Member Criteria

The following are eligible for election to membership in the Mississippi State University Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta:

1. Undergraduate students, the total number initiated in any given year not to exceed 15% of the senior class in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the School of Human Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Forest Resources, elected to membership must have the following qualifications:


1. Are members of the junior or senior class of the college or school in which they are being considered for membership;
2. Are considered to be of high moral character;
3. Have been in residence in their college or school at least one academic year before election;
4. Rank in the upper 5 percent scholastically of the junior class of their college, or rank in the upper 15 percent scholastically of the senior class of their college at Mississippi State University;
5. Have attained at least a 3.25 GPA for all work at Mississippi State University.


2. Professional students from the College of Veterinary Medicine must have the following qualifications:


1. Are considered to be of high moral character.
2. Have shown promise of making worthwhile contributions to their profession.
3. Have completed at least 50% of their DVM program (i.e., are classified as 3rd or 4th year DVM students) and have attained at least a 3.5 GPA for work taken towards their DVM at the time of nomination for membership.


3. Graduate students elected to membership must have the following qualifications:


1. Have shown superior ability to carry on research and/or advanced study in agriculture or in other sciences where the individual student's area of study or research is directly related to agriculture;
2. Have shown promise of making worthwhile contributions in these fields; and
3. Have attained at least a 3.5 GPA for work taken for graduate credit toward the advanced degree at Mississippi State University.
4. Graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D.) must have completed 40 percent of the required hours towards their degree (e.g., typically having completed 12 hours for an M.S. candidate, based on a 30 hour M.S. degree program, and typically having completed 24 hours for a Ph.D. candidate, based on a 60 hour Ph.D. degree program) at Mississippi State University.
5. Persons who have been eligible since the immediately preceding nomination period shall be eligible for consideration, even though the degree has been granted in the interim.


4. Faculty members and professional staff in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine may be elected to membership that have been engaged in work in agriculture, or in science related to agriculture, at Mississippi State University and that have shown exceptional ability in teaching, research, or extension activities.


5. Alumni of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the School of Human Sciences, the College of Forest Resources, and the College of Veterinary Medicine of Mississippi State University or of other institutions with a Gamma Sigma Delta chapter offering comparable degrees, elected to membership must have rendered signal service to the cause of Agricultural development in Mississippi.


6. Honorary membership may be awarded to an individual(s) who has furthered agricultural or related sciences but is not eligible in the above categories. Such membership is a prestigious award and is limited to five per year. Individuals so honored need not have a degree or be directly involved in agriculture, but should be a leader at the university, community, state, regional, or national level. Honorary membership nominations may be made by any member of the chapter to the Executive Committee. The awarding of honorary membership will then be initiated by a majority vote of the Executive Committee, followed by presentation of the honorary membership nomination(s) to the chapter membership where a majority vote of the voting members will constitute affirmation of election to membership of nominated honorary member(s).