The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an association of national, collegiate

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

, professional fraternities and sororities

Professional fraternity

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 in that particular field of professional education or study...

 that was formed 1978. Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing graduate (law, medicine, etc.) degrees as well as undergraduate (business, engineering, etc.) degrees. PFA groups seek to develop their members professionally in addition to the social development commonly associated with general fraternities. Membership requirements of the PFA are broad enough to include groups that do not recruit new members from a single professional discipline. The PFA has welcomed service and honor fraternities as members; however, Greek letter honor societies more commonly belong to ACHS.

History

The Professional Panhellenic Association, for women's groups, was founded in 1925, and the Professional Interfraternity Conference (PIC), for men's groups, was founded in 1928. These groups came about due to rapid growth among all types of fraternities during the late 1920s. On March 2–3, 1928, delegates from 27 professional fraternities came together in Washington, DC to organize the PIC. Jarvis Butler of Sigma Nu Phi was elected as the first president, and Stroud Jordan of Alpha Chi Sigma

Alpha Chi Sigma

Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members...

 was elected as the first Secretary-treasurer.

The PFA resulted from the merger of the Professional Interfraternity Conference and the Professional Panhellenic Association in 1978. The merger itself was the result of the impact of Title IX on most fraternal groups with professional affiliations.

Current members

Fraternity	Founded	Focus	Active Collegiate Groups	Collegiate Charters Granted	Initiates
Alpha Zeta Alpha Zeta Alpha Zeta is a professional fraternity for students and industry professionals in the agriculture and natural resources fields. Founded in 1897 at The Ohio State University, Alpha Zeta is the first and oldest collegiate society for agriculture...	1897	Agriculture			116,000
Alpha Kappa Psi Alpha Kappa Psi ΑΚΨ is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. The Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University, and was incorporated on May 20, 1905...	1904	Business	216	326	259,000
Alpha Rho Chi Alpha Rho Chi Alpha Rho Chi is a professional co-educational college fraternity for students studying architecture and related professions. The fraternity's name is derived from the first three letters of the Greek word for architecture, αρχιτεκτονική.-Founding:...	1914	Architecture	20	30	5,500
Alpha Tau Delta	1921	Nursing			10,000
Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...	1925	Service	361	733	350,000
Alpha Chi Sigma Alpha Chi Sigma Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members...	1902	Chemistry	50	92	59,300
Alpha Omega Alpha Omega Fraternity Alpha Omega is a professional Jewish dental fraternity and the fourth oldest international dental fraternity after Delta Sigma Delta, Xi Psi Phi and Psi Omega, respectively. It was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1907 by a group of dental students originally to fight discrimination in dental...	1907	Dentistry			15,000
Alpha Omega Epsilon Alpha Omega Epsilon Alpha Omega Epsilon is a social and professional sorority for women in engineering and technical sciences. The sorority was founded by twenty-seven female engineering students at Marquette University on November 13, 1983, and four months later on March 22, 1984, it became a recognized organization...	1983	Engineering	25	26	2,000
Gamma Iota Sigma Gamma Iota Sigma Gamma Iota Sigma is a college academic fraternity, founded on April 16, 1966 at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.Gamma Iota Sigma is an international professional fraternity organized to promote, encourage and sustain student interest in insurance, risk management and actuarial science as...	1965	Insurance			13,000
Delta Epsilon Iota Delta Epsilon Iota DEI is a co-ed Professional academic honor society. The Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society was founded on December 7, 1994 at the University of Georgia. It is currently headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia...	1994	Career Development
Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. The smallest of the three internationally recognized law fraternities , Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the three major law fraternities to charter chapters in the United States at...	1900	Law			125,000
Delta Omicron Delta Omicron Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...	1909	Music			27,000
Delta Sigma Pi Delta Sigma Pi ΔΣΠ ' is one of the largest co-ed professional business fraternities. Delta Sigma Pi was founded on November 7, 1907 at the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance, New York University, New York, New York and is currently headquartered in Oxford, Ohio...	1907	Business	182	271	215,000
Zeta Phi Eta Zeta Phi Eta Zeta Phi Eta is a national professional fraternity in Communication Arts and Sciences.- History :Zeta Phi Eta is the oldest national group of its kind - it was founded on October 10, 1893 under the inspiration and guidance of Dr. Robert McLean Cumnock. The founding members were Edith DeVore, Maude...	1893	Communication Arts			20,000
Theta Tau Theta Tau ΘΤ Fraternity was founded in 1904 by four engineering students at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. As defined by the fraternity, the purpose of Theta Tau is to develop and maintain a high standard of professional interest among its members, and to unite them in a strong bond of...	1904	Engineering	50	58	30,000
Kappa Delta Epsilon Kappa Delta Epsilon Kappa Delta Epsilon can refer to:* Kappa Delta Epsilon Society, a national, coeducational professional fraternity for students of education in the United States of America...	1933	Education			44,000
Kappa Epsilon Kappa Epsilon Kappa Epsilon is a professional pharmacy fraternity founded by Zada M. Cooper on May 13, 1921. It was founded with the purpose of uniting female pharmacy students in an era when women were a minority in the profession. Today, KE has 38 collegiate chapters and 10 alumni chapters...	1921	Pharmaceutical			24,400
Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...	1919	Band			27,000
