The governing body of the Scottish Rite is the Supreme Council. It is composed of active and deputy members of the 35 states and several overseas jurisdictions that make up the Southern Jurisdiction. Each state or jurisdiction that belongs to the Southern Jurisdiction is called an Orient. The local Scottish Rite body is called a Valley. Each Valley has up to four Scottish Rite bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. In the Southern Jurisdiction, these are:
- Lodge of Perfection (4°–14°)
- Chapter of Rose Croix (15°–18°)
- Council of Kadosh (19°–30°)
- Consistory (31°–32°).
The Supreme Council confers the 33°, Inspector General Honorary every odd-numbered year.