Information Sheet for

ECONOMICS DEPARTMENTAL HONORS

(2008-2009)

Honors in economics is awarded on the basis of completed research, which is typically presented in the form of an honors thesis representing two semesters of work done in Economics 409 and 410.

Eligibility:
All candidates for honors should have a B+ average in their economics courses prior to their senior year and a three-year cumulative average of B or better for all courses.  A student who does not meet this requirement may petition the department for an exception; the petition must be signed by the student and by a faculty member who has agreed to supervise the project and is willing to sign a statement concerning the research strengths of the student and the feasibility of the project.

Department Procedures:  (Candidates are also responsible for adhering to all the requirements of the Honors College.)

1.   All seniors who wish to become candidates for honors should submit a one to two page statement of the thesis question to the department office by noon on Wednesday, October 8.  They should also submit a three to five page Research Prospectus consisting of a clear statement of what is to be accomplished, a detailed outline of the research, an explanation of its methodology, and a bibliography, to the department office by noon on December 3, 2008.
 

2.       Each candidate will give an Oral Presentation summarizing research in progress and outlining the major problems to be resolved in order to bring the research to a successful conclusion at an Economics Department session in early December (tentatively schedule for December 10).  Subsequent to the oral presentation, the tutor, after consulting with department faculty, will provide the student with departmental feedback on the research project.
 

3.       Students who have not taken Economics 409 may, with departmental approval, become candidates for honors by expanding work begun as a research paper in any upper-tier elective economics course completed before the second semester of the senior year.  These candidates are also expected to submit a statement of the thesis question and research prospectus by the deadlines listed above and to offer an oral presentation at the department session in December.  Once they have each identified a thesis tutor, these candidates will enroll in Economics 410 in the spring semester.  Only in extremely exceptional cases, with departmental approval, may a student become a candidate for honors on the basis of research without having followed either this track or the usual Economics 409-Economics 410 track.
 

4.       In all cases, in order to be evaluated for departmental honors, the candidate must submit the thesis to the Honors College by the deadline they set (based on last year's schedule, this will probably be April 13, 2009).  The thesis will be evaluated by the department based on the recommendations of a reading committee.  The thesis will be read by a minimum of two anonymous faculty members in addition to the tutor.  A candidate for honors may be awarded Pass, Honors or High Honors.  Because the Economics Department policy is to judge the research on its merits, a thesis that is an expanded version of an upper-tier elective research paper is judged by the same criteria as a thesis produced in a two-semester honors tutorial.
 

5.       All recipients of Honors or High Honors are obliged to present a brief summary of their work to faculty and students at an Economics Department poster session on May 6, 2009.

ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT THESIS TIMETABLE