Honor Society

About AKD

Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) is the international honor society for the field of Sociology. Founded in 1920, the organization’s purpose is to publicly acknowledge, honor, and encourage excellence in the study of sociology. By promoting academic research, social, and intellectual activities that will ultimately benefit society, AKD supports students through a far-reaching social network.

Membership Criteria

Membership in AKD is determined by a student’s within-major grade point average, overall grade point average, status as a major in sociology, class standing at Valparaiso University, and the number of courses completed within the major.

To be eligible, students must:

• Be a junior or senior in good standing
• Be a major in sociology
• Have completed a minimum of four regular sociology courses at Valpo
• Possess at least a 3.3 overall GPA, and
• Possess at least a 3.5 GPA in sociology and criminology courses taken at Valpo.

Membership Benefits

Once students join the organization, they remain lifetime members. There are no annual dues, only the one-time payment. Members also receive:

• A certificate of membership and a membership card
• A free one-year subscription to Sociological Inquiry, the official journal of AKD
• Access to the AKD Newsletter, election materials, and other services
• Access to undergraduate and graduate student paper competitions, including the potential to become a published scholar in Sociological Inquiry 
• The opportunity to win cash awards and travel money to participate in the American Sociological Association (ASA) annual meeting and other regional meetings
• Automatic fulfillment of one of the criteria that Civil Service employees must meet for entrance at the GS-7 level (an increase in pay grade) if AKD membership is listed on their application (provided they enter at the GS-5 level)
• Access to a mentoring program that pairs students with faculty and other professionals in fields related to the discipline