The economics major offers multiple paths to departmental honors. Students can choose between an individual EC 401 research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor or group projects in a dedicated honors course series (EC 418/419). EC 401 honors projects can be initiated or completed in any quarter, whereas EC 418/419 is only offered in certain terms. Many of our departmental honors recipients have gone on to competitive graduate programs.
Qualified students may apply to graduate with honors in economics. Two (2) requirements must be met:
- Completion of upper-division economics courses with at least a 3.50 GPA.
- Completion of a research paper, written under the guidance of an economics faculty member, for four (4) credits in research (EC 401). Both electronic and hard copy versions of the completed paper must be approved and signed by the faculty adviser. An electronic copy should also be submitted to economics@uoregon.edu no later than 5pm on the Friday before finals week.
Students who intend to satisfy these requirements should notify economics@uoregon.edu early in the term in which they intend to graduate.
Only completion of either EC 401 or EC 418 & 419 will qualify a student for economics departmental honors.
Economics 401
Students interested in the 401 research path to honors should consider their research topic and contact the appropriate faculty mentor well in advance of the desired term. This is often the preferred path to departmental honors for students whose interests lie outside the realm of community analysis in the EC 418-419 series. Prospective honors students should consider the faculty with whom they have already taken economics classes, and may also refer to the department's directory for more information about each faculty member's research in the field. If a student is unsure which member of the faculty would be best suited to advise, they are welcome to reach out to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Dan O'Neil for guidance. Only a tenure track faculty member in the Department of Economics may supervise EC 401 Research credits.
Economics 418-419 (not offered during 2024-2025 academic year)
Economic Analysis of Community Issues is a research class where students do hands-on applied economic analysis either for local community groups or on a topic of community interest. The objective of the course is to have students complete a research paper that provides them with some practical experience applying skills in economics and statistics and give the local community or state a finished research project that provides them useful answers to questions that matter for their decision-making.
The completed projects are intended to satisfy the research component of the department’s requirements for graduating with honors. The class is small and involves intensive interaction with UO economics professors. This course is designed as a capstone for students who want to graduate with honors. Enrollment is by permission only.
The course begins winter quarter, when invited community speakers give talks about their potential projects, and the instructors discuss research methods and relevant aspects of benefit-cost analysis and econometrics. Students start their projects at the end of winter, and can expect to devote considerable time during spring quarter to data collection, analysis, and writing. The finished project includes delivery of a finished paper, and a presentation to interested community members.