Lambda Pi Eta was founded in 1985.  It became an affiliate of SCA in 1988.  The present inclusion of the honor society as an official element of SCA gives a new credibility to the society.  It also brings about changes in both the chapter operation and student membership requirements.  Lambda Pi Eta will operate as an honor society in the image of those organizations which belong to The Association of College Honor Societies.  With that in mind, the entrance requirements reflect the honor of membership.  To gain recognition the student must be an academic honor student and actively involved in the field of communication studies.

To become a member of a Lambda Pi Eta chapter, students must:

-have completed 60 semester hours, though they may be considered for affiliation before completing the necessary number of hours:

-have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for all courses taken:

-have a communication studies GPA of at least 3.25:

-academically be in the upper 35% of their class:

-have completed the equivalent of 12 semester hours in communication studies course work:

-currently be enrolled as a full-time student in good standing, as determined by the institution's policies:

-should have displayed commitment to the field of speech communication (criteria for displaying commitment to the field will be determined by individual chapters).

-new members are inducted annually each Fall.

Students who are members of Lambda Pi Eta and transfer to another school which has a chapter will automatically be considered a member.  Local chapters have the option of increasing the national requirements and interpreting the national guidelines for transfer students and in special cases.  Student membership in Lambda Pi Eta does not entitle the student to automatic membership in SCA.  A student who is interested in affiliating with SCA must enroll and pay the fee for SCA student membership.