econ honors thesis umich

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The LSA Honors Program selects graduating Honors students, nominated by their department of Honors major, to receive awards for producing outstanding senior theses or projects or for overall excellence in their discipline. These honorary awards, established by alumni and friends of Honors, are named for notable individuals, many who have made important contributions to their fields of study.

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Nomination Information

The nomination deadline for departments is at midnight on 4/8/24.

Each award requires a department nomination. Student self-nominations will not be considered.

December 2023 graduates are eligible to be nominated in 2024.

Departments:  Submit nomination materials via the  Honors Graduation Awards Nomination form .

When submitting theses for award consideration, please name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example:  mmanty.pdf

Be sure to review the award drop-down boxes for:

-Eligibility requirements specific to each award

-Nomination requirements specific to each award

Questions? Email  [email protected]

Virginia L. Voss Memorial Award - Recognizes excellence in writing by Senior Honors women.

Eligibility requirements:

The  Virginia L. Voss Memorial Awards  for excellence in writing by senior Honors women were established in memory of the late Ms. Voss, an Honors graduate in the 1950s and college editor at Mademoiselle Magazine. These awards are given to graduating Honors women who display writing talent in one (or more) of the four categories listed below. Award amounts vary (~$1,000), and there is no set number of prizes. The four prize categories are: (1) academic writing (2) journalism (3) poetry (4) creative prose.

Application requirements:

• A departmental representative (e.g. Department Chair, Associate Chair, Honors Concentration Director, Faculty member, or Advisor) must nominate/endorse a student. The letter of endorsement should describe the quality of the nominee’s work and provide the context for the evaluation.

• If a department nominates more than one student, only one letter comparing all the nominees and providing information about their work is required (i.e., we do not need a separate letter for each student).

• In all cases, the nominee’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf.

Kennedy Memorial Awards - Recognize excellence in writing and scholarship by outstanding students in the junior or senior class.

John P. Kennedy, an alumnus of the Honors Program, has provided generous gifts to acknowledge and support excellence in writing and scholarship, particularly in poetry and women’s issues. Winners receive a signed certificate and a cash award of $1500. 

Patricia Kennedy Prize: Named in honor of Mr. Kennedy’s mother, this award is given with preference for students working in English literature or women’s issues: any student whose work touches on these fields may be nominated for this award, no matter the major department or gender. 

Dr. John J. Kennedy Prize: Named in honor of Mr. Kennedy’s father, this award is given to acknowledge and support excellence in poetry, creative writing, and scholarship about literature for an outstanding student in the Honors Program.

• A letter from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor describing student’s demonstrated achievements and potential for continued excellence in relevant fields, in course work, research, and thesis is required.

• A letter from student’s thesis advisor supporting the nomination is also welcomed.

• Student’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf.

Note to nominators: Please note the specific category you have in mind, but if you think a student is eligible for more than one prize, or you’re not sure which one to use, don’t worry: we will transfer nominations to the category we find most appropriate.

Terrence J. McDonald Prize for Archival Research - Recognizes the "finest thesis making substantial use of archives or museums."

This award is specifically “for the finest thesis which made substantial use of archives or museums.”  Endowed by Honors alumnus John A. Rapaport, this award may be given to a student in any field of study. The winner will receive a signed certificate and a cash award of $1500.

• A letter from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor describing student’s demonstrated achievements and potential for continued excellence in either or both relevant fields, in course work, research, and thesis is required.

Elizabeth Hume O’Donnell Honors Graduation Prize - Recognizes outstanding Honors students majoring in fields related to Neuroscience.

The Elizabeth Hume O'Donnell Honors Graduation Prize was established by Professor Richard Hume, Academic Program Director of the University of Michigan Neuroscience Program and Chair of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in LSA, in memory of his sister, Elizabeth Hume O'Donnell, who was a student in the LSA Honors Program. These awards are given to outstanding Honors students majoring in fields related to Neuroscience.

• A letter from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor describing student’s demonstrated achievements and potential for continued excellence in the field, in course work, and in research.

• Student’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf.

Goldstein Prize for Honors Seniors - Recognizes outstanding students who are graduating with Honors

Thanks to a generous gift by the Goldstein family, we have 9 awards of $1500, each in a different field of endeavor named for someone with UM connections who is famous in that field. These prizes are not solely thesis prizes, but recognize overall excellence, or demonstrated potential for excellence, in the various fields of endeavor.

• Robert Hayden Humanities Award • Marshall Sahlins Social Science Award • Jerome and Isabella Karle Physical Sciences Award (astronomy, earth sciences, chemistry, physics) • Stephen Smale Mathematics Award (mathematics, statistics, and computer science) • Marshall Nirenberg Life Sciences Award (biology, neuroscience, BCN) • Arthur Miller Creative Arts Award • Gerald Ford Public Service Award • Sidney Fine Teaching Award • Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award

At least two letters are required:

• One from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor addressing student’s achievements and his/her potential for continued excellence, and,

• One from student’s thesis advisor or Honors Math advisor also addressing the above qualities.

• Additional letters from faculty attesting to student’s breadth of achievement are welcomed.

