The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an American association of national, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed in . 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 Panhellenic 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 the Association of College Honor Societies.
History The Professional Panhellenic Association (PPA), for women's groups, was founded in , and the Professional Interfraternity Conference (PIC), for men's groups, was founded in . These groups came about due to rapid growth among all types of fraternities during the late 1920s.
Professional Panhellenic Association
On , representatives from fourteen professional fraternities for women attended an organizational meeting in Washington, D.C. During the summer a provisional constitution was ratified by the following eleven fraternities: Delta Omicron (music), Kappa Beta Pi (law), Omicron Nu (home economics), Phi Beta (music and speech), Phi Delta Pi (physical education), Phi Chi Theta (commerce), Phi Delta Delta (law), Phi Upsilon Omicron (home economics), Pi Lambda Theta (education), Sigma Sigma Sigma (education), and Theta Sigma Phi (journalism). Two additional fraternities, Sigma Alpha Iota (music) and Iota Sigma Pi (chemistry), soon ratified the constitution. The resulting thirteen member groups participated in the second annual conference on . Originally known as Women's Professional Panhellenic Association until , when the revised name was adopted.
Professional Interfraternity Conference On March 2–3, 1928, delegates from 27 professional fraternities came together in Washington, D.C. to organize the PIC. Jarvis Butler of Sigma Nu Phi was elected as the first president, and Stroud Jordan of Alpha Chi Sigma was elected as the first Secretary-treasurer.
Groups represented were Accounting: Beta Alpha Psi Advertising: Alpha Delta Sigma Architecture: Alpha Rho Chi Chemistry: Alpha Chi Sigma Commerce: Alpha Kappa Psi, Delta Sigma Pi Dentistry: Alpha Omega, Psi Omega Education: Kappa Phi Kappa Engineering: Kappa Eta Kappa (Electrical), Theta Tau Forensic: Phi Delta Gamma General: Omicron Delta Kappa Law: Delta Theta Phi, Gamma Eta Gamma, Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Beta Gamma, Sigma Nu Phi Medicine: Omega Upsilon Phi, Phi Beta Pi, Phi Rho Sigma, Theta Kappa Psi Pharmacy: Kappa Psi, Phi Delta Chi Military: Scabbard and Blade Science: Chi Beta Phi
Professional Fraternity Association 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.Professional Fraternity Association - History
Chartering organizations: Alpha Delta Theta – Medical Technology Alpha Kappa Psi – Business Administration Alpha Rho Chi – Architecture Alpha Tau Delta – Nursing Alpha Chi Sigma – Chemistry Alpha Omega – Dentistry Delta Theta Phi – Law Delta Omicron – Music Delta Sigma Delta – Dentistry Delta Sigma Pi – Business Administration Delta Psi Kappa – Physical Education Zeta Phi Eta – Communication Arts and Sciences Kappa Beta Pi – Law Kappa Delta Epsilon – Education Kappa Epsilon – Pharmacy Kappa Psi – Pharmacy Lambda Kappa Sigma – Pharmacy Mu Phi Epsilon – Music Xi Psi Phi – Dentistry Rho Pi Phi – Pharmacy Sigma Alpha Iota – Music Sigma Delta Kappa – Law Sigma Phi Delta – Engineering Phi Alpha Delta – Law Phi Beta – Music, Speech, Drama and Dance Phi Beta Pi-Theta Kappa Psi – Medical Phi Gamma Nu – Business Phi Delta Epsilon – Medical Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia – Music Phi Rho Sigma – Medicine Phi Chi – Medicine Phi Chi Theta – Business and Economics Psi Omega – Dentistry Omega Tau Sigma – Veterinary Medicine
Current members Current membership of active members as of .
FraternityGreek lettersFoundedFocusActive collegiate groupsCollegiate charters grantedInitiatesPICPPAPFANotesAlpha Zeta Agriculture30116,000YNYJoined PIC prior to 1950Engleman, F. E. “Toward a Mature Profession.” The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 32, no. 1, 1950, pp. 3–4. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20331986Alpha Kappa Psi Business216326259,000YNYPIC Charterer, PFA ChartererAlpha Rho Chi Architecture33435,500YNYPIC Charterer, PFA ChartererAlpha Phi Omega Service369733500,000NNYAlpha Chi Sigma Chemistry499765,000YNYPIC Charterer, PFA ChartererAlpha Omega Epsilon Engineering475112,000NNYDelta Chi Xi Dance78NNYDelta Epsilon Mu Pre-health3439NNYDelta Theta Phi Law150125,000YNYPIC Charterer, Not member in 1933, PFA ChartererDelta Kappa Alpha Cinema129,000NNYDelta Omicron Music3712927,000NYYPPA Charterer, PFA ChartererDelta Sigma Pi Business223293270,000YNYPIC Charterer, PFA ChartererDelta Sigma Chi Chiropractic10NNY Joined 2016-2019Epsilon Nu Tau Entrepreneurship10NNYJoined 2015Fall 2015 PFA todayTheta Tau Engineering505830,000YNYPIC Charterer, member of PIC in 1968Kappa Epsilon Pharmacy4324,400NYYJoined PPA March 23, 1951, Member of PPA in 1968, PFA ChartererKappa Eta Kappa Electrical engineering39YNYPIC Charterer (rejoined 2016–2019)Kappa Epsilon Psi Military31NNY Joined 2016-2019Kappa Kappa Psi Band19631366,000NYKappa Lambda Chi Military26NNY Joined 2016-2019Kappa Psi Pharmacy7512580,000YNYPIC Charterer, PFA ChartererLambda Kappa Sigma Pharmacy3130,000NYYJoined PPA in ,Lambda Kappa Sigma 100 Years in of Women in Pharmacy Member of PPA in 1968, PFA ChartererMu Beta Phi Military21500NNY Joined 2016-2019Mu Phi Epsilon Music22775,000NYYMember of PPA in 1953, Member of PPA in 1968, PFA ChartererPi Sigma Epsilon Marketing5860,000NYRho Pi Phi Pharmacy810,000YNYJoined PIC in 1949, not a member in 1957, Member of PIC in 1968, PFA ChartererSigma Alpha Agriculture684,000NNYSigma Alpha Iota Music220105,376NYYPPA Charterer, PFA ChartererTau Beta Sigma Band12323921,000NYPhi Alpha Delta Law717260,000YNYPIC Charterer, Not member of PIC in 1933, member in 1950,Professional Fraternities by Professional Interfraternity Conference - 1950 PFA ChartererPhi Beta Creative and performing arts35530,000NYYPPA Charterer, PFA ChartererPhi Gamma Nu Business1011535,000NYYJoined PPA in Early 1937. Member of PPA in 1940, Member of PPA in 1953, Member of PPA in 1968, PFA Charterer. Rejoined in 2013.The DePaulia March 4, 1938Phi Delta Epsilon Medicine18233,000YNYJoined PIC in , member of PIC in , PFA ChartererPhi Delta Chi Pharmacy10343,000YNYPIC Charterer, member of PIC in 1968Phi Sigma Pi Honors13531,000YNYJoined PIC in Phi Chi Theta Business4447,000NYYPPA Charterer, PFA ChartererHoo-Hoo International Hoo-HoosAgriculture (Forestry)51283NNYAffiliate Joined 2016-2019
Former members This includes the member organizations of the two former groups (PIC, PPA) that merged to form the PFA and organizations not currently active within the PFA.