The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an American association of national, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed in . Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing graduate (law, medicine, etc.) degrees as well as undergraduate (business, engineering, etc.) degrees. PFA groups seek to develop their members professionally in addition to the social development commonly associated with Panhellenic fraternities. Membership requirements of the PFA are broad enough to include groups that do not recruit new members from a single professional discipline. The PFA has welcomed service and honor fraternities as members; however, Greek letter honor societies more commonly belong to the Association of College Honor Societies.
The Professional Panhellenic Association (PPA), for women's groups, was founded in, and the Professional Interfraternity Conference (PIC), for men's groups, was founded in . These groups came about due to rapid growth among all types of fraternities during the late 1920s.
On, representatives from fourteen professional fraternities for women attended an organizational meeting in Washington, D.C. During the summer a provisional constitution was ratified by the following eleven fraternities: Delta Omicron (music), Kappa Beta Pi (law), Omicron Nu (home economics), Phi Beta (music and speech), Phi Delta Pi (physical education), Phi Chi Theta (commerce), Phi Delta Delta (law), Phi Upsilon Omicron (home economics), Pi Lambda Theta (education), Sigma Sigma Sigma (education), and Theta Sigma Phi (journalism). Two additional fraternities, Sigma Alpha Iota (music) and Iota Sigma Pi (chemistry), soon ratified the constitution. The resulting thirteen member groups participated in the second annual conference on . Originally known as Women's Professional Panhellenic Association until, when the revised name was adopted.
On March 2–3, 1928, delegates from 27 professional fraternities came together in Washington, DC to organize the PIC.[1] Jarvis Butler of Sigma Nu Phi was elected as the first president, and Stroud Jordan of Alpha Chi Sigma was elected as the first Secretary-treasurer.
Groups represented were[2] [3]
The PFA resulted from the merger of the Professional Interfraternity Conference and the Professional Panhellenic Association in 1978. The merger itself was the result of the impact of Title IX on most fraternal groups with professional affiliations.[4]
Chartering organizations:
Current membership of active members as of .[5]
Fraternity | Greek letters | Founded | Focus | Active collegiate groups | Collegiate charters granted | Initiates | PIC | PPA | PFA | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha Zeta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΖ | Agriculture | 30 | 116,000 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC prior to 1950[6] | |||
Alpha Kappa Psi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΚΨ | Business | 216 | 326 | 259,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, PFA Charterer | ||
Alpha Rho Chi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΡΧ | Architecture | 33 | 43 | 5,500 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, PFA Charterer | ||
Alpha Phi Omega | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΦΩ | Service | 369 | 733 | 500,000 | N | N | Y | |||
Alpha Chi Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΧΣ | Chemistry | 49 | 97 | 65,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer,[7] PFA Charterer | ||
Alpha Omega Epsilon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΩΕ | Engineering | 47 | 51 | 12,000 | N | N | Y | |||
Delta Chi Xi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΧΞ | Dance | 7 | 8 | N | N | Y | ||||
Delta Epsilon Mu | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΕΜ | Pre-health | 34 | 39 | N | N | Y | ||||
Delta Theta Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΘΦ | Law | 150 | 125,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer,[8] Not member in 1933, PFA Charterer | |||
Delta Kappa Alpha | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΚΑ | Cinema | 12 | 9,000 | N | N | Y | ||||
Delta Omicron | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΟ | Music | 37 | 129 | 27,000 | N | Y | Y | PPA Charterer, PFA Charterer | ||
Delta Sigma Pi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΠ | Business | 223 | 293 | 270,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer,[9] PFA Charterer | ||
Delta Sigma Chi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΧ | Chiropractic | 10 | N | N | Y | Joined 2016-2019 | ||||
Epsilon Nu Tau | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΕΝΤ | Entrepreneurship | 10 | N | N | Y | Joined 2015[10] | ||||
Theta Tau | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΘΤ | Engineering | 50 | 58 | 30,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, member of PIC in 1968 | ||
Kappa Epsilon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΕ | Pharmacy | 43 | 24,400 | N | Y | Y | Joined PPA March 23, 1951,[11] [12] Member of PPA in 1968, PFA Charterer | |||
Kappa Eta Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΗΚ | Electrical engineering | 4 | 9 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer (rejoined 2016–2019) | |||
Kappa Epsilon Psi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΕΨ | Military | 31 | N | N | Y | Joined 2016-2019 | ||||
Kappa Kappa Psi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΚΨ | Band | 196 | 313 | 66,000 | N | Y | ||||
Kappa Lambda Chi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΛΧ | Military | 26 | N | N | Y | Joined 2016-2019 | ||||
Kappa Psi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΨ | Pharmacy | 75 | 125 | 80,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, PFA Charterer | ||
Lambda Kappa Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΛΚΣ | Pharmacy | 31 | 30,000 | N | Y | Y | Joined PPA in,[13] [14] Member of PPA in 1968, PFA Charterer | |||
