Kappa Tau Alpha Rating, Reviews and Requirements. Is it worth it?

What are the requirements to be in Kappa Tau Alpha?

• Membership is by invitation only through one of the Society's campus chapters.
• Students must be journalism or mass communication majors in a program with a chapter.
• Undergraduate students:
• Must rank in the upper 10 percent of their journalism/mass communication class (i.e., juniors among juniors, seniors among seniors).
• Must have completed at least 5 semester hours or 8 quarters of degree work.
• Must have completed at least 9 semester hours of credit in professional skills courses in journalism or mass communication 
• Must have at least a 3.00 GPA (on 4.0 system) in junior/senior level journalism/mass communication courses.
• Must count ALL college courses applicable to their degree in computing the overall GPA to determine rank in upper 10 percent.
• No more than 10 percent of the junior/senior total number of students can hold membership at the same time.

What is the history of Kappa Tau Alpha?

• Kappa Tau Alpha celebrated its 100th anniversary March 10, 2010. The Society was founded at the University of Missouri two years after the first school of journalism in the world opened its doors there. KTA was dedicated, then as now, to the encouragement and recognition of outstanding scholarship.
• The expansion of Kappa Tau Alpha and the development of journalism/mass communication education have moved ahead hand-in-hand. Today, Kappa Tau Alpha chapters are located at 95 colleges and universities and the society continues to play an important role in fostering scholarship.
• In 2000, chapter advisers selected the most significant leaders in the Society's 90 year history, and Lawrence Murphy, Frank Luther Mott, William H. Taft, Keith Sanders, and W. David Sloan were selected.

What are the key benefits of being a member of Kappa Tau Alpha? 

• National recognition for academic excellence
• Lifetime membership; 
• Certificate of Membership
• A key pin
• Membership meets one of the requirements for entrance at the GS-7 Level in numerous professional and technical occupations in the U.S. Government.

Based on the information, here is our review:

Our first observation is: that this is an incredibly old society with a rich history, and we’re fascinated by their ability to keep things running throughout World War 2.

Our second observation was: that this is open to Juniors and Seniors only, meaning that this organization may have been used by seasoned professionals in the field to select the new, up-and-coming talented individuals in journalism. 

Our third observation was: that Kappa Tau Alpha was ahead of its time in recognizing women. Elizabeth Agee, member #19, was initiated in the society’s second year of existence