Eligibility Requirements
Undergrads
To be eligible to join Tau Beta Pi as an undergraduate student, you must be in the top 1/8 of the engineering junior class or the top 1/5 of the senior class, by credit standing.
Grad Students
To be eligible to join Tau Beta Pi as a graduate student, you must have completed half of your program requirements and be in the top 1/5 of engineering grad students.
Early in the semester, all eligible electees will be mailed an invitation to join the organization, sent to the address on file with the University. Eligible electees will also receive an email invitation from the current Vice President.
Why Join TBP
New Initiate Competition
Each semester, teams of electees (people in the process of joining) participate in a semester-long competition. The victors get to hold on to the trophy among other prizes.
The College of Engineering has boundless opportunities for students: project teams, research, professional societies, and many more. So from all of these opportunities, why choose to join TBP? There are a lot of things that TBP is and does, and different people will have different reasons for joining. Here are some of them:
Networking and Diversity: TBP is the only academic honor society that spans the entire engineering profession. At every meeting and event, you’ll have the unique opportunity to interact with all types of Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students, as well as alumni that stay involved after graduating.
"TBP gave me the opportunity to meet and work with wonderful, driven, smart people from many different engineering disciplines–people that I wouldn't have otherwise met at all."
–Mike Hand, Electrical Engineer, Former Advisor
Community: TBP has a lot of great activities and even more great people! Whether you want to have a blast at Cantina or drop eggs at Cub Scouts Day, there’s a lot to be a part of and a lot of people to do it with.
Leadership: With 17 officer positions and dozens of chair opportunities, project lead roles, and committees, TBP has boundless ways for you to hone your skills as a leader and give back to the College of Engineering and surrounding communities.
Distinctions and Scholarships: As a prestigious engineering honor society, TBP is obviously nice to include on your resume. You also have access to a number of scholarships, both local and from the national organization, such as $2,000 scholarships for undergraduate students and $10,000 fellowships for graduate students. MI-G has had eight scholarship winners and three fellowship winners in the last five years.
Professional Development: TBP members have access to a number of diverse professional development opportunities, including company info sessions, resume and interview workshops, and Engineering Futures talks with TBP professionals all across industry and academia. There are also benefits for TBP members granted by the national organization.
Requirements to Join
The process of joining TBP is called “electing” and requires the completion of community service hours and social activities. It may seem like a lot, but it’s a lot of fun and shakes out to around two hours a week for undergrads and one hour a week for grads. Electing consists of:
Undergrad Requirements
- Attending the semester’s General Meetings
- Completing 16 service hours (including one hour of tutoring and four hours of K-12 outreach)
- Attending two social events
- Attending two professional development events
- Attending three electee team meetings
- Completing electee forms and one (low-pressure) character interview
- Participating in TBPals
- Paying a one-time initiation fee of $100. There are no continuing dues. Once you’re a member, you’re always a member.
Please contact the President, Vice President, or Treasurer if the initiation fee is a concern for you—no one should ever be prevented from joining TBP because of financial hardship.
Grad Requirements
- Attending the semester’s General Meetings
- Completing 10 service hours
- Attending three social or professional development events (including at least one grad social)
- Attending two grad electee team meetings
- Completing electee forms and one (low-pressure) character interview
- Paying a one-time initiation fee of $100. There are no continuing dues. Once you’re a member, you’re always a member.
Please contact the President, Vice President, or Treasurer if the initiation fee is a concern for you—no one should ever be prevented from joining TBP because of financial hardship.