Departmental Honors Program

Departmental Honors Program

Admission

For admission to the Departmental Honors Program in Economics, the following criteria must be met:

1. A minimum GPA of 3.5 in economics courses, including required statistics and mathematics courses. Borderline cases may be settled by the DUS with consent of the chair. Students with a minor in economics are not eligible for departmental honors.
2. Consent of a faculty advisor in the Economics Department to oversee the thesis.
3. Submission of an appropriate application during the spring semester of the junior year.
4. Completion of EC 204 or EC 224 prior to taking EC 401 is required.

Qualified students interested in earning honors distinction should contact the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies, professor Todd Idson, no later than the second semester of their junior year. Refer to the application for more details.

Graduation

To graduate with honors in the major, the following criteria must be met:

1. Honors work involves the completion of 2 semesters of research and writing, for 8 credits, by registering in EC 401 and EC 402 (completion will fulfill two of the required five economics electives in the major). The final grade for this coursework will be determined by the thesis advisor.
2. The attainment of honors requires the writing of a high-quality research paper based on a topic chosen by the student (and refined in discussions with an advisor), and its defense in front of the faculty advisor and two other faculty readers (the “defense committee”).
3. The evaluation of the honors thesis, and determination of whether or not the student will receive honors, will be done by the defense committee. Completion of a thesis does not automatically entitle the student to honors even though credit will still be received for completion of EC 401 and EC 402.
4. Admission into the honors program and conduct of honors projects will be overseen by the DUS in coordination with the chair.

Sample Program

The following is a typical program for an Economics major:

• 9 optional courses in economics or other disciplines
• 6 divisional studies courses; two courses each in the areas of humanities, natural sciences (one natural science course must have a laboratory component), and mathematics/computer science for those students who entered CAS in or after the Fall 1995 Semester. Information on which courses fulfill the divisional studies requirement may be found in the Undergraduate Programs Bulletin. Students who entered the College of Arts & Sciences prior to the Fall 1995 Semester should refer to the Undergraduate Programs Bulletin issued in the year of their entrance to the College for information on specific divisional studies requirements
• Freshman year: EC 101, 102, MA 121, WR 100/150, 4 other courses**
• Sophomore year: EC 201, 202, 203, 204, 4 other courses**
• Junior/senior years: 6 courses from EC 320 to 599, 10 other courses**

**These 19 other courses generally include 4 courses in a foreign language (unless waived)