Duke Economics

• Paths to the Honors Thesis
• Suggested Course Flow
• Requirements
• Deadlines
• Best Thesis Prize
• Honors Thesis Poster Session

"The purpose of an honors program is to provide the student with the opportunity to engage in a meaningful, sustained research experience leading to the production of an honor's thesis."

An "honor's thesis" is a research paper completed during the senior year of the economics major. It represents a degree of research and critical thinking sufficiently complex and sophisticated to require two to three semesters' worth of work. The thesis is planned, researched, drafted, and revised over the course of two to three semesters, using research tools and techniques commensurate with an undergraduate B.S. degree.

A "meaningful, sustained research experience" includes participation in a research community. This research community is made up of one's peers and mentors. Thus, participation requires engaging in the give and take of the research process - critiquing work through individual interactions with peers and mentors and by presenting one's work in both informal and formal settings.

Paths to the Honors Thesis

To be considered for Graduation with Distinction in Economics, students must pursue one of two paths outlined below.

Path 1:  Honors Research Workshops 

Economics 198S/495S and 199S/496S allow students to choose their own research topics and help students identify and narrow the topic, as well as a secondary faculty advisor who is specialized in the field of the thesis topic.  Economics 198S/495S and 199S/496S are both offered each semester.  Hence students can start working on their thesis either in their Junior or Senior year.  Economics 201S/480S and 202S/486S are specialized in Finance and topics are suggested by the professors.  Econ 201S/480S is offered only in the Spring and is followed by Econ 202S/486S.  Hence, this series needs to be started in one's junior year.

(Note:  There are some advantages to starting in your Junior year, namely that it gives students the summer to gather additonal data, undertake surveys, etc. that Seniors might not have sufficient time to do.)

Path 2:  Independent Study

Students may also pursue Graduation with Distinction by enlisting the approval of a specific faculty member (through submission of an approval form to the Director of Undergraduate Studies) indicating that the faculty member is willing to work with the student in his/her senior year in an independent study format to produce an honors thesis. Students choosing this path enroll in a Research Independent Study (Economics 193/394) in the fall of their senior year, under the instruction of the mentoring faculty member. In the spring of their senior year, students may enroll in either Honors Research Independent Study (Economics 204/493) or Honors Seminar II (Economics 199S/496S) with the signature of their faculty mentor and the approval of the 199S/496S instructor (which is gained by submission of a satisfactory thesis proposal). Economics 193/394, 199S/496S and 204/493 can count as electives.  

 Suggested Course Flow for Honors Students

Requirements

A student will be awarded Distinction upon graduation if he/she has satisfied all of the following requirements:

1. A minimum GPA of 3.3 in the major and 3.3 overall (to determine your Economics GPA, use the following grade scale, averaging grades only from classes with the pre-fix "Economics" or those that are directly cross-listed with an Economics Course (i.e. Public Policy 165/288 = Economics 165/355);

2. Completion of five electives, commensurate with an undergraduate A.B. or B.S. degree, with courses from Path 1 and 2 counted toward electives;

3. Completion of an honors paper with a minimum grade of B+ determined by the primary instructor and confirmed by an outside reader if taking path 1.   If taking paths 2 or 3, the Honors committee will determine if the honors thesis qualifies for graduation with distinction.  

A student will be awarded High Distinction upon graduation if he/she has satisfied all of the requirements for Distinction and his/her honors thesis is selected by our Honors committee from among nominated theses.

In recognition of the strong independent research dimension required of a successful honors thesis, a student will be awarded Research Distinction upon graduation if the Honors committee determines his/her thesis qualifies for graduation with distinction regardless of whether or not the student meets the University and departmental GPA standards for graduation with distinction. These students will be recognized in the departmental graduation program.

Economics Grade Scale to Determine GPA for Honors

Deadlines

Fall 2011 graduates wishing to pursue Graduation with Distinction must file an Honors Candidate Application Form with the EcoTeach Center by March 4, 2011. For entrance to Econ 199S/496S in Fall 2011, students must either have taken Econ 198S/495S, or submitted an acceptable thesis proposal to the 199S/496S instructor,

Current theses are due to the EcoTeach Center by noon on April 16, 2012. Candidates must submit four paper copies of their thesis and one electronic copy in Adobe (.pdf) format.  E-copies should be submitted via the electronic submission form for the final thesis submission. For complete submission and specifications details, consult the established Standards for Honors Papers.

N.B. Students who matriculated before Fall 2006 are not fully bound by these requirements. Their requirements are indicated in the Undergraduate Bulletin for the year in which they entered Duke University.