• Student’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination).  Nominations of Mathematics students do not require theses. When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf. 

Note to nominators : Please note the specific category you have in mind, but if you think a student is eligible for more than one prize, or you’re not sure which one to use, don’t worry: we will transfer nominations to the category we find most appropriate.

Ferrando Prize - Recognizes an outstanding student in economics.

Named for Jonathan and Kathryn Ferrando, this prize is awarded each year to the outstanding graduates in Economics, as determined by the Department of Economics. Mr. Ferrando is a UM Honors Economics graduate.

Roger B. Vanko Memorial Scholarship - Recognizes chemistry majors pursuing graduate work in the field.

Named for the late Roger B. Vanko, this award is presented each year to an outstanding Honors student majoring in chemistry who intends to pursue graduate work in that field, as administered by the Department of Chemistry.

Honors Alumni Prize - Recognizes sterling service within the Honors program.

Generous donations from Honors alumni fund the Honors Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement. The Honors Program identifies and selects an excellent Honors student who, in addition to significant academic success, has given sterling service to the program, the college, and the university.

Donna Wessel Walker Award - Recognizes Honors Program student mentorship.

To honor Donna Wessel Walker's tireless and meaningful service to Honors students and to the Honors Program over many years, the Honors Alumni Council, with generous support from Honors alumni, established the Donna Wessel Walker Award. The Honors Program identifies and selects an Honors RA, an Honors Peer Mentor, or any Honors student whose involvement with other Honors students and dedication to the goals of the program as a whole, even if in an unofficial capacity, are reflective of Donna's qualities: her personal warmth, her unstinting optimism, her generosity of spirit, and her seemingly limitless supply of encouragement for Honors students in their lives both inside and outside of the classroom. 

H.D. Cameron Prize - Recognizes excellence in Honors teaching.

The Honors Program solicits nominations for outstanding teaching by GSI/LEO instructors who teach Honors Core or Great Books courses. The award is named in honor of Professor H.D. Cameron, whose long tradition of life-changing teaching continues to inspire pedagogical excellence. For more information, contact Lisa Broome (lbroome). 

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FROM STUDY TO SKILLS

All academic programs offered at the UM help students develop valuable transferable skills. As a social science, Economics is concerned with people in their roles as economic decision makers. Economics majors examine economic systems and the problems that arise within these systems in the use of physical or human capital. A strong grounding in both the theoretical and applied aspects of economics allows students to use their knowledge to predict future economic behavior, and provides a basis for proposing economic policy.

Economics concentrators gain knowledge of economic institutions and an understanding of complex economic systems and develop powerful analytical skills, a strong quantitative background, and clarity and precisions of expression.

Related fields include Political Science, Public Policy, History, Philosophy, Mathematics, Statistics, and Business.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Problems-solving skills.

Assessing needs Defining problems Reviewing/evaluating goals Relating theory to practice Projecting/forecasting results Applying quantitative analysis Generating solutions Evaluating policies

Research / Analytical Skills

Testing an idea/hypothesis Applying statistical methods Analyzing results Computing data Generating/developing ideas Designing projects

Communication Skills

Writing reports/articles Summarizing Writing proposals Reading and interpreting reports /statements Speaking persuasively Explaining ideas/goals Justifying a position

Financial Skills

Performing cost/benefit analyses Manipulating numerical data Tabulating figures Creating and evaluating financial reports/statements Developing budgets

BUILDING YOUR SKILLS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Employers seek out individuals who can demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills, initiative, and a strong work ethic. Student organizations and campus employment offer valuable opportunities to add to the skills you are developing in your classes. Most concentrations sponsor specific student groups like an undergraduate organization or an honor society. Other options include study abroad, off-campus employment or volunteering in the community. Finally, a summer internship may be the best way of all to test out a career field and develop marketable skills.

FROM SKILLS TO CAREER

Economics concentrators develop both general and technical skills applicable to a wide range of careers. For example, research and analytical skills may be equally useful whether working as an investment banker, urban planner, or technical writer.

Michigan economics graduates have gone on to successful careers in business, government, law, and education.  Many concentrators go on to graduate or professional school. The list below is a sample of careers undertaken by Economics graduates.

Commodities broker Bank management trainee Trust administrator Investment banker Trader Federal Reserve Bank Economist Financial planner Retail buyer Actuarial assistant Strategic planner Tax auditor

Problem-Solving Skills

For more career information, see O*Net at http://online.onetcenter.org/

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites : ECON 101 and 102 and MATH 115, each completed with a grade of C or better. One of the Honors alternatives to MATH 115 may be substituted for MATH 115. MATH 120 may not be substituted for MATH 115. MATH 116, 121, 156, 185, 186, 215, 216, 255, 256, 285, 286, 295, or 296 may be substituted for MATH 115.

To declare an Economics major, schedule an appointment with an Economics Department advisor. Students must complete the prerequisites to the major before declaring and must have a GPA of 2.0 or better in the major.

