Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) is the international honor society for students of Geography.
GTU was founded in 1928 and became a national organization in 1931. Members of GTU have met academic requirements and share a background and interest in geography.
Professor Francis Koti is the MTSU advisor for Gamma Theta Upsilon.
Each year, Professor Koti supervises the induction of qualified students into the honor society. Membership confers privileges to honorees, and an annual ceremony marks the occasion of the induction and celebrates the collective accomplishments of inductees.
You can contact Dr. Koti with questions regarding Global Studies, Human Geography, and Gamma Theta Upsilon.
There are also scholarships and research opportunities open to GTU members, as well as professional development opportunities and special graduation honors cords for members.
Please see Frequently Asked Questions below for more information.
Click here to visit the Gamma Theta Upsilon organization website.
Gamma Theta Upsilon News
March 2025: GTU members are invited to join us at the Spring 2025 banquet on April 7. Please RSVP to Nikita Smith (nikita.smith@mtsu.edu) as soon as possible.
Persons seeking membership must be initiated through an established chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon.
There are two classes of membership in GTU:
Regular Member: In keeping with the Society’s Specialized Scholarship classification, initiates must have completed the equivalent of three semesters of college coursework, a minimum of three courses in geography with a 3.3 GPA (on the 4.0 scale) in those courses, and rank in the top 35% of their class (a 3.3 GPA can be used as a substitute for the ranking if the institution does not calculate rankings). Please note that regular members do not have to be currently enrolled, nor must they be geography majors.
Honorary Member: Honorary membership is available only under extraordinary circumstances and upon approval by the Executive Committee for a person whom the committee feels has contributed to a marked advancement in any phase of geography. A chapter may apply directly to the Executive Committee to petition for honorary membership on behalf of an individual. Please note that honorary membership is reserved for those not eligible for regular membership.
Engage: Chapters can organize and host geography-related speakers, campus-wide programs, field trips, social events and more.
Service: Members can participate in service functions with their local chapter, or the GTU Executive Committee as a Student Outreach Assistant.
Network: Membership provides a network that helps students become better acquainted with other geography students and faculty.
Expertise: Membership in an academic honor society is evidence of your dedication to and competency in your potential career field. Some employers give hiring preference or a higher starting salary to accredited honor society members. Members can also improve their expertise in the field of geography by learning things not normally covered in the classroom.
Lifetime membership: GTU provides lifetime memberships to all its members, so that members, with no renewals or annual subscriptions.
The 2025 GTU scholarship competition is open for applications. Application material and guideline can be found here.
Five scholarships are awarded annually to Gamma Theta Upsilon members: four to undergraduates, and one to a continuing graduate student. See the GTU Constitution for more information regarding each scholarship.
The Buzzard Undergraduate Scholarship – awarded to a college senior for use toward graduate school expenses
The Buzzard Graduate Scholarship – awarded to a continuing graduate student
The Maxfield Scholarship – awarded to a junior or senior with either career or graduate school aspirations
The Richason Scholarship – awarded to a junior or senior with either career or graduate school aspirations
The Rechlin Scholarship – to a junior or senior with either career or graduate school aspirations
The evaluation committee reviews each scholarship application with particular attention to the following items: cumulative GPA, geography GPA, letters of recommendation, applicant’s contribution to local GTU chapter and the department, as well as the applicant’s own appraisal of how the scholarship will help him or her personally and professionally.