Mu Beta Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΜΒΦ | Military | 21 | 500 | N | N | Y | Joined 2016-2019 | |||
Mu Phi Epsilon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΜΦΕ | Music | 227 | 75,000 | N | Y | Y | Member of PPA in 1953, Member of PPA in 1968, PFA Charterer | |||
Pi Sigma Epsilon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΠΣΕ | Marketing | 58 | 60,000 | N | Y | |||||
Rho Pi Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΡΠΦ | Pharmacy | 8 | 10,000 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in 1949, not a member in 1957, Member of PIC in 1968, PFA Charterer | |||
Sigma Alpha | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΑ | Agriculture | 68 | 4,000 | N | N | Y | ||||
Sigma Alpha Iota | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΑΙ | Music | 220 | 105,376 | N | Y | Y | PPA Charterer, PFA Charterer | |||
Tau Beta Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΤΒΣ | Band | 123 | 239 | 21,000 | N | Y | ||||
Phi Alpha Delta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΑΔ | Law | 717 | 260,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, Not member of PIC in 1933, member in 1950,[15] PFA Charterer | |||
Phi Beta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΒ | Creative and performing arts | 3 | 55 | 30,000 | N | Y | Y | PPA Charterer, PFA Charterer | ||
Phi Gamma Nu | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΓΝ | Business | 10 | 115 | 35,000 | N | Y | Y | Joined PPA in Early 1937. Member of PPA in 1940, Member of PPA in 1953, Member of PPA in 1968, PFA Charterer. Rejoined in 2013.[16] | ||
Phi Delta Epsilon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΔΕ | Medicine | 182 | 33,000 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in, member of PIC in, PFA Charterer | |||
Phi Delta Chi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΔΧ | Pharmacy | 103 | 43,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, member of PIC in 1968 | |||
Phi Sigma Pi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΣΠ | Honors | 135 | 31,000 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in | |||
Phi Chi Theta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΧΘ | Business | 44 | 47,000 | N | Y | Y | PPA Charterer, PFA Charterer | |||
Hoo-Hoo International | Hoo-Hoos | Agriculture (Forestry) | 51 | 283 | N | N | Y | Affiliate Joined 2016-2019 |
This includes the member organizations of the two former groups (PIC, PPA) that merged to form the PFA and organizations not currently active within the PFA.[5] [17] [18]
Fraternity | Greek letters | Founded | Focus | Active collegiate groups | Collegiate charters granted | Initiates | PIC | PPA | PFA | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha Delta Theta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΔΘ | Medical technology | 23 | N | Y | Y | Joined PPA in,[19] Member of PPA in, PFA Charterer | ||||
Alpha Delta Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΔΣ | Advertising | 72 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, merged with Gamma Alpha Chi (similar for women) in . | ||||
Alpha Kappa Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΚΚ | Medicine | 3 | 60 | Y | N | N | Joined PIC in, member of PIC in .[20] | |||
Alpha Sigma Alpha | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΣΑ | Education | 170 | 120,000 | N | Y | N | Joined PPA in early .[21] PPA membership alongside membership in Association of Education Sororities which was later merged with NPC. Withdrew from PPA, . | |||
Alpha Tau Delta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΤΔ | Nursing | 10 | 31 | 10,000 | N | Y | Y | Member of PPA in,[22] Member of PPA in, PFA Charterer | ||
Alpha Omega | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΑΩ | [23] [24] | Dentistry | 125 | 15,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer Joined PIC in . PFA Charterer | ||
Beta Alpha Psi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΒΑΨ | Accounting | 300 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, now an honorary organization | ||||
Gamma Eta Gamma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΓΗΓ | Law | 1 | 33 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, member of PIC in . | |||
Gamma Iota Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΓΙΣ | Insurance | 97 | 13,000 | N | N | Y | ||||
Delta Epsilon Iota | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΕΙ | Career Development | 12 ? | N | N | Y | |||||
Delta Sigma Delta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΣΔ | Dentistry | 33 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in,[25] Member of PIC in, PFA Charterer | ||||
Delta Psi Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΨΚ | [26] | Physical education | 0 | 76 | N | Y | Y | Member of PPA in . Member of PPA in, member of PPA in, PFA Charterer Merged with Phi Delta Pi in | ||
Epsilon Eta Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΕΗΦ | [27] | Commerce and business administration | 0 | 7 | N | Y | N | Member of PPA in (Not as of 1947), Member of PPA in, Merged with Phi Chi Theta in .[28] | ||
Zeta Phi Eta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΖΦΗ | Communication arts and sciences | 5 | N | Y | Y | Member of PPA in, Member of PPA in, Member of PPA in, PFA Charterer | ||||
Theta Kappa Psi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΘΚΨ | Medicine | 1 | 45 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer individually, PFA Charterer as part of Phi Beta Pi-Theta Kappa Psi | |||
Theta Sigma Upsilon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΘΣΥ | Education | 23 | N | Y | N | PPA membership alongside membership in Association of Education Sororities which was later merged with NPC. Withdrew from PPA, . Merged into Alpha Gamma Delta in 1959. | ||||
Theta Sigma Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΘΣΦ | [29] | Journalism | 0 ? | 68 | N | Y | N | PPA Charterer, member of PPA in . | ||