Students with a serious interest in the study of economics are strongly encouraged to continue the study of calculus beyond MATH 115. MATH 116, 215, and 217, or their Honors alternatives, are recommended for students with an interest in quantitative economics. Note that MATH 116 (Calculus II) is a prerequisite for ECON 451 and that MATH 215 (Calculus III) and MATH 217 (Linear Algebra) are prerequisites for ECON 453.

General requirements: An economics major must include a minimum of 29 credits, distributed as follows:

• ECON 401, completed with a minimum grade of C– or better
• ECON 402, completed with a minimum grade of C– or better

ECON 401 should be elected before ECON 402.

• STATS 250 or 426, or ECON 451, or ECON 453; completed with a minimum grade of C– or better
• ECON 251, or ECON 452, or ECON 454; completed with a minimum grade of C– or better

Students with a serious interest in economic research should elect the advanced sequence, ECON 453 and 454. These courses aim to develop deep, foundational understanding of the empirical methods used in economics. This sequence will be especially useful to students intending to apply to doctoral programs in economics or finance.

ECON 401 and 402, and ECON 250, 251, 451, 452, 453, and 454 do not count toward the elective requirement for the major.

All students intending to major or minor in economics are urged to complete the core requirements in economic theory and in statistics and econometrics before the second term of the junior year.

Ann Arbor campus requirement: Any courses for themajor can be taken outside the Ann Arbor campus of the University should be approved in advance by an economics department advisor.

At least 12 credits in the major, including ECON 401, ECON 402, and at least three of the credits in upper-level economics electives in courses with ECON 401 or ECON 402 as a prerequisite, muste be taken at the Ann Arbor campus.

Honors Plan

Qualified students are encouraged to consider an Honors plan in Economics. The standards for admission are a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 and evidence of outstanding ability in economics. Application is made and admission is granted to the Honors plan during the first term of the junior year.

Honors majors are required to complete the requirements for a regular major in Economics. An Honors plan must include ECON 451 and 452, or ECON 453 and 454. In addition, Honors majors must complete a senior Honors thesis. The senior Honors thesis includes original work completed by the student under the direction of a faculty advisor and the Director of the Honors Program in Economics. Honors majors are given priority in election of one section of ECON 495 (Seminar in Economics).

Department of Economics

Undergraduate Office 238 Lorch Hall 734-763-9242 www.lsa.umich.edu/econ/undergraduatestudy

Newnan Advising Center 1255 Angell Hall 734-764-0332 www.lsa.umich.edu/advising

NEXT STEPS / RESOURCES

To begin connecting to professionals in fields that interest you, create your own LinkedIn account: www.careercenter.umich.edu/article/getting-started-linkedin

To identify internships or job opportunities, visit Handshake: https://careercenter.umich.edu/article/handshake

On campus jobs (work-study and non work-study jobs) are listed at: https://studentemployment.umich.edu/JobX_Home.aspx

Maize Pages list hundreds of organizations for students to get involved in:  http://studentorgs.umich.edu/maize

The Career Center 3200 Student Activities Building 734-764-7460 www.careercenter.umich.edu www.facebook.com/careercenter.umich http://twitter.com/careercenter

The Career Guide series was developed by the University of Michigan Career Center, Division of Student Affairs, in cooperation with the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. ©2011 Regents of the University of Michigan

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Dissertations and Theses (Ph.D. and Master's)

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Dissertations and theses submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for master's or doctoral degrees at the University of Michigan. This collection also includes theses written by U-M faculty.

Ph.D. dissertations at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor are awarded by the Rackham School of Graduate Studies .

Recent Deposits

Department of Economics

Honors thesis.

• Undergraduate

Junior year is the time to start thinking about eligibility requirements, topics of interest, and potential advisors for an honors thesis.

An Honors Info Session is held each spring to answer junior’s questions about their senior year, and interested students must fill out the  honors thesis form  by the end of junior year.

We strongly encourage students to write an honors thesis. This is very valuable for students interested in graduate school or careers requiring independent research skills, as well as for students interested in tying together their academic experience with an in-depth investigation of one topic.

More than a good course paper

An honors thesis is more than a good course paper. It must represent a substantial effort in research and exposition. A thesis must be an original contribution to knowledge, beyond a simple replication exercise. The department does not specify page lengths, methods, or topics. Instead, an honors thesis candidate should establish his or her goals – and a timeline to meet those goals – in an understanding with the thesis advisor. To see the range of topics and methods prior students have pursued, take a look at  examples of past honor theses here  or by visiting the academic office in person. To find a faculty advisor who would be a good match for your topic of interest, see their research questions  here. 

Requirements

To graduate with honors, students must satisfy the following requirements  by the   end of junior year ,

• Complete at least 70% of the courses required for the concentration.
• Have earned a grade of “A” or “S with distinction” in at least 70% of grades earned in the economics concentration, or 50% in the joint concentrations in APMA-Econ, CS-Econ, and Math-Econ (excluding courses transferred to Brown without a grade, and those taken Spring 2020).
• Economics Concentrators  must find a faculty thesis advisor in the economics department.
• Joint Concentrators  must find a primary faculty thesis advisor in either economics or the partner department. CS-Econ concentrators must have a secondary reader in the other department by the fall of senior year. APMA-Econ and Math-Econ do not require a secondary reader, unless the primary advisor deems it necessary. Joint concentrators need to satisfy the honors requirements of the economics department if their thesis advisor is in the economics department; while they need to satisfy the honors requirements of the partner department if their thesis advisor is in the partner department.

