The society's core products include a one-time $50 lifetime membership credentialing program, a distinguished quarterly scholarly journal (The Historian) published electronically by Taylor and Francis, an awards and scholarships program distributing $250K+ annually across 14+ categories to 2,500+ students, approximately three dozen annual regional conferences across 12 regional divisions, and a biennial flagship convention (2025 in Washington, D.C.; 2027 scheduled for Nashville, TN).

The organization generates revenue through five distinct streams: one-time initiation fees ($50 per member), recurring digital journal subscriptions ($30/year, $56/two-year), convention and regional conference registration fees (biennial tiers ranging $179-$249 for attendees), merchandise sales through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop (apparel, jewelry, and graduation regalia priced $5-$99.50), and charitable donations supporting scholarships and research grants. The underlying technology stack is conventional and non-proprietary — digital membership systems, a WordPress-based website and shop, and outsourced journal publishing through Taylor and Francis — with no AI, ML, or data flywheel components referenced.

Phi Alpha Theta distributes its offerings through a community-led go-to-market model in which 900+ faculty advisors at university chapters serve as the primary recruitment touchpoints, supplemented by biennial conventions and regional conferences as flagship engagement events. Membership eligibility requires undergraduate students to complete 12+ semester hours in History with a 3.1 GPA in History and 3.0 GPA overall, and graduate students to maintain a 3.5+ GPA with ~30% of program requirements completed. The society is led by an Executive Board including President Dr. Hosok O (Utah Tech University), Vice President Kyriakos Nalmpantis (Baldwin Wallace University), Advisory Board Chair Debra A. Mulligan, and Executive Director Dr. Christopher M. Kennedy (Francis Marion University), with national headquarters operations staffed by COO Jessica Bourdeau and Operations Manager Timothy Bourdeau in Lutz, Florida.

Name

Phi Alpha Theta History Honor So

Legal name

Phi Alpha Theta

Website

https://phialphatheta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Phi Alpha Theta is the largest history honor society in the world, founded in 1921 at the University of Arkansas. It serves undergraduate and graduate history students and faculty advisors across 900+ chapters in all 50 U.S. states, offering lifetime membership, a quarterly journal, regional conferences, a biennial convention, and a $250K+ annual scholarships program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Honor Society Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Greek Life (Fraternities & Sororities) (EDALAHAD)

Keywords

• History honor society
• Academic recognition
• Scholarly publications
• Student scholarships
• Professional networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Lutz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: One-time initiation fee of $50 per student member. This fee includes lifetime membership credentials, ability to apply for scholarships, and a one-year subscription (4 digital issues) to The Historian journal.
2. The Historian Journal Subscriptions: The Historian scholarly journal is available as digital subscription: one-year digital subscription ($30-$35), one-year digital with $5 donation ($35), or two-year digital subscription ($56). New members receive one-year subscription included in membership fee.
3. Merchandise and Apparel Sales: The organization operates a shop selling apparel (t-shirts $10-$25, hoodies $45-$50, sweatshirts $48.50-$53.50), accessories (beanies, hats, scarves $10-$15), jewelry (pins and charms $18-$26, badges $20-$99.50), and convention memorabilia.
4. Convention Registration Fees: Revenue from biennial convention registrations: Early Bird (Faculty $199, Student $179), Standard (Faculty $219, Student $199), Late (Faculty $249, Student $219), plus meal packages ($155 complete), individual meal tickets, and family tickets ($19.21/person).
5. Donations: The organization accepts charitable donations to support scholarships, research grants, and academic programs for history students. The website features a quick donate option with preset amounts ($25-$1,000).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Phi Alpha Theta is a national honor society for history students and faculty that provides lifetime membership credentials, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal (The Historian), an extensive scholarships and awards program, regional and biennial conferences for presenting research, and a community of 600,000+ members across 900+ chapters. Members pay a one-time $50 initiation fee that includes lifetime credentials and a one-year digital subscription to The Historian; additional revenue comes from merchandise, convention registration, and tax-deductible donations supporting scholarships and grants.

Product overview

Phi Alpha Theta is an honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history, offering a unified membership-based service portfolio centered on academic recognition, scholarly publication, and professional development. The core offerings include: The Historian quarterly journal (published by Taylor and Francis), lifetime membership with exclusive benefits, regional conferences held throughout the year across twelve divisions, and the flagship Biennial Convention every two years. The society also operates a comprehensive awards and scholarships program spanning paper prizes, graduate/doctoral scholarships, book awards, and chapter recognition. Supplementary offerings include apparel, jewelry, and graduation regalia available through the online shop. All offerings interconnect through the membership system, where lifetime members gain access to journal subscriptions, conference participation, and award eligibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Historian: Distinguished quarterly scholarly journal published by Phi Alpha Theta, discussing interests in all fields of History. Published electronically by Taylor and Francis. Members receive one-year subscription (4 digital issues) as part of lifetime membership.

