Tau Beta Pi is an engineering honor society, highly regarded in the field. The national organization of Tau Beta Pi was founded in 1885 at Lehigh University, and has since grown to include over two hundred collegiate chapters and nearly sixty alumni chapters. The Pennsylvania Beta chapter of Tau Beta Pi was founded at The Pennsylvania State University on May 4, 1912 as the twenty-sixth collegiate chapter.
Tau Beta Pi is well-known among industry leaders and serves to mark exceptional academic and personal accomplishments. Just as Phi Beta Kappa distinguishes graduates in the liberal arts and sciences, Tau Beta Pi notes achievement in technical fields.
Membership in Tau Beta Pi is by invitation only at the chapter level each semester. To be considered for membership, students must have already demonstrated considerable talent. Tau Beta Pi hopes to expand students’ skills by providing leadership opportunities, interaction with professional and academic authorities, and programs geared toward developing facets which are not part of the present engineering curriculum.
In addition to honoring its members, Tau Beta Pi seeks to uphold the legacy and integrity of the engineering profession by being active in the community and responsive to others. Members may choose whatever activity level they wish. We serve some members purely as an honorary body, others as a vehicle for improving society, and still others as a tool to develop their own personal skills and future potential.