During senior year , thesis writers must:

• Enroll in ECON 1960 in the fall & spring semesters (Note that 1960 does not count as a 1000-level elective for your concentration). A requirement of ECON 1960 will be attendance at one of two lab sessions each week. 
• Submit a thesis proposal to both your thesis advisor and the Undergraduate Programs Coordinator Kelsey Thorpe, [email protected]  (see below for due date).
• Submit their work in progress to their thesis advisor and Kelsey (see below for due date).
• Depending on the nature of the thesis work, the thesis adviser may require the student to successfully complete one or more courses from among the  data methods ,  mathematical economics  and/or  financial economics  course groups in the fall of senior year, if they have not already done so.
• Complete an honors thesis by the deadline agreed upon with their primary advisor and obtain the final approval of their advisor(s) (see below for due date).
• Thesis writers are encouraged, but not required, to participate in the departmental Honors Thesis Presentation session held in May, with a brief presentation of their work and findings.

For students graduating  Spring 2024 :

• Proposal - September 18, 2023
• Work in Progress - December 18, 2023
• Final Draft - April 19, 2024

For students graduating in  Fall 2024*:

• Proposal - February 2, 2024
• Work in Progress - April 25, 2024
• Final Draft - December 10, 2024

For students graduating  Spring 2025 :

• Proposal - September 16, 2024
• Work in Progress - December 16, 2024
• Final Draft - April 18, 2025

For students graduating  Fall 2025 *:

• Proposal - February 7, 2025
• Work in Progress - April 24, 2025
• Final Draft - December 9, 2025

*Note that for the Requirements listed above, "by end of senior year" means by the "end of Fall semester 2023" for Fall 2024 graduates and "end of Fall semester 2024" for Fall 2025 graduates.

More information

For students interested in finding out more, please attend the information session on honors theses that will be given in the middle of every spring semester. For students interested in undertaking research, but not wanting to pursue honors, the department offers  senior capstone options .

Honors Thesis in Economics

ECON 4993: Directed Study is the capstone experience for honors students pursuing BS, BA-Q, or BA degrees in Economics. The thesis project is typically a year-long project undertaken independently, in consultation with a faculty mentor, during your final year of study. The project typically consists of an original research project and report. The nature and scope of the project are determined in consultation with the honors thesis advisor. The honors thesis consists of scholarly work culminating in a written research report and an oral presentation. Occasionally, an honors student completes a comprehensive critical literature review instead.

Getting Started

• Identify an area of interest through coursework, literature reviews, and discussion with instructors, faculty, and/or Economics advisors
• Schedule a meeting with the honors thesis advisor  Professor David Rahman
• Plan to spend two semesters working on your economics thesis, which is the typical time frame for honors students. The first semester will be planning and researching and in the second semester, you will enroll in the course.
• Students are required to have completed at least four upper-division economics courses (including a writing intensive course in economics), two courses in the Statistics sequence, and an Econometrics course (ECON 4211 or ECON 4261) prior to starting your honor thesis.

Enrollment in ECON 4993

• BA and BA-Q students are required to take ECON 4993 if they want their honor thesis to meet the senior capstone requirement. 
• Complete  Honors Thesis Proposal Form  and submit it to your UHP advisor. Complete this form at the same time as your  Student/Faculty Contract .
• Follow these instructions to enroll in ECON 4993 .

Honors Thesis Criteria

cum laude: Complete a senior paper that shows theoretical and/or empirical understanding of the subject. In short, cum laude papers should include original thoughts, arguments with a high degree of rigor.

magna cum laude: These papers should demonstrate that the student can conduct original research in an independent manner. Magna papers show a greater degree of independent thought, and include some original data analysis and/or theoretical innovation.

summa cum laude: Empirical papers should include the collection of data (qualitative or quantitative) and analyze that data with appropriate methods. Theoretical papers should provide an original model or a significant extension of an existing model. Some papers may have both an empirical and a theoretical component. The idea is that these papers are as close as possible to a publishable paper. Summa papers must be submitted to the student's committee and summa candidates are subject to an oral examination.

To be added to the Economics Honors Thesis Canvas module. Please complete this form . The module provides a variety of resources and tips to help you be successful in completing your Honors Thesis in Economics.

Please visit the  University Honors Program website  for the most accurate information on honors requirements for Economics.

Honors Theses

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Five recommended for Spring Commencement honorary degrees

By Katie Kelton The University Record

• Campus News

Five leaders in the fields of writing, medicine, philanthropy and journalism are being recommended for honorary degrees at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus’ 2024 Spring Commencement.

Brad Meltzer, an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction books, will be the main speaker at the May 4 ceremony at Michigan Stadium. He has been recommended for an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

more information

• Spring Commencement

Others recommended for honorary degrees are:

• Alexa I. Canady, groundbreaking neurosurgeon, Doctor of Science.
• Judith and Stanley Frankel, philanthropists, Doctor of Laws.
• Robin D. Givhan, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Doctor of Laws.

