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Professional fraternities, in the North American fraternity system, are organizations whose primary purpose is to promote the interests of a particular profession and whose membership is restricted to students and faculty members in that particular field of professional education or study. This may be contrasted with service fraternities and sororities, whose primary purpose is community service, and general or social fraternities and sororities, whose primary purposes are generally aimed towards some other aspect, such as the development of character, friendship, leadership, or literary ability.

Professional fraternities are often confused with honor societies because of their focus on a specific discipline. Professional fraternities are actually significantly different from honor societies in that honor societies are associations designed to provide recognition of the past achievement of those who are invited to membership. Honor society membership, in most cases, requires no period of pledging, and new candidates may be immediately inducted into membership after meeting predetermined academic criteria and paying a one-time membership fee. Because of their purpose of recognition, most honor societies will have much higher academic achievement requirements for membership. A few groups, such as Phi Sigma Pi, are considered to be both a fraternity and an honors organization. These honor fraternities require higher GPAs, like an honor society, but operate as a brotherhood, like a fraternity.

Professional fraternities, on the other hand, work to build brotherhood among members and cultivate the strengths of members in order to promote their profession and to provide assistance to one another in their mutual areas of professional study. Membership in a professional fraternity may be the result of a pledge process, much like a social fraternity, and members are expected to remain loyal and active in the organization for life. Within their professional field of study, their membership is exclusive; however, they may initiate members who belong to other types of fraternities.

History

The first professional fraternity was founded at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky in 1819: the Kappa Lambda Society of Aesculapius, established for the purpose of bringing together students of the medical profession. The fraternity lasted until about 1858.

Of the professional fraternities still in existence, the oldest is Phi Delta Phi law fraternity, founded at the University of Michigan in 1869.

Title IX Applied to Professional Fraternities

Professional fraternities, in the United States fraternity system, are required to be co-educational by federal law under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (commonly referred to as "Title IX,"). This federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any college or university receiving federal financial assistance.^[1] However, the membership practices of social fraternities and sororities are exempt from Title IX in section (A)(6)(a). The Department of Education (DOE) regulations adopted pursuant to Title IX also allow such an exception for "the membership practices of social fraternities and sororities." (34 C.F.R. Sec. 106.14(a)). ^[2]

Professional fraternities, like service fraternities and honor societies, must be open to members of both genders since they do not have an exemption from Title IX similar to the one given for social fraternities and sororities. Because the primary goal of professional fraternities is to prepare students to be leaders in specific professions, and to advance the interests of those professions, under Title IX, it would be considered discrimination to limit such opportunities to one sex, and federal funding could be withheld from any institution that discriminates on the basis of sex.

A few social fraternities and sororities select their members from students enrolled in particular majors or areas of study, including Phi Mu Alpha, Phi Sigma Rho, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Triangle. Although these social organizations select members from students in a particular field of study, like a profesional fraternity, they are single sex and are allowed to be so because their primary purposes are toward the development of character, friendship, leadership, or literary ability, like other social fraternities and sororities. Examples of groups that have been been officially granted exemption from Title IX by the DOE to remain single sex because of their social focus and, therefore, are designated as a social, rather than professional, fraternal organizations include Sigma Alpha Iota in 1981 ^[3] and Phi Mu Alpha in 1983 ^[4].

Umbrella Organizations

Most major professional fraternities are members of the Professional Fraternity Association. This group resulted in 1978 from a merger of the Professional Interfraternity Conference (PIC) (for men's groups) and the Professional Panhellenic Association (PPA) (for women's groups).

List of professional fraternities

Agriculture

ΑΖ - Alpha Zeta - Agriculture
ΑΓΡ - Alpha Gamma Rho - Agriculture, exclusively male (See above for Issues with Title IX)
ΣΑ - Sigma Alpha - Agriculture, primarily female

Law

ΔΘΦ - Delta Theta Phi - Law
ΦΑΔ - Phi Alpha Delta — Law
ΦΔΦ - Phi Delta Phi - Law

Medicine

AΓK - Alpha Gamma Kappa - Podiatry
ΑZΩ - Alpha Zeta Omega- Pharmacy
ΑΤΔ - Alpha Tau Delta - Nursing
ΑΩ - Alpha Omega - Dentistry
ΑΥ - Alpha Psi Fraternity - Veterinary Medicine
BΣ - Beta Sigma - Medicine
ΔΕΜ - Delta Epsilon Mu - Health
ΔΣΔ - Delta Sigma Delta - Dentistry
ΚΓΔ - Kappa Gamma Delta - Medicine
ΚΕ - Kappa Epsilon - Pharmacy
KTE - Kappa Tau Epsilon - Podiatry
ΚΨ - Kappa Psi - Pharmacy
ΛΚΣ - Lambda Kappa Sigma - Pharmacy- for women
ΜΣΦ - Mu Sigma Phi - University of the Philippines Medicine
ΣΜΔ - Sigma Mu Delta - Medicine
ΣфХ -Sigma Phi Chi- Chiropractic women's professional sorority
ΦΑΣ - Phi Alpha Sigma - Medicine
ΦΔΕ - Phi Delta Epsilon - Medicine
ΦΔΧ - Phi Delta Chi - Pharmacy
ΦKM - Phi Kappa Mu - Medicine - University of the Philippines
ΦΡΣ - Phi Rho Sigma - Medicine
ΦΧ - Phi Chi - Medicine
ΩΤΣ - Omega Tau Sigma - Veterinary Medicine

Military, Government, & Foreign Service

ΔΟΣ - Delta Omicron Sigma - Military veterans
ΔΦΕ - Delta Phi Epsilon - Foreign Service
Scabbard and Blade - Military

