A student should begin their honors thesis in the spring of their junior year, although it is also possible to begin in the fall of their senior year. This particularly important for students hoping to collect their own data, to graduate early, or wishing to go part time in the spring of their senior year.
Core economics courses (ECON 101, 201D, 204D, 205D, and 210D) are prerequisites for the Honors seminars (Econ 495 and Econ 496) so you should finish these courses as early as possible in your studies. You will not be allowed to register for an Honors seminar if you have not already completed Econ 204 Econometrics Data Science.
An honors student’s primary thesis advisor should ideally be a regular rank faculty member with a primary appointment in the Economics Department. If a student wishes to work with a primary advisor outside of the Economics Department, they must have a secondary advisor that is a regular rank faculty member with a primary appointment in the Economics Department.
Students are also encouraged to investigate participation in faculty-led research projects within the Duke Economic Analytics Laboratory (DEAL). Research within these projects can also serve as the foundation for an honors thesis.
The department hosts an Honors Thesis Poster Session every April the evening before LDOC. Those considering doing an honors thesis are encouraged to attend to get a sense of what thesis research is and how wide ranging the topics are.
Path to the Honors Thesis
The traditional path to completion of the honors thesis is through the two-semester Honors Seminar Sequence (Econ 495 and Econ 496). Alternatively, students may do any two semester combination of Econ 495, Econ 496, or Honors Research Independent Studies (Econ 493 and 494) with a faculty member willing to work with the student for two semesters to guide the student through the research needed to produce an honors thesis. Approval by the faculty is demonstrated through submission of an approval form.
Students should begin this process in the spring semester of their junior year. Again, all core courses are prerequisites for Econ 495/496 and should therefore be completed before the spring of junior year.
Honors Info Session
March 27, 2025 5pm, Soc Sci 139
Recording of the Spring, '24 Info Session (note that two credits in any combination of Econ 495, 496, 493, and 494 are required)
Distinction (or High Distinction) in Economics
- Student has a minimum 3.3 GPA both in economics and overall; has completed an undergraduate B.A. or B.S. degree, including two honors courses from Econ 495, 496, 493, and 494; and has been approved by the Honors Committee for qualification of Graduation with Distinction.
- Student will be awarded High Distinction upon satisfying the requirements for Distinction and their honors thesis is selected by the Honors Committee for High Distinction from among the nominated theses.
A fundamental feature of research, as opposed to classroom learning, is that it is independent and self-motivated. At the same time, researchers continually share thoughts and ideas with colleagues. At Duke Economics, as at most research-oriented economics departments, field workshops are one of the more consistent and structured venues through which research ideas are developed, disseminated, dissected, and refined.
Part of our efforts to create a "meaningful, sustained research experience" for our undergraduates includes participation in a research community of peers and mentors. We introduce this tradition to undergraduates with our Honors Research Workshops (ECON 495S, 496S). The Honors Research Workshops encourage the interchange of research ideas, problems, and strategies among undergraduates and faculty that is similar to the sort of interchange that occurs between graduate students and faculty. Resultant research projects may be written up as honors theses.