Membership Benefits

Why Join? Besides the glory and status...

  1. Alpha Phi Sigma provides national recognition for academic excellence in criminal justice, an honor which can be noted on employment applications, vitae, and resumes.
  2. On the local level, chapter membership facilitates leadership development, interaction with other students who have similar interests and service to the department and college/university.
  3. Members receive a membership certificate, pin, and card and through chapter mailings, copies of The Docket, the official publication.
  4. Through membership in Alpha Phi Sigma, students gain a sense of community with others in criminal justice and identification with the discipline.
  5. Alpha Phi Sigma provides a local and national forum for obtaining information and developing perspectives about the field of criminal justice, learning about educational and career opportunities, and forming meaningful professional networks.
  6. Alpha Phi Sigma chapter activities provide students with valuable opportunities to develop one-on-one relationship with professors who can stimulate their interest in criminal justice, involve them in research projects, and write meaningful letters of recommendation for them.
  7. Alpha Phi Sigma encourages student research at the national as well as the local level through undergraduate and graduate paper award competitors and provides opportunities for students to present research/papers and receive certificates and other awards recognizing their accomplishments at the national criminal justice conference.
  8. Alpha Phi Sigma provides awards, grants and scholarships to its students members, faculty advisors and chapters on an annual basis.
  9. Alpha Phi Sigma sponsors outstanding programs/events at the national conference of The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Students’ benefit not only from the programs/panels, but also from the opportunity to meet leading criminal justice professionals and students from other chapters.
  10. Membership in Alpha Phi Sigma meets one of the requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level in numerous professional and technical occupations in the United States government. (In plain English, a chance for more money...)
  11. Membership in Alpha Phi Sigma provides recognition, awards, educational opportunities, graduate school preparation, paper/poster awards national conference, speakers (national and local), feeling of community, networking, and more.
  12. Membership is for life. The national registration fee of $40 is the only payment ever made to the national headquarters.