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Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society
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Tau Beta Pi Membership

There is now only one "class" of members in Tau Beta Pi, the former classifications of Member with Distinction, Honorary Member, and Associate Member having been discontinued. Election to membership in the Association is accomplished only by vote of a collegiate chapter, and members' chapter designations are always those of the chapters which elected them. Members' class numerals are those of the years in which they received the engineering degrees on which their eligibility was based, although members with no engineering degree are designated by the year in which they were initiated. Candidates eligible for consideration for election to membership by a collegiate chapter fall into five general categories:

  • Undergraduate students.
  • Graduate students.
  • Alumni of the chapter's institution who were eligible as students.
  • Alumni of other institutions who were eligible as students.
  • Engineers of high attainment in the profession, regardless of college attended, scholastic record, or educational background.

Undergraduate Eligibility Requirements

Undergraduate students whose scholarship places them in the top eighth of their engineering class in their next-to-last year or in the top fifth of their engineering class in their last college year are eligible for membership consideration. These scholastically eligible students are further considered on the basis of personal integrity, breadth of interest both inside and outside engineering, adaptability, and unselfish activity.

Prior to the fall of 1941, Tau Beta Pi's scholastic requirements were that eligible candidates stand in the top eighth of the junior class, but in the top quarter of the senior class. The classes graduating in 1942 were thus the first to be considered under the higher requirements.

Some chapters set a scholastic-grade deadline below which candidates are not considered, such deadline being higher than that required as a minimum by the Constitution.

Elections and initiations are normally held twice a year, in the fall and winter or spring terms of the chapter's institution.

Student electees who are financially unable to meet the initiation-fee obligation may make delayed payment arrangements with their chapters, may borrow from the Association's loan fund, or may accept election but postpone initiation for up to five years.

Until 1969 membership in Tau Beta Pi was limited to men, although qualified women were offered an award called the Women's Badge. From its authorization in 1936 until its elimination by the admission of women to membership, 619 Women's Badges were awarded by 98 chapters. Those women have now been offered membership by their chapters.

Graduate Eligibility Requirements

Engineering graduate students whose scholarship places them in the top fifth of their graduate class or whose high-quality work is attested to by a faculty member may be elected to membership.

Engineering alumni of a chapter's institution or of another recognized institution whose scholastic record placed them in the top fifth of their class may be elected to membership. Such candidates are usually recommended to the chapter by a member who knows them.

In all cases the requisite scholastic attainment makes candidates eligible for membership consideration. They are further considered on the basis of the Association's exemplary character requirement.

Eminent Engineer Eligibility Requirements

Persons who have achieved eminence in engineering may be elected to membership without regard to collegiate records. If they graduated from a recognized engineering college, they must have been engaged in engineering for at least 10 years; if not, they must have practiced engineering for at least 15 years. Such candidates are usually recommended by members who know them. The required degree of eminent achievement is left to the chapters' discretion; and candidates are further considered on the basis of exemplary character.

Membership Data

Tau Beta Pi membership catalogs were published in 1898, 1911, 1916, 1926, 1932, and 1939. The 1946 Convention authorized discontinuance of publication of them because of the excessive cost in future years and limited use to which they would probably be put. In their place the Secretary stands ready to furnish membership information for authorized use. A file of members arranged chronologically by chapters is kept and is made up of the original catalog cards of all initiates. Electronic data processing is used for the storage and retrieval of membership data.

Table of Members Initiated (through 02/2023)
Note: Of the total number initiated, approximately 73,802 are deceased.