Iota Sigma Pi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΙΣΠ | Chemistry | 23 | 46 | N | Y | N | PPA Charterer, member of PPA in . | |||
Kappa Alpha Pi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΑΠ | Law | 13 | 13 | 800 | N | N | Y | |||
Kappa Beta Pi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΒΠ | Law | 10 ? | 83 | N | Y | Y | PPA Charterer, PFA Charterer | |||
Kappa Delta Epsilon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΔΕ | Education | 16 | 44,000 | N | Y | Y | Member of PPA in (Not as of 1947), member of PPA in, PFA Charterer | |||
Kappa Omicron Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΟΦ | Home Economics | 0 | 37 | N | Y | N | Merged with Kappa Omicron Nu, now ACHS Member of PPA in . | |||
Kappa Phi Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΦΚ | Education | 1 | 60 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer | |||
Nu Sigma Nu | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΝΣΝ | Medicine | 3 | 37 | Y | N | N | Joined PIC in In PIC in [30] | |||
Xi Psi Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΞΨΦ | Dentistry | 19 | 63 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in, Member of PIC in, PFA Charterer | |||
Omicron Delta Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΟΔΚ | Leadership | 300 | 418 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, originally a men's leadership fraternity; now a co-ed honorary organization | |||
Omicron Nu | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΟΝ | [31] | Home economics | 0 | 22 | N | Y | N | Merged into Kappa Omicron Nu, now ACHS PPA Charterer | ||
Pi Lambda Theta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΠΛΘ | Education | ? | ? | 185,000 | N | Y | N | PPA Charterer, withdrew 1933[32] | ||
Sigma Delta Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΔΚ | Law | 18 ? | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in, Member of PIC in, PFA Charterer | ||||
Sigma Delta Chi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΔΧ | Journalism | 250 | Y | N | N | Joined PIC in . | ||||
Sigma Nu Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΝΦ | Law | 0 | 32 | 2,000 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, not a PIC member in Merged into Delta Theta Phi in . | ||
Sigma Sigma Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΣΣ | Education | 112 | 125,000 | N | Y | N | Now NPC sorority PPA Charterer, PPA membership alongside membership in Association of Education Sororities which was later merged with National Panhellenic Conference. Withdrew from PPA, .[33] | |||
Sigma Phi Delta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΦΔ | Engineering | 25 | 40 | 8,000 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in, Junior member as of [34] Member of PIC in, PFA charterer | ||
Phi Beta Gamma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΒΓ | Law | 0 | 11 | 2,500 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, member of PIC in | ||
Phi Beta Pi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΒΠ | Medicine | 1 | 35 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer individually, PFA Charterer as part of Phi Beta Pi-Theta Kappa Psi | |||
Phi Delta Gamma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΔΓ | [35] [36] | Forensic | 0 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer Merged into Tau Kappa Alpha in 1935. | |||
Phi Delta Delta | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΔΔ | [37] | Law | 0 | 3 | N | Y | N | PPA Charterer, merged with Phi Alpha Delta | ||
Phi Delta Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΔΚ | Education | 300 ? | Y | N | N | Joined PIC in Still member in . | ||||
Phi Delta Pi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΔΠ | [38] | Physical education | 0 | N | Y | N | PPA Charterer, member of PPA in, merged with Delta Psi Kappa in . | |||
Phi Delta Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΔΦ | Law | 131 | Y | N | N | Joined PIC in, member of PIC in, became honor society in . | ||||
Phi Epsilon Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΕΚ | [39] | Physical education | 85 | Y | N | N | Joined PIC in, member of PIC in | |||
Phi Lambda Kappa | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΛΚ | Medicine | 41 | 4,800 | Y | N | N | Joined PIC in 1938, member of PIC in 1968 | |||
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΜΑ Sinfonia | Music | 249 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in, PFA Charterer, left the PFA on,[40] reverted to its historical founding as a social fraternity. | ||||
Phi Rho Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΡΣ | Medicine | 9 | 47 | 33,000 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, PFA Charterer | ||
Phi Upsilon Omicron | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΥΟ | Home Economics | 61 | N | Y | N | PPA Charterer | ||||
Phi Chi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΧ | Medicine | 16 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in, member of PIC in 1968, PFA Charterer | ||||
Chi Beta Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΧΒΦ | Science | 26 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer | ||||
Psi Omega | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΨΩ | Dentistry | 27 | 68 | Y | N | Y | PIC Charterer, PFA Charterer | |||
Omega Tau Sigma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΩΤΣ | Veterinary | 12 | 8,000 | Y | N | Y | Joined PIC in 1956, member of PIC in 1968, PFA Charterer, rejoined 2015 Left PFA 2016-2019 | |||
Omega Upsilon Phi | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΩΥΦ | Medicine | 0 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, Merged with Phi Beta Pi in 1934 | ||||
Pershing Rifles | Pershing Rifles | Military sciences | 60 | N | N | Y | Left - | ||||
Scabbard and Blade | Scabbard and Blade | (Fall)[41] | Military | ? | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer | |||
Scarab | Scarab | Architecture | ? | 16 | Y | N | N | PIC Charterer, Left PIC in /[42] |