Products and services

• The Historian Distinguished quarterly scholarly journal published electronically by Taylor and Francis, featuring peer-reviewed historical research and an extensive book review section. Members receive a one-year digital subscription (4 issues) included with their lifetime membership; additional subscriptions available for purchase through the shop.
• Lifetime Membership One-time initiation fee of $50 providing permanent credentials, journal access throughout the member's career, eligibility for scholarships and awards, and ability to present at regional and national conferences. Available to qualifying undergraduate students, graduate students, and history faculty.
• Regional Conferences Approximately three dozen dynamic gatherings held annually across twelve regional divisions where history students present research, receive feedback from faculty evaluators, and network with peers. Winners become eligible for book awards and may present at the Biennial Convention.
• Biennial Convention Flagship international conference held every two years bringing together historians from across the nation and around the world for panels, keynote speeches, networking, and awards recognition. Next convention scheduled for Nashville, TN on January 6-8, 2027 under theme 'History in the Heartland'.
• Scholarships and Awards Program Comprehensive awards program including Paper Prize Awards, Graduate and Doctoral Student Scholarships, Book Awards, Nash History Journal Prize, Best Chapter Awards, and Faculty Advisor Research Grants supporting outstanding achievements in historical research, writing, and service. Over $250,000 awarded annually to 2,500+ students.
• Apparel and Accessories Merchandise including hoodies ($45-$50), sweatshirts ($48.50-$53.50), t-shirts ($10-$25), beanies ($10), scarves ($15), embroidered hats ($15), sport packs ($6), stickers ($5), and convention commemorative items available through the online shop.
• Membership Jewelry and Regalia Official Badge ($20), Jeweled Official Badge ($99.50), Membership Key Pin ($26), Membership Key Charm ($26), Scholarship Key Pin and Charm ($18 each), and graduation regalia including honor cords ($20), honor sash ($25), and graduation regalia bundle ($60).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $250,000 in scholarships awarded annually to support history students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Phi Beta Kappa Society: Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the U.S., focused on the liberal arts and sciences at accredited four-year colleges. It is a directly comparable discipline-adjacent peer operating the same chapter-based, lifetime-membership model with similar induction standards and credentialing function.
• Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society: Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society for AACSB-accredited business programs. It is directly comparable as a discipline-specific honor society with the same chapter structure, lifetime-membership model, scholarship programs, and recognition ceremonies that PAT employs for history.
• National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS): NSCS is an honor society for first- and second-year students at four-year colleges. It is directly comparable as a fee-driven, chapter-based honor society targeting the same general undergraduate demographic at the same institutional types as PAT.
• Alpha Chi Honor Society: Alpha Chi is a multi-disciplinary honor society for juniors and seniors at accredited four-year colleges. It operates the same chapter-based, lifetime-membership, fee-driven model as PAT and recruits from the same eligible-student pool at the same institutional types.
• Psi Chi Honor Society: Psi Chi is the international honor society in psychology. It is a directly comparable discipline-specific honor society using the same chapter model, lifetime membership, journal (PsycEXTRA), conference programming, and scholarship program that PAT uses for history.
• Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society: Sigma Tau Delta is the international English honor society. It is directly comparable as a discipline-specific honor society with chapters at four-year colleges, lifetime membership, a scholarly journal, and an annual convention model mirroring PAT's structure.
• Golden Key International Honour Society: Golden Key is a large multi-disciplinary academic honor society with chapters at colleges worldwide. It is directly comparable to PAT as a chapter-based, fee-driven honor society competing for the same undergraduate student demographic, though it spans many disciplines versus PAT's history-only focus.
• Mortar Board National Honor Society: Mortar Board is a national senior honor society recognizing scholarship, leadership, and service at four-year colleges. It is directly comparable as a chapter-based honor society with similar initiation criteria, lifetime-membership structure, and annual fees.
• Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society: Pi Gamma Mu is an international honor society in the social sciences. It is a directly comparable discipline-adjacent academic honor society with chapters at four-year colleges, lifetime membership, a scholarly journal, and scholarship programs that overlap with PAT's operational model.

Broad incumbents

• American Historical Association (AHA): AHA is the largest professional organization for historians in the U.S., serving faculty, graduate students, and independent historians. It is a broad incumbent in the same discipline as PAT, with overlapping audiences for publication (American Historical Review) and conference programming (annual meeting).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/petropiar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Phi Alpha Theta History Honor So