Chapter School Name Members Chapter School Name Members
AL A Auburn 6,772 MO E SLU 283
AL B Alabama 3,848 MT A Montana State 2,811
AL G UAB 1,310 MT B Montana Tech 1,126
AL D Alabama Huntsville 1,872 NE A Nebraska 2,370
AL E South Alabama 1,245 NV A Reno 1,282
AK A UAF 653 NV B UNLV 971
AZ A Arizona 3,847 NH A UNH 2,069
AZ B Arizona State 3,299 NH B Dartmouth 490
AZ G NAU 757 NJ A Stevens 3,493
AZ D Embry-Riddle, Prescott 274 NJ B Rutgers 4,598
AR A Arkansas 3,262 NJ G NJIT 4,670
AR B Arkansas Little Rock 24 NJ D Princeton 2,267
CA A Berkeley 8,404 NJ E Rowan 548
CA B Caltech 2,589 NJ Z TCNJ 259
CA G Stanford 4,543 NM A New Mexico State 1,838
CA D USC 3,563 NM B UNM 1,768
CA E UCLA 4,327 NM G Tech 914
CA Z Santa Clara 1,659 NY A Columbia 4,306
CA H San Jose State 2,760 NY B Syracuse 3,022
CA Q Cal State Long Beach 2,774 NY G RPI 7,697
CA I Cal State LA 1,902 NY D Cornell 6,934
CA K CSUN 1,479 NY E NYU 1,851
CA L UC Davis 3,375 NY Z Brooklyn Poly 1,579
CA M Cal Poly 2,628 NY H CCNY 3,788
CA N Cal Poly Pomona 3,565 NY Q Clarkson 3,782
CA X San Diego State 2,247 NY I Cooper Union 1,940
CA O Loyola Marymount 794 NY K Rochester 1,801
CA P Northrop 285 NY L Pratt 1,161
CA R Fresno State 1,457 NY M Union 1,113
CA S UC Santa Barbara 1,592 NY N University at Buffalo 3,750
CA T UC Irvine 1,744 NY X Manhattan 2,545
CA U Sac State 2,877 NY O Stony Brook 1,610
CA F UOP 588 NY P RIT 1,645
CA C Cal State Fullerton 573 NY R NYU Poly 1,731
CA Y UCSD 1,875 NY S Alfred 568
CA W Harvey Mudd 402 NY T Binghamton 1,149
CA AA Chico State 875 NY U West Point 457
CA AB UC Riverside 486 NC A NC State 6,355
CA AG San Francisco State 446 NC B UNC-Chapel Hill 110
CA AD UC Santa Cruz 340 NC G Duke 2,651
CA AE USD 229 NC D UNC Charlotte 1,401
CO A Mines 4,436 NC E NCA&T 999
CO B CU-Boulder 5,114 NC Z ECU 193
CO G DU 378 ND A North Dakota State 2,624
CO D Colorado State 1,813 ND B UND 1,235
CO E CU-Denver 840 OH A Case 4,232
CO Z USAFA 1,389 OH B Cincinnati 4,008
CT A Yale 2,169 OH G Ohio State 6,857
CT B UConn 2,799 OH D Ohio 2,045
CT G Hartford 453 OH E Cleveland State 2,064
DE A UD 2,706 OH Z Toledo 2,214
DC A Howard 1,563 OH H AFIT 2,488
DC B CUA 1,161 OH Q Dayton 1,872
DC G GW 1,238 OH I Ohio Northern 994
FL A Florida 5,739 OH K Akron 1,949
FL B Miami 2,173 OH L Youngstown State 1,265
FL G USF 2,903 OH M Wright State 1,167
FL D UCF 2,288 OH N Cedarville 337
FL E FAU 1,396 OH X Miami 373
FL Z Florida Tech 1,230 OK A OU 4,484
FL H FAMU-FSU 1,174 OK B Tulsa 1,417
FL Q FIU 1,477 OK G Oklahoma State 2,383
FL I Embry-Riddle 358 OR A Oregon Sate 3,373
GA A Georgia Tech 8,960 OR B Portland State 498
GA B Mercer 481 OR G UP 430
GA G GSU 31 OR D OIT 163
ID A U of I 1,432 PA A Lehigh 5,376
ID B Idaho State 187 PA B Penn State 8,796
ID G Boise State 308 PA G Carnegie Mellon 3,540
ID D BYU-Idaho 233 PA D Penn 2,973
IL A Illinois 10,655 PA E Lafayette 2,140
IL B IIT 4,217 PA Z Drexel 3,720
IL G Northwestern 3,495 PA H Bucknell 1,824
IL D Bradley 1,352 PA Q Villanova 2,397
IL E SIU 1,312 PA I Widener 808
IL Z UIC 1,974 PA K Swarthmore 330
IN A Purdue 12,304 PA L Pitt 2,281
IN B Rose-Hulman 2,315 PA M Penn State Behrend 205
IN G Notre Dame 3,083 PR A UPRM 3,962
IN D Valparaiso 1,121 RI A Brown 1,359
IN E Trine 1,003 RI B URI 2,444
IN Z IUPUI 175 SC A Clemson 4,690
IA A Iowa State 8,574 SC B South Carolina 2,406
IA B Iowa 2,497 SC G The Citadel 1,274
KS A KU 4,415 SD A Mines 2,404
KS B Wichita State 1,333 SD B SDSU 1,244
KS G K-State 2,994 TN A UT 5,669
KY A Kentucky 4,139 TN B Vanderbilt 2,931
KY B Louisville 1,888 TN G Tennessee Tech 2,626
KY G Western Kentucky 210 TN D Christian Brothers 692
LA A LSU 3,947 TN E U of M 1,115
LA B Tulane 1,763 TN Z UTC 779
LA G LA Tech 2,382 TX A UT 8,616
LA D ULL 1,541 TX B Texas Tech 4,420
LA E UNO 578 TX G Rice 2,047
ME A U Maine 3,002 TX D Texas A&M 8,710
MD A Johns Hopkins 3,006 TX E Houston 2,837
MD B Maryland 4,442 TX Z Lamar 1,408
MD G Naval Academy 1,953 TX H UT Arlington 3,370
MD D UMBC 780 TX Q UTEP 1,667
MD E Morgan State 464 TX I SMU 987
MA A WPI 5,371 TX K Prairie View 1,178
MA B MIT 8,456 TX L Texas A&M-Kingsville 1,231
MA G Harvard 151 TX M UTSA 469
MA D Tufts 2,998 TX N UTPA 270
MA E Northeastern 4,858 TX X UT Dallas 144
MA Z UMass 2,946 UT A U of U 3,013
MA H BU 1,971 UT B BYU 2,915
MA Q UMass Lowell 1,659 UT G USU 1,323
MA I WNE 555 VT A UVM 1,631
MI A Michigan State 4,859 VT B Norwich 625
MI B Michigan Tech 4,609 VA A UVA 3,730
MI G Michigan 10,819 VA B Virginia Tech 5,721
MI D UDM 1,875 VA G ODU 1,173
MI E Wayne State 2,433 VA D VMI 790
MI Z Kettering 3,499 VA E VCU 490
MI H Lawrence Tech 1,891 WA A UW 5,458
MI Q Oakland 1,151 WA B WSU 3,681
MI I Michigan 950 WA Be WSU Everett 3,681
MI K Western Michigan 1,277 WA G Seattle U 815
MI L GVSU 280 WA D Gonzaga 583
MN A U of M 5,777 WV A WVU 3,708
MN B UMD 713 WV B WVU Tech 1,151
MS A Mississippi State 4,218 WI A Wisconsin 6,093
MS B Ole Miss 1,355 WI B Marquette 3,234
MO A Mizzou 4,645 WI G UW-Milwaukee 1,379
MO B Missouri S&T 7,622 WI D MSOE 944
MO G Wash U 3,023 WI E UW-Platteville 908
MO D UMKC 308 WY A Wyoming 2,671

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