Kappa Psi Kappa Psi Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Incorporated, is both the oldest and largest professional pharmaceutical fraternity in the world. It was founded on May 30, 1879, by F. Harvey Smith on the campus of Russell Military Academy in New Haven, Connecticut. The Central Office of Kappa Psi is located...	1879	Pharmaceutical	75	125	80,000
Kappa Tau Epsilon	1968	Podiatry	3	4	2,100
Lambda Kappa Sigma Lambda Kappa Sigma ΛKΣ headquartered in Muskego, Wisconsin is an international pharmacy fraternity founded in 1913 by Ethel J. Heath and eight other female students at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy...	1913	Pharmacy			19,000
Mu Phi Epsilon Mu Phi Epsilon Mu Phi Epsilon is a co-ed international professional music fraternity and honor society. It boasts over 75,000 members in 128 collegiate chapters and 74 alumni chapters in the US and abroad.-History:...	1903	Music			75,000
Pi Sigma Epsilon Pi Sigma Epsilon 'ΠΣΕ ' is the only national, professional fraternal organization in sales, marketing, and management in the United States. The fraternity was developed by four members of the Sales and Marketing Executives association of Atlanta, Georgia...	1952	Marketing			60,000
Rho Pi Phi Rho Pi Phi Rho Pi Phi International Pharmaceutical Fraternity is a co-ed professional fraternity that dedicates itself to the profession of pharmacy and to friendship, professionalism, and community service....	1919	Pharmaceutical			10,000
Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha is a professional agricultural sorority that promotes scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship among its members.On January 26th, 1978 five young women, Ann Huling Mathews, Cindie Davis, Marilyn Burns, Jennifer McMillan and Amy Mathews, founded Sigma Alpha at the Ohio State...	1978	Agriculture			4,000
Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...	1903	Music			105,376
Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Phi Delta ΣΦΔ is an international social fraternity of engineers. Billing itself as "The Premier International Fraternity of Engineers", the organization is the only fraternity of its kind that draws its membership exclusively from male engineering students at ABET-accredited colleges and universities, as...	1924	Engineering			8,000
Tau Beta Sigma Tau Beta Sigma Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and university bands. The Sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Station in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,500 active members in 145 active chapters, and over 40,000 alumni...	1946	Band			21,000
Phi Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta ΦAΔ , or P.A.D., is the largest co-ed professional law fraternity in the United States of America. Phi Alpha Delta has members who are university students, law school students, lawyers, judges, senators, and even presidents. It was founded in 1902 and today has over 300,000 initiated members...	1902	Law			260,000
Phi Beta Phi Beta Phi Beta Fraternity: National Professional Association for the Creative and Performing Arts is an American national professional college fraternity for the creative and performing arts. It was founded in 1912 at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois...	1912	Performing Arts			30,000
Phi Delta Epsilon Phi Delta Epsilon - History :In October 1904, Aaron Brown and eight of his friends founded Phi Delta Epsilon at Cornell University Medical College. During the first decade of this century there were many doors closed to Jewish medical students and physicians, doors which would not fully open until after World War II...	1904	Medicine			33,000
Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi, ΦΔΦ, is the world's second largest legal fraternity. Phi Delta Phi is the second oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States and third oldest in North America...	1869	Law			200,000
Phi Delta Chi Phi Delta Chi Phi Delta Chi, was founded on 2 November 1883 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor by 11 men, led by Dean Albert B. Prescott. The fraternity was formed to advance the science of pharmacy and its allied interests, and to foster and promote a fraternal spirit among its brothers, now both male...	1883	Pharmacy			43,000
Phi Rho Sigma	1890	Medicine			33,000
Phi Sigma Pi Phi Sigma Pi Phi Sigma Pi is a national coeducational honor fraternity based in the United States. The fraternity is a 501 not-for-profit organization incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania, with the purpose of fostering the ideals of scholarship, leadership and fellowship...	1916	Honors			31,000
Phi Chi Theta Phi Chi Theta ΦΧΘ is a co-ed professional business and economics fraternity. Phi Chi Theta was founded as a women's business fraternity on June 16, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois. Today, Phi Chi Theta comprises 37 collegiate and alumni chapters across the United States.-History:Phi Chi Theta was formed by the merger...	1924	Business			47,000
Omega Tau Sigma	1906	Veterinary			8,000

Former members

This includes the member organizations of the two former groups that merged to form the PFA.

Fraternity	Founded	Focus	Notes
Beta Alpha Psi Beta Alpha Psi ΒΑΨ is a national honors business organization for highly successful accounting, finance and information systems students and professionals. It was founded on February 12, 1919 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently headquartered in Durham, North Carolina...	1919	Accounting	now an honorary organization
Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa, or ΟΔΚ, also known as The Circle, or more commonly ODK, is a national leadership honor society. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, by 15 student and faculty leaders. Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300...	1914	Leadership	originally a men's leadership fraternity; now a co-ed honorary organization
Phi Mu Alpha	1898	Music	left the PFA in 2007, reverted to its historical founding as a social fraternity
Sigma Nu Phi	1903	Law	merged with Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. The smallest of the three internationally recognized law fraternities , Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the three major law fraternities to charter chapters in the United States at...  in 1989
Scabbard and Blade Scabbard and Blade Scabbard and Blade is a college military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. Although membership is open to R.O.T.C. cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society is modeled after the U.S. Army and its chapters are called companies and are organized into...	1904	Military
Scarab	1909	Architecture

External links

• Official site