Music

ΔΟ - Delta Omicron - Music
ΚΚΨ - Kappa Kappa Psi - Band
ΜΦΕ - Mu Phi Epsilon - Music
ΤΒΣ - Tau Beta Sigma - Band

Service

AIO - Alpha Iota Omicron - Networking/Community Service
ΓΒΣ - Gamma Beta Sigma - Community Service
ΑΦΩ - Alpha Phi Omega - Community Service

Other

ΑΘΩΣ - Alpha Theta Omega Sigma - Philippine Professional
ΑEΖ - Alpha Epsilon Zeta - South Asian Professional
ΑΕΡ - Alpha Epsilon Rho - Broadcasting
ΑΗΡ - Alpha Eta Rho - Aviation
ΑΧΣ - Alpha Chi Sigma - Chemistry
ΓΕΤ - Gamma Epsilon Tau - Printing and Digital Media
ΖΦΗ - Zeta Phi Eta - Communication arts & sciences
ΛΑ - Lambda Alpha - Anthropology
ΡΠΦ - Rho Pi Phi - Pharmacology
ΦΑΤ - Phi Alpha Tau - Communicative Arts
ΦΒ - Phi Beta - Creative and Performing Arts
ΦΣΠ - Phi Sigma Pi - National Honor Fraternity
ΓΣA - Gamma Sigma Alpha - National Academic Greek Honors Society
EΛ - Epsilon Lambda - Greek Leadership (exclusive to Bowling Green State University)

External links

References

^ Title IX, United States Department of Justice
^ "[1] Code of Federal Regulations, PART 106: NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
^ "Sigma Alpha Iota" (PDF). Sigma Alpha Iota. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^ "Phi Mu Alpha". Phi Mu Alpha. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[1] Title IX, United States Department of Justice

[2] "[1] Code of Federal Regulations, PART 106: NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

[3] "Sigma Alpha Iota" (PDF). Sigma Alpha Iota. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[4] "Phi Mu Alpha". Phi Mu Alpha. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

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@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 Professional fraternities, on the other hand, work to build brotherhood among members and cultivate the strengths of members in order to promote their profession and to provide assistance to one another in their mutual areas of professional study.  Membership in a professional fraternity may be the result of a pledge process, much like a social fraternity, and members are expected to remain loyal and active in the organization for life.  Within their professional field of study, their membership is exclusive; however, they may initiate members who belong to other types of fraternities.
-==The Greek Network==
-[http://www.greekzoom.com   GreekZoom!] (www.greekzoom.com) is the network where members of the greek community come to connect.  It is a social utility for members of the greek community.  Every fraternity and sorority in the world may be respresented on the GreekZoom web forum.<ref>http://www.greekzoom.com GreekZoom The Greek Network</ref>
 ==History==

v t e Professional fraternities and sororities organizations and members
Currently active members of the Professional Fraternity Association	Alpha Zeta Alpha Kappa Psi Alpha Rho Chi Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Chi Sigma Alpha Omega Epsilon Delta Chi Xi Delta Epsilon Mu Delta Theta Phi Delta Kappa Alpha Delta Omicron Delta Sigma Pi Delta Sigma Chi Epsilon Nu Tau Theta Tau Kappa Epsilon Kappa Epsilon Psi Kappa Eta Kappa Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Lambda Chi Kappa Psi Lambda Kappa Sigma Mu Beta Phi Mu Phi Epsilon Pi Sigma Epsilon Rho Pi Phi Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha Iota Tau Beta Sigma Phi Alpha Delta Phi Beta Phi Gamma Nu Phi Delta Epsilon Phi Delta Chi Phi Sigma Pi Phi Chi Theta
Former and formerly active members of the Professional Fraternity Association or its predecessors: Professional Panhellenic Association or Professional Interfraternity Conference	Alpha Delta Theta Alpha Delta Sigma Alpha Kappa Kappa Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Tau Delta Alpha Omega Beta Alpha Psi Gamma Eta Gamma Gamma Iota Sigma Delta Epsilon Iota Delta Sigma Delta Delta Psi Kappa Epsilon Eta Phi Zeta Phi Eta Theta Kappa Psi Theta Sigma Upsilon Theta Sigma Phi Iota Sigma Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Beta Pi Kappa Delta Epsilon Kappa Phi Kappa Nu Sigma Nu Xi Psi Phi Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Nu Pi Lambda Theta Sigma Delta Chi Sigma Nu Phi Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Phi Delta (now social) Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta Pi Phi Delta Delta Phi Delta Gamma Phi Delta Kappa Phi Delta Pi Phi Delta Phi (now honor society) Phi Epsilon Kappa Phi Lambda Kappa Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (now social) Phi Rho Sigma Phi Upsilon Omicron Phi Chi Chi Beta Phi Psi Omega Omega Tau Sigma Omega Upsilon Phi Pershing Rifles Scabbard and Blade Scarab
North American Interfraternity Conference	Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Sigma
Active independent professional fraternities	Alpha Gamma Kappa Alpha Zeta Omega Alpha Eta Rho Alpha Iota Alpha Psi Gamma Epsilon Tau Delta Sigma Theta Delta Theta Sigma Delta Kappa Gamma Delta Kappa Phi Delta Phi Epsilon Kappa Gamma Psi Kappa Pi Nu Beta Epsilon Phi Delta Kappa (sorority) Phi Sigma Gamma Phi Psi Chi Delta Mu Chi Eta Phi Block and Bridle Queens' Guard
Inactive independent professional fraternities	Aleph Yodh He Alpha Epsilon Iota Alpha Tau Sigma Chi Zeta Chi Delta Omicron Alpha Pi Delta Nu