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Honors Program

The Honors program is designed to encourage a more intensive study of economics than is required for the typical major, with course and research work of exceptional quality.

  • Students graduate with a BA or BS in Economics with Honors which is noted on their diplomas and transcripts.
  • Honors students gain experience by presenting in the Honors Research Symposium during spring quarter.
  • Prizes are available for students who give extraordinary oral presentations.

Requirements

Complete all requirements for the economics major, plus 5 additional units.

For a total of 85 units for the BAH and 90 units for the BSH. All units must be completed by the end of senior year.

ECON 102B and at least 2 additional upper division Econ courses

Complete Econ 102B and at least two additional upper division Econ courses relevant to the proposed topic of the honors thesis, by the end of junior year.

Achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher

A grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 is required for the units required for the Economics major. Units of 199D or 139D do not count in the computation of the GPA requirement for honors. 

The GPA will be calculated at two points: 

  1. When the student applies to the honor program, and 
  2. At the end of the quarter in which the student graduates. 

If the GPA is below 3.5 at the end of the quarter in which the student graduates, the student will have to drop honors. 

Enroll in 1-9 units of ECON 199D with Thesis Advisor

Candidates must enroll in their thesis advisor’s section of Econ 199D for one to nine units of credit. Students should talk with their thesis advisor and the Director of the Honors Program before deciding how to allocate Econ 199D units among the three quarters of their senior academic year. At least 5 units of Econ 199D need to be completed in order to satisfy the major's Writing in the Major requirement. 

Enroll in 1 unit of ECON 199D with the Honors Program Director

Additionally, in winter quarter of senior year, enroll in one unit of the Director of the Honors Program’s Econ 199D section (199D-20).

Write and Present and Honors Thesis

Candidates must write and present an honors thesis in their senior year. The thesis must be of very high quality and written under the direction of a member of the department or its affiliated faculty. 

The successful completion of an honors thesis and at least five units of credit in the Econ 199D section of the thesis advisor may replace the requirement for Econ 101, as long as the number of units is the same (85 unit for the BAH or 90 units for the BSH).

Please read the Honors Thesis Research Syllabus for the full list of requirements.

It is important to note that the honors program lasts one academic year. The normal cycle is from Autumn to Spring of senior year (three quarters). Occasionally, a student may start their honors program off cycle. The Director of the Honors Program decides whether a student can start the honors program off cycle, or whether an honors student will be granted an exception for an additional quarter to finish their honors thesis on a case-by-case basis. See Honors Thesis Research Syllabus linked above for more details

How to Apply

Deadline

Honors applications are due by the third Wednesday of Autumn quarter of a student's senior year

Submission Process

Prospective honors candidates must submit their materials to the Undergraduate Student Services Officer, through the Honors Application Form by the deadline. The following are required.

Application Materials

Signed application

The application must be signed by the thesis advisor and Honors Program Director. 

Project Description and Timeline

Include a one-page description of the proposed thesis topic plus a one-page proposed timeline. These should be uploaded to the electronic application.

Declare in Axess

Visit Axess to declare the Econ BAH.

Interested Juniors

Juniors interested in the honors program are urged to talk to the department's Honors Program Director, marcelo [at] stanford.edu (subject: Interested%20in%20Econ%20Honors%20Program) (Marcelo Clerici-Arias), at the beginning of Autumn quarter.

Funding

Some funds are available to finance Honors research expenses. These competitive grants must be applied for in advance of the academic year in which the research is undertaken.