Beta Gamma Sigma

Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) is the international honor society for business programs accredited by AACSB—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest scholastic honor a business student anywhere in the world can receive in an AACSB accredited program. Beta Gamma Sigma encourages and honors academic achievement in the study of business. BGS is committed to its founding principles and values of honor, integrity, pursuit of wisdom, and earnestness. Beta Gamma Sigma supports the advancement of business thought and practice in order to promote life-long learning.

History

In the spring of 1907, a group of commerce students at the University of Wisconsin received permission from the faculty to organize a commerce honor society, which they called Beta Gamma Sigma. The purpose of the Society was to encourage and reward scholarship and accomplishment in the field of business studies among commerce students at the University. At about the same time, students at the University of Illinois and the University of California felt the need for such an organization on their campuses and respectively organized Delta Kappa Chi (1910) and The Economics Club (1906). In 1913, having become aware of their coexistence and common purpose, representatives of the three societies met at Madison, Wisconsin, to consummate a merger which made Beta Gamma Sigma into a national organization.

Action was initiated in 1919 to establish Beta Gamma Sigma as the only scholastic honor society recognized by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This organization, which was renamed AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, includes in its membership collegiate schools of business that meet high standards of eligibility required of accredited member institutions with respect to curricula, teaching staff, teaching loads, library and laboratory facilities. Beta Gamma Sigma amended its constitution in 1921 to restrict the installation of new chapters to collegiate schools of business which are accredited members of AACSB International.

Beta Gamma Sigma has inducted more than 580,000 outstanding students into membership since its founding in 1913. These 580,000 members have served in corporate, government, non-profit, educational, and other management positions at every level of responsibility. Members currently reside in all 50 U.S. states and more than 160 countries around the world.

Kansas State University opened a chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma in 1974 to recognize outstanding students in the College of Business Administration.
Membership Requirements
Students enrolled in the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University may be invited by the CBA faculty to join Beta Gamma Sigma provided that they meet the following requirements:

To be eligible for invitation, students must be:
  • last-semester juniors and rank in the upper 10 percent of their class;
  • upper 10 percent of the senior class; or
  • upper 20 percent of master’s classes
  • All those completing their doctoral requirements are eligible.
Beta Gamma Sigma is recognized throughout the business world as the leading honor society for business and management education. Your membership in the Society shows your commitment to excellence as well as your outstanding academic record.
Membership Benefits
Membership constitutes a lifetime connection between Beta Gamma Sigma and those who earn the Key. Once a member accepts the invitation to join the Society, the Key becomes a lifelong mark of distinction. It is not something to be displayed while in college and discarded upon graduation. Members showcase the Key prominently on their resumes. Professionally framed membership certificates adorn the walls in their offices, because they are proud of their accomplishment. When job openings occur within their organizations, they consider hiring or recommending other individuals who have earned the Beta Gamma Sigma Key.

Beta Gamma Sigma also offers a wide network of alumni associations in major metropolitan areas around the United States to help members form connections throughout their professional careers. Beta Gamma Sigma’s national webpage offers “BGS Career Central” for all members looking for new employment opportunities. This service gives employers the opportunity to recruit “the best in business.” All of these benefits and more are available to members for a one-time lifetime membership fee of $85. The membership fee is used to fund activities of the Society. There are no annual dues or fees associated with membership in Beta Gamma Sigma. For a complete list of member benefits visit: http://betagammasigma.org/benefits.htm.

Find your place in our history. Join Beta Gamma Sigma.