Economics Departmental Honors Program
Overview
The Economics Departmental Honors Program offers outstanding economics majors, typically in their junior or senior year, the opportunity to conduct original research under faculty mentorship. After consulting with a faculty member willing to supervise their research, students must enroll in two additional courses beyond the major requirements: ECON 498 - Reading for Honors in semester one and ECON 499 - Senior Honors Thesis in the subsequent semester.
Students will work with their faculty mentor to determine the requirements and structure of their year-long project, which typically culminates in a research paper and/or presentation that includes theoretical analysis, empirical work, or both.
Students should expect to dedicate 9 – 15 hours per week throughout the academic year to complete their honors project. This is equivalent to a 3-4 credit course each semester.
Eligibility Requirements for Departmental Honors
To be accepted into the departmental honors program, students must:
- Be an economics major with junior or senior-standing
- Have at least two semesters left to graduate
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20
- Have earned at least a C in ECON 309: Introductory Statistics and Econometrics
- Obtain approval by an economics faculty member who is willing to supervise their research for the year
Requirements to Graduate with Economics Departmental Honors
To graduate with departmental honors, a student must:
- Earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 (university-level requirement)
- Earn a GPA of at least a 3.5 in ECON coursework (including honors)
- Successfully complete ECON 498 and ECON 499
- Demonstrate academic distinction through their honors-level work as determined by the faculty mentor
The faculty mentor determines at what level (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude) departmental honors are awarded.
Getting Started
Students should begin the process of choosing a topic and identifying an economics faculty mentor no later than their junior year.
When reaching out to a faculty member, search for those that have research experience in the topic you are interested and are able to commit to the one-year requirement. In addition, it is recommend that students develop a 1–2 page draft summary of their proposed honors project, intended project timeline, and any relevant coursework or previous research experience.
Prior to committing, the student and faculty mentor should establish clear expectations for the work including but not limited to the project timeline, expected deliverables, evaluation criteria, and communication.
Upon committing, the faculty mentor will notify the Economics Department Administrator to add ECON 498 and ECON 499 to the official UNM Schedule so the student can register for the correct course.
