Starting a New Chapter

Starting a new Psi Beta chapter is not difficult. This guide will help you complete the application process as quickly as possible. First, every chapter must have an advisor; many have several. Chapter advisors must possess a Masters’s or higher in Psychology or a closely related field (e.g., counseling or educational psychology). It is this person, the “primary advisor,” who goes about the task of completing the necessary application forms and sending them to the Psi Beta National Office. Next, the National Council will review the application papers to verify that they contain all the required information. If the forms are fine, the Council will approve the new chapter. The new advisor is then given login status to the Advisor area within the Psi Beta website. Once there, they will then input the names and contact information for the charter members – the first set of students ever to be inducted by the new Psi Beta chapter! – and creates an invoice that reflects the amount due to the Psi Beta National Office to prepare membership certificates, ID cards, and pins for the new members. Once payment is received, the National Office sends all materials to the chapter advisor and the new chapter can host its very first induction ceremony! To start the process, please print and prepare the following. The documents include further instructions.

Chapter Application Form

This form asks for basic information (e.g., name of the college, when the college was last accredited, name of advisor, etc.). The form includes a helpful checklist of everything that must be submitted to make your application complete. Finally, the form requires signatures of support from your college president and your dean or vice president of instruction.

CLICK HERE to Download the Application Guide and Template Chapter Bylaws

CLICK HERE to Download the Chapter Application Form

Letter Stating the GPA Standard for Membership

The letter should be written (on college letterhead) by the college registrar, academic dean, or college research office. The letter should specify the top 35% GPA cut-off for full-time students (a full-time student is one who is enrolled in 12 or more units) attending the college, and that each student in the charter group has earned at least 12 units of college credit, has a cumulative GPA that is within the top 35% GPA at the college, and has completed at least one psychology course with a grade of “B” or higher. If this information is difficult to acquire from the registrar, dean, or research office, the advisor can instead submit a letter (on college letterhead) affirming that each student applying for charter membership has completed at least 12 units of college work, has a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, and has completed at least one college psychology course with a grade of “B” or higher. Note that these figures represent minimum qualifications; chapters can choose to raise the minimum GPA higher than the top 35% of full-time students or above the 3.0 overall GPA.

Advisor Responsibilities

Responsibilities expected of all Psi Beta advisors are presented in the application form.

Chapter Bylaws

Each chapter must have bylaws. You are invited to use the sample bylaws (provided on the chapter application form) and revise them as your own. Be sure, however, that your bylaws reflect the minimum eligibility requirements (3.25 GPA, etc.) for membership in Psi Beta. (Your chapter can raise the membership standards beyond the minimum, but cannot lower them.)

List Psychology Courses

On a single page, list the psychology courses offered at your college. Provide the name of the course, and the number of credits/units that students can earn for each course. Don’t bother to list courses that your department rarely offers. Course descriptions are not needed. For example:

Introduction to Psychology – 3.0 units
Developmental Psychology – 3.0 units
Abnormal Behavior – 3.0 units
Etc.

List of Psychology Faculty

On a single page, list the names of the psychology faculty who teach in your department. For each instructor, please provide his/her name, degrees, specialization, and where obtained. For example:

Fred Adams, BA Psychology, University of Michigan; Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan.
Sandra Billings, BA Sociology, CSU Long Beach; MA Psychology, CSU Chico State.
Robert Davis, BA Psychology, Wayne State; Ph.D. Educational Psychology, University of Illinois.
Roberta Jennings, BA Economics, Montana State; Ph.D. Cognitive Psychology, University of South Dakota.
Marla Kowalski, BA Psychology, Cal Poly Pomona; MA Counseling, Florida State University

Charter Fee Invoice

This document provides the fee for chartering a new chapter ($150) and where the fee must be sent.
Download Charter Fee Invoice

Chapter Reactivation Information

If your college once had an active Psi Beta chapter, we have good news! There is NO fee for reactivating a former chapter. Instead, your only obligation is to submit a set of chapter bylaws and forward them to the Executive Director for review and approval. Current Executive Director is jerryrudmann@gmail.com. We will also need to have the name(s) of the new chapter advisor(s), and each of their business contacts (e.g., college business phone, specific business address, and advisor email.
If you are unsure about your college having had a Psi Beta chapter at one time, email us and we can check for you.