Givhan will deliver the address at the Rackham Graduate Exercises on May 3.

The Board of Regents will consider the degree recipients for approval at its March 28 meeting. The following biographical decriptions were drawn from information provided by University and Development Events.

Brad Meltzer

Meltzer is an award-winning, best-selling author in five genres — fiction, non-fiction, advice, children’s books and comic books — and a lifelong champion for the teaching of history. A first-generation college student, he graduated from U-M with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1992.

He has written 13 novels for adults — historically informed legal and political thrillers set in Washington, D.C. — and all have been best sellers. He also has written 38 children’s books, including 33 in the acclaimed “Ordinary People Change the World” series, also known as the “I Am” books.

Each book in that series introduces children to a real-life hero — “I Am Abraham Lincoln,” “I Am Frida Kahlo,” “I Am I.M. Pei” — and explores the hurdles they faced, including issues of identity and culture. With more than 7 million copies in print, his “Ordinary People Change the World” books are considered the No. 1 series for teaching history to this young age group.

A television show based on Meltzer’s books, “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum,” is a four-time Emmy award-nominated program with 28 million viewers. He also used his TV show on the History Channel to help find the missing 9/11 flag that firefighters raised at Ground Zero. His comic book, “Justice League of America,” won the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in 2008.

He is on the boards of the National Archives Foundation and the Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, where he works to ensure the stories of minority recipients of the nation’s highest and most prestigious military decoration are represented.

Meltzer is an ambassador for the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, and with his wife, Cori, co-founded City Year Miami, a branch of the national leadership and civic-action organization for high-school students, to help fund full-time mentors in Miami’s high-need schools. 

Alexa I. Canady

Canady is the nation’s first African American woman to be board-certified in neurosurgery. A two-time U-M graduate — earning a Bachelor of Science in 1971 and a Doctor of Medicine in 1975 — she has also significantly advanced neurological research and championed equitable health care.

She interned at Yale University in 1976 and served a residency at the University of Minnesota in 1981, centering her training on the subspecialty of pediatric neurosurgery. A fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia followed in 1982, and she worked briefly at Henry Ford Hospital.

In 1987, Canady joined Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit as chief of pediatric surgery charged with developing the hospital’s pediatric neurosurgery practice. Later she chaired the hospital’s Board of Trustees.

Her patients were children, usually younger than age 10, who had life-threatening illnesses, gunshot wounds, head trauma, hydrocephaly and other brain injuries and diseases. She and two other physicians hold the patent for a programmable antisiphon shunt to treat hydrocephalus.

While a practicing neurosurgeon, Canady taught at Wayne State University’s medical school, rising to full professor and vice chair of the neurosurgery department. She practiced patient-centered care and promoted equitable health-care access.

She is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery and the American College of Neurosurgery. She was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1989 and is featured in Brian Lanker’s “I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America.”

Other honors include the American Medical Women’s Association’s President’s Award in 1993, the U-M Alumnae Council’s Athena Award for professional excellence and service in 1995, a Detroit News Michiganian of the Year in 2001, and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ Humanitarian Award in 2023.

Judith and Stanley Frankel

For the past 30 years, Judith and Stanley Frankel have seeded innovation and offered institutional leadership for the benefit of the U-M, its students, scholars and the greater community. Many of the Frankels’ contributions have been offered anonymously or, at their request, with minimal fanfare.

Stanley Frankel, who leads a privately held commercial real estate development and management company, graduated from U-M with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1963 and a Master of Business Administration in 1964. Judith Frankel, a small-business owner, attended U-M from 1962-64 and graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in speech pathology.

Since 1995, the couple have sponsored Global Projects, the international equivalent of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business’ signature action-based learning course. Over the decades, some 1,500 students have tackled projects for real-world companies, addressing issues such as market entry, joint ventures and strategic alliances while gaining international, entrepreneurial consulting experience.

The Frankels’ commitment to transformative student learning also prompted investment in the renovation and 7,000-square-foot expansion of U-M’s historic Detroit Observatory, making it a universally accessible teaching center for future scientists, scholars and citizens.

The couple’s funding of the Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center, named for Stanley Frankel’s parents, has supported landmark medical studies and innovative approaches for diagnosis and treatment of patients, improving standards of care and saving lives.

In 2023, their generosity created the Stanley and Judith Frankel Institute for Heart and Brain Health, a research community dedicated to discovering the root causes of heart and brain disease and developing new medical treatments.

Stanley Frankel served as vice chair of the leadership cabinet for The Michigan Difference, a $3.1 billion national capital campaign publicly launched in 2004 to support scholarships, endow professorships, and fund academic programs, facilities      and projects.

The Frankels’ contributions touch all corners of U-M, including LSA’s Michigan Institute for Teaching and Research in Economics and its STAR Program, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the Life Sciences Institute, the Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, and Michigan Hillel, a student support organization.

As chair of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra board from 2009-12, Stanley Frankel guided the orchestra through the Great Recession and subsequent musicians strike to create a blueprint for financial and cultural success.

For the past 13 years, the couple have been primary sponsors of Classical Roots, the DSO’s annual concert showcasing the contributions that African American composers and musicians have made to classical music. They also have funded for many years the orchestra’s summer residency at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Robin D. Givhan

A 1988 U-M graduate, Givhan is senior critic-at-large for The Washington Post , and winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. She is revered for her keen observation and shrewd commentary on American politics, race, business and the arts. She approaches her subjects through the lens of fashion and is the first fashion critic to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Her expansive view of the industry enables her to discuss such topics as the politicization of COVID-19 mask mandates, the disintegration of civility in the U.S. Congress, the transformation of the MAGA hat from swag to tribal identifier, and the appropriate dress for elected officials when representing the U.S. abroad.

Following the murder of George Floyd, she wrote “Fashion’s Racial Reckoning” in 2020, which documented the industry’s discriminatory practices and its efforts to open the fashion design world to people of color.

Givhan is a native Detroiter who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Princeton University and a Master of Arts in journalism at U-M before beginning her career at theDetroit Free Press as a music and nightlife reporter. 

Her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Vogue Italia, British Vogue, Essence, Elle UK, New York, and The New Yorker. Time magazine named her to its list of “ALL-TIME 100 Fashion Icons.”

She has contributed to several books, including “Runway Madness,” “No Sweat: Fashion, Free Trade and the Rights of Garment Workers,” and “Thirty Ways of Looking at Hillary: Reflections by Women Writers.” She is the author, along with The Washington Post photo staff, of the 2010 book “Michelle: Her First Year as First Lady.”

Givhan’s first solo book, “The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History,” is a cultural history of the 1973 Franco-American fashion design competition that elevated the trajectory of American fashion designers and models.

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Major Requirements for Students Pursuing Latin Honors

MATH 1571H - Honors Calculus I (Fall) MATH 1572H - Honors Calculus II (Fall and Spring) MATH 2573H - Honors Calculus III (Fall) MATH 2574H - Honors Calculus IV (Spring)  

HCOL 3101H or HCOL 3102H

B.S. students do not currently have a capstone requirement. For B.A. students, the Honors Thesis is completed in lieu of ECON 3951.

All Economics majors must complete a prerequisite before completing the Honors Thesis — BA and BA-Q ("quant") students must take ECON 4211, and BS students must take ECON 4261. Students need the foundations laid in these courses to effectively complete their theses. For all students, ECON 4993 is recommended as a directed-studies course while students work on thesis research with their faculty advisor.

Summa students must initiate an original research project. Magna and cum laude students may supplement and/or update existing work in the field as their thesis project.

Honors Faculty Representative Info

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Honors Program

Departmental honors.

• RESEARCH REQUIREMENT
• THESIS EXAMPLES

Honors Criteria

In addition to completing the major requirements for graduation, the minimum requirements to receive honors in the Economics department are:

• Have a 3.5 GPA in all upper division economics major coursework
• Have a 3.3 GPA overall
• Complete ECON H195B (W rite an approved senior honors thesis)
• Effective for students graduating Summer 2021 and later: To be eligible for honors in the major, a maximum of  two  P graded upper division courses* earned in Fall 2020, Spring 2021, or Summer 2021 may count towards the upper division Economics major requirements . Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.  *excludes ECON H195A, ECON 197, ECON 198, and ECON 199.

Students who qualify for department honors can also check the College of Letters Science  website to see if they meet the criteria for a level of Distinction in General Scholarship at Graduation (Distinction, High Distinction, Highest Distinction). This is determined by the GPA in the upper division Economics core and elective courses, using the same distinction level as the College.

Honors Research Requirement 

There is a prerequisite research requirement for students who wish to write an honors thesis. The research requirement  must be completed before enrolling in Econ H195B. Students may complete the honors research requirement in one of the following ways:

• Complete ECON H195A (2 units, P/NP, Fall only course. See below for details)  or
• Complete ECON 191 (4 units, offered every semester. May count as elective towards major when taken for a letter grade)  or
• Complete an upper-division undergraduate research seminar (Econ 122, 124, 132, 153, 154, 164, 173, and 183), or, with approval, an upper-division Economics elective that requires a research paper. (NOTE: Research seminars offered on a limited basis).

If you would like to have an additional course reviewed for approval, please contact [email protected].

ECON H195A (Option for Research Requirement)

The goal of H195A is to help students choose a thesis topic, get data, write a prospectus, get an advisor, and start working on the thesis. Independent research is very different from taking a lecture class. In lecture classes, students can be passive. To do research, students must take the initiative.  Most students love research, some students hate research, but almost none are indifferent.  Writing a thesis is a lot of fun, and a lot of work!

ECON H195A is a fall semester only, two-unit course that can only be taken with the P/NP grading option. It cannot be used as an elective for the economics degree. 

H195A is for Economic Majors who:

• meet the GPA requirements of 3.3 overall, and 3.5 in the upper-division Economics courses (GPA requirements are lowered by 0.05 grade points for students with Expected Graduation Terms of Spring 2020-Spring 2021)
• have not taken ECON 191 or an undergraduate research seminar
• plan to write an honors thesis
• completed econometrics or is concurrently enrolled in econometrics.  ​ Econometrics is a must.  

ECON H195B - Senior Honors Thesis Course

Econ H195B is the writing of the thesis. There is no class. Students meet with their individual thesis advisor periodically throughout the term and receive independent study units. Before enrolling in Econ H195B, students must:

• have a 3.5 GPA in all upper division economics major coursework, and have a 3.3 GPA overall  (GPA requirements are lowered by 0.05 grade points for students with Expected Graduation Terms of Spring 2020 through Spring 2021)
• have completed macroeconomics, microeconomics, and econometrics
• have completed at least one additional upper-division course for the major
• have completed a course in which a research paper is required:  Econ H195A, Econ 191, an upper-division undergraduate research seminar (Econ 122, 124, 132, 153, 154, 164, 173, and 183), or, with approval, an upper-division Economics elective that requires a research paper.  If you would like to have a course other than those enumerated above reviewed for approval, please see an,  undergraduate advisor.  Work in Economics through the Haas Scholars Program can also be used to meet the research requirement for Economics.

Econ H195B must be taken for a letter grade and 3 units.  Econ H195B must count as an elective when taken and will always be included when calculating the major GPA for level of honors.

Students are encouraged to choose an Economics faculty member to supervise their thesis. Supervision by a faculty member outside the Economics Department is subject to approval by the Undergraduate Chair.

There are copies of prior semesters theses available online at the undergraduate thesis website.   Some submissions have been omitted because they contain proprietary data, or because we do not have permission from the author to post the work. This is not a reflection on the quality of their work. All work is © 2009-2024 by the individual authors. All rights reserved.

TO APPLY: Please submit  your completed application  signed by your faculty advisor here . Faculty may send their approval via email in lieu of a form signature. Students must include this emailed approval in their application submission.

The Fall 2024 ECON H195B application is due by 4PM May 3rd, 2024.

Thesis Deadline

Honors students are required to turn in a copy of their thesis to their thesis advisor. Theses are typically due on the last day of instruction, but faculty sponsors can require an earlier deadline. Students must also email a .pdf of their thesis to the undergraduate advising office ([email protected]). This thesis will not be posted on the web without permission.

For more information about when/how to submit your thesis, please see our honors timeline .

Honors Notations

All honors students who have written a thesis by the time of the commencement ceremony are listed in the Commencement program, with the title of their thesis shown. The honors designation also appears on all transcripts and the UC diploma. Please note: if a student is walking prior to writing the honors theses, they will not be listed with the honors candidates in the Commencement program.

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Showcase — the annual event celebrating the accomplishments of faculty, staff, and students across the Washington State University system — kicks into high gear today.

The Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, with poster presentations beginning at 3:30 p.m. and an award presentation following at 5 p.m., ushers in a busy week of activities.

On Tuesday, WSU President Kirk Schulz will give his annual State of the University Address from 3:10–4:10 p.m. He’ll be giving the speech from the WSU Everett campus, and the event will also be livestreamed on YouTube .

Three-minute thesis — an annual research communication competition requiring doctoral students to succinctly present their ideas and research — is taking place at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Veterinary and Biomedical Research Building, Room 305 on the Pullman campus.

Later that afternoon, Hans Van Dongen will give this year’s Distinguished Faculty Address from the WSU Spokane Health Education and Research Building, Room 432. His topic will focus on the work of the university’s Sleep and Performance Research Lab, which Van Dongen leads. His presentation will also be presented via Zoom .

Thursday’s events include Academic Showcase and the Graduate and Professional Student Association Research Exposition from 9 a.m.–noon inside the Compton Union Building’s Senior Ballroom in Pullman.

Showcase 2024 will be capped off with a Celebrating Excellence Banquet Friday at 5 p.m. inside the CUB Senior Ballroom.

More information about Showcase , including a full list of events and award winners , is available online.

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Econ 489m honors thesis.

• Getting Started
• Investigating the Literature
• Finding Data

General Data Sources

• Data Planet This link opens in a new window Access to a wide range of U.S. and international data. more... less... Online service that enables researchers to build statistical tables and charts from multiple sources in a single interface. Data includes a wide range of social and demographic data both from the US and international sources.
• ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) This link opens in a new window Archive of a variety of social sciences data. Use ICPSR Bibliography of Data-related Literature to find works using data from the ICPSR archive: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/citations/ more... less... The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is a membership-based, non-profit data archive located at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. It serves member colleges and universities in the United States and abroad by providing: Access to the world's largest archive of computerized social science data, Training facilities for the study of quantitative social analysis techniques, Resources for social scientists using advanced computer technologies. PSU users get access to ICPSR by creating an individual account using their PSU e-mail ID. This is what identifies them as a PSU affiliate. We do not have IP access. Go to: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/index.jsp - See login at top left. Note: occasionally you will need to login using a computer on campus to validate that you are still a PSU affiliate.

