Student Membership: Eligibility and Guidelines

  1. Student nominees for membership should be pursuing a degree program in food science or equivalent, and have a current overall degree Grade Point Average (GPA) equal to or greater than 3.5 out of 4.0, or equivalent.
  2. Student nominees for membership should indicate the number of credits completed toward the degree and the total credit
  3. Student nominees should be pursuing a degree in Food Science, or a closely related field, and have completed at least one course in each of the three core areas of study: Food Chemistry and Analysis, Food Safety and Microbiology, and Food Processing and Engineering. For courses that are difficult to identify as food chemistry, food microbiology, food processing, etc. from the title, a description of course content should be provided at the bottom of Section Two.  Information on course work and competencies in the core areas of study within Food Science must be included. 
  4. Graduate students without an undergraduate degree in Food Science or allied field should not be nominated until the student has completed at least two semesters or four quarters of the graduate program.
  5. The statement of qualifications should be written in third person.
  6. The statement of qualifications for students should focus on recognitions, honors and other academic achievements.
  7. The statement of qualifications for any student with a GPA less than a 3.5 should provide other evidence of academic achievements to justify the nomination.
  8. The statement of qualifications for students pursuing programs of study other than those meeting the IFT Education Standards should provide evidence of the program’s content in Food Chemistry and Analysis, Food Safety and Microbiology, and Food Processing and Engineering.

Join Now!

Are you ready to join? Please see the membership form below to know more about the detailed membership criteria. Your membership form must be submitted by two active Phi Tau Sigma members.

Membership form (word format)
Membership form (pdf format)

Please read prior to submitting a nomination for membership

  • This is a nomination process and not an application. The ΦTΣ Honor Society Nomination for Membership form shall be reviewed by the nominators prior to submission.
  • The name of the nominee as printed on the nomination form will be used for membership certificate.
  • An alternate email address of the nominee should be included, if there is one.
  • The nominators must be members in good standing (have paid their dues) in Phi Tau Sigma, and may be professionals, students, or one of each.
  • The “Other Contact” name and email address should be for the Chapter Advisor, President, representative, or other individual, who will also be notified of the outcome of the Membership Qualifications & Evaluation Committee review. If the nominee will not be affiliated with a local chapter, this field can be left blank.
  • Please do not send attachments; they will be deleted.
  • All nominations from a single institution should be submitted as individual documents (pdf or Word format), not as a single packet. Email the nomination documents to the Executive Director: klkotula@msn.com. All nominators must be on the submission email, whether as the sender or copied on the email.
  • The Membership Qualifications and Evaluation Committee reviews all nomination and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee. The nomination evaluation process usually takes a month or so. Incomplete nominations will delay the evaluation or result in rejection. 
  • The nomination fee must be paid prior to review of the nomination material by Membership Qualifications and Evaluation Committee. Please follow the instructions on page 2 above that are repeated here:
  • Send this form as an email attachment to the Executive Director: klkotula@msn.com
  • The payment can be by a check drawn on a US bank to Treasurer Kantha Shelke, Ph.D.: 33 West Ontario, Suite 57F, Chicago, IL 60654.   OR You may pay online at www.phitausigma.org/membership-dues/

Professional member dues are $40 per year, student member dues are $20 per year. Lifetime membership is $400 with no recurrent billing. Submit nomination fee equal to first year dues at the same time as this form.  If elected to membership, the nomination fee is your first year’s dues or may be deducted from a Lifetime membership. Payment is required with this nomination form.

  • A nominee who is rejected must wait at least 4 months before reapplying, to allow more courses to be taken, and/or more relevant activities to be accomplished.
  • Membership of anyone can be revoked for non-payment of dues, except Lifetime Members and Emeritus Members.
  • This document is on the Phi Tau Sigma website, subsection Membership. If you have questions or need clarification contact Executive Director, Kathryn L. Kotula, Ph.D., klkotula@msn.com
  • New members can send and receive messages via the phitausigma@lists.osu.edu list service that enables direct communication with all members in good standing. Anyone may unsubscribe from the listserv at this link https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/phitausigma
  • Thank you for your interest in Phi Tau Sigma.  We wish you continued success in advancing the profession of food science and technology.