Sociology
Honors in Sociology and Social Services
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Honors in Sociology and Social Services
1. The sociology department’s honors program is designed for students who wish to explore a particular research problem in depth. The student along with their faculty mentor must notify the Sociology Secretary that they intend to enroll in the Sociology Department Honors Program prior to starting the honors program.
2. Admission to the program
The student must:
(a) Have a 3.50 or higher cumulative GPA in sociology courses
(b) Be at least a junior
(c) Have a faculty member sponsorship; the faculty member would submit student’s name to the department for admission
3. Requirements
The student is required to:
(a) Maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA in sociology coursework (including any approved outside electives) applied to the sociology degree
(b) Enroll in SOC 495-Sociological Research in their senior year with a minimum of 10 credits of 495 over the course of that year.
(c) Complete a research project under the supervision of a faculty
(d) Participate in a public presentation of the research project (such as SOURCE, a professional conference, or other departmental-approved venues)
4.Those who fail to maintain a 3.5 GPA in the major, or who fail to participate in a public presentation will not receive honors. -
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) Sociology Honor Society

The Sociology Department's membership in Alpha Kappa Delta is open to current students who are majoring or minoring in sociology or a program sociological in nature, and attend an institution with an active chapter.
The lifetime membership fee is $50. There are no annual Society dues, but there may be local chapter dues. Please contact the chapter representative at your chapter for more information.
Minimum Eligibility Requirements to the program requires:
- be enrolled as a major or minor in a sociology program or a program sociological in nature, such as Ethnic Studies minor;
- be at least a junior (third year) in standing; and
- rank in the top 35% of graduating class in general scholarship
- If class rank is not readily available to a chapter represenative, in lieu of class rank, students shall have accumulated the equivalent of an overall grade point average (CWU cumulative gpa) of at least 3.3 scale where: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0;
- Have maintained the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA in sociology courses taken at CWU prior to initiation
- Have completed at least four courses (the equivalent of 12 semester hours which equals 4 sociology classes taken at Central Washington University) in sociology prior to initiation.
Do you meet those requirements?
If so, that’s great! Here are some helpful tips on the next steps of becoming a member.
- A lifetime membership is $50 and there is no obligation to renew your membership.
- You must join through your chapter – CWU Sociology Department-Faculty Mentor: Gary Myers gary.myers@cwu.edu . (AKD does not accept individual memberships from students). Membership forms will be sent via email to qualifying students.
- Contact your chapter representative to check when he/she will be sending out an announcement to join AKD.
- When will you become an official member? You are officially a member of Alpha Kappa Delta when our Executive Office receives your membership payment and required forms from your CWU Sociology chapter. The Executive Office puts you in the system as a member and will order you a membership certificate (certificates are sent to your chapter representative and take about 2-4 weeks to arrive from the time we receive the order).
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Honor Cords
AKD Honor Cord: Blue AKD honor cords will typically be given to you at the time you receive your AKD membership certificate. You may wear your honor cords at your undergraduate graduation.
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Questions? Contact Us
Department of Sociology
Samuelson 201