The National STEM Honor Society™ (NSTEM™) has established minimum annual (past 12 months) requirements for student members as follows:
- GPA (STEM Classes Only)
- Classroom STEM Hours (annual) as determined by the Chapter Advisor
- Project-based learning enrichment hours (annual) as determined by the Chapter Advisor
Chapters may increase those requirements, if they wish, provided any changes are consistent with the NSTEM Constitution. Please note that, pursuant to the NSTEM Constitution, a Chapter may not impose academic standards or requirements for non-STEM courses or programming.
A student who has not yet completed the required number of hours of academic curriculum or enrichment activities can join NSTEM as a provisional member which will allow the student to participate in NSTEM while completing their hours.
The NSTEM student member minimum requirements through the Pre-K to Career™ journey are:
More Detail on Minimum Requirements:
GPA in STEM Classes Only: Student members must maintain an average grade of 85 or a B, 3.0 on a 4.0 score, or equivalent standard of excellence as per the latest grading period in all STEM courses. The Chapter Advisor determines which classes qualify for STEM classroom hours. There are no grade minimums on non-STEM courses. A Chapter may require a higher level of academic performance in STEM disciplines.
STEM Classroom Hours (Annual): As determined by the Chapter Advisor, based upon the previous 12 months (or shorter if the hours are achieved sooner), the student must complete the minimum number of classroom STEM hours as shown in the graphic above. A student who has not yet completed the required number of classroom STEM hours can join NSTEM as a provisional member while working toward meeting the requirements for full membership. It’s important to note that all academic classes are essential for student development, but NSTEM only considers STEM classes to meet the minimum requirements mentioned above!
PBL and Enrichment Hours (Annual): Each grade level of NSTEM has required hours and enrichment activities its members must engage in in order to remain an active member of their chapter. As determined by the Chapter Advisor, based upon the previous 12 months (or shorter if the hours are achieved sooner), members must participate in the required STEM-related extracurricular enrichment activities. We believe enrichment hours should emphasize Project Based Learning (PBL) designed to increase a student’s excitement, knowledge of and engagement in STEM related topics. A student who has not yet completed the required number of enrichment hours can join NSTEM as a provisional member while working toward meeting the requirements for full membership.
- Enrichment activities may be sponsored by the Chapter or any other organization or group, provided that the activity has been pre-approved by the Chapter Advisor and is age and content appropriate. Individual Global Members may have activities sponsored to count toward their enrichment hours as well. All sponsored activities must meet the quality and relevance standards set by NSTEM to ensure they are suitable for participants.
- Enrichment hours can be obtained throughout the year including vacation and summer months.
- Examples of qualified STEM enrichment activities include: Examples of qualified STEM enrichment activities include: science fairs, field trips, competitions, math contests, STEM-related clubs, (e.g. science, math, cyber, Lego, robotics), Science Olympiad, state-based programs (e.g. Universal Interscholastic League) tutoring students in STEM, coding, individual and group STEM projects, authentic research, experiments, workshops, attending a lecture or film on STEM topics, STEM camps, guest speakers, Chapter meetings, working at a STEM-related internship/job, drone and gaming technologies, computer sciences, etc.
Your school or Chapter does not need to offer all the hours, that would be a difficult task indeed! Members just need to engage in these hours outside of their regular classes throughout the year, even in the summer! Most STEM engaged students are already engaged in far more than the minimum!
Organization Sponsored Chapters: Chapters sponsored by organizations will adhere to membership requirements for the grade level of their participating students, as outlined above.
Student Conduct: Members must conduct themselves in a manner that is acceptable to the guidelines of the educational institution.
Schools Without Letter Grades: In schools that do not give letter or number grades, written teacher recommendations will be the alternative criteria considered.