US Economic Data Sources

• FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) FRED, at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, provides access to an enormous amount of economic and business data gathered by the federal government.
• Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), U.S. Department of Commerce The BEA is the nation's economic accountant, integrating and interpreting a variety of source data to draw a complete and consistent picture of the U.S. economy. Its economic accounts provide information on such key issues as economic growth, regional development, and the nation's position in the world economy.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor The BLS is the principal fact-finding agency of the federal government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. Data are collected relating to characteristics of the labor force, consumer economics, productivity, occupational illness and injuries, and international comparisons of labor statistics.
• Census Bureau website The Census Bureau does much more than the decennial population census. Explore their website for a wide range of data.
• IPUMS-USA Harmonized data on people in the U.S. census and American Community Survey, from 1850 to the present.
• Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) Day Pass This link opens in a new window WRDS Day Pass is as an option for limited-time access to WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services), which includes a variety of financial and economic datasets. more... less... WRDS Day Pass is as an option for limited-time access to WRDS for those who do not meet requirements for individual WRDS accounts. WRDS provides Web access to a number of financial research databases, including Compustat, CRSP (Center for Research in Securities Prices), Dow Jones Averages, FDIC, and Philadelphia Stock Exchange. WRDS is intended for academic, non-commercial purposes only. All databases have been licensed for the non-profit educational use of Penn State faculty, staff, and students.

International Economic Data Sources

• IMF e-Library - DATA This link opens in a new window Includes International Monetary Fund reports and working papers. Select IMF Data for International Financial Statistics and other data. more... less... Includes the full range of publicly available IMF data from 5 major datasets: International Financial Statistics (IFS), Government Finance Statistics(GFS), Balance of Payment Statistics (BoPS), Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS, and Trade and Investment statistics. Also includes data from the Coordinated Direct Investment Survey, Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey, Financial Access Survey, Financial Soundness Indicators, International Reserves Template. Includes long time series. Data can be downloaded.
• World Bank Data (WDI, GDF, ADI, GEM) This link opens in a new window Data includes world development indicators and microdata. more... less... Contains 2000+ indicators, many with 50 years of data, including the full World Development Indicators (WDI), Global Development Finance (GDF), and Africa Development Indicators (ADI) as well as other World Bank databases such as Global Economic Monitor (GEM), Education Statistics, etc.
• Global Financial Data This link opens in a new window Long-term historical indices for a wide-range of financial and economic indicators including GDP, monetary rates, interest rates, stock and bond markets, and more. more... less... GFDatabase contains long-term historical indices for a wide-range of financial and economic indicators including GDP, monetary rates, interest rates, stock and bond markets, and more. Penn State's subscription includes access to four components: GFDatabase, Real Estate Database, Eurostat, and World Bank. First time users will need to create an account. Users should click "Register" and follow the instructions to create an account, using their Penn State email address.
• OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window Access to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development books, papers, and statistics. more... less... Full-text book and serial publications from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Also includes many of the data sets available from the organization.
• UNdata This link opens in a new window United Nations’ statistical database covering economic and social topics. more... less... UNSTATS provides data on a wide range of social and economic data series from 30 specialized international intergovernmental agencies including POPIN, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, UNICEF, and WHO. Data can be displayed in HTML or downloaded in Excel or CSV format.
• Passport GMID (Euromonitor) This link opens in a new window Coverage of countries, consumers and industries internationally. more... less... Passport GMID provides business intelligence on industries, countries, and consumers. Content includes: international demographic, macro-economic, and marketing data; industry statistics; statistics on brand and company rankings; comment on emerging industry, country, and consumer trends; consumer lifestyle statistics, future demographic reports.

Company and Industry Information

• MergentOnline (company information) This link opens in a new window Information on public and non-public companies, including financials and ratios, more... less... MergentOnline (formerly FISonline) is a subscription-based service offering information on over 15,000 U.S. public companies and 30,000 non-U.S. public companies. MergentOnline is produced by Mergent, Inc., formerly known as Moody's). Mergent/Moody's is a publisher of detailed business descriptions, corporate histories and financial statements since 1900. The database also includes the Country Report module, a module that consists of the following resources: DnB Country Risk Profile, DnB Country RiskLine Report, and Mergent Country Profile. In addition, the Investext Database is available via Mergent Online.
• Zephyr This link opens in a new window Covers M&A deal activity. more... less... Zephyr is a comprehensive database of deal information. It contains information on global Mergers & Acquisitions (M & A), Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), private equity and venture capital deals, and news about pending M & A activity.
• IBISWorld This link opens in a new window Comprehensive collection of industry research reports and economic profiles. more... less... IBISWorld provides over 700 full-text industry reports, 700 US industry risk rating reports, and information on over 8000 Publicly Traded US Companies as well as hundreds of economic and demographic profiles. Subscription includes access to the US Industry State Reports module.
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Economics Honors Program

Departmental honors.

Applications  for the Economics Honors program are available in late January/early February.  Students must apply no later than winter quarter of their junior (or second to last) year. Applications are available in winter quarter only. 

Achievement oriented students who have obtained very high grades in Introductory Economics, ECON 200 and ECON 201, should consider applying to the Departmental Honors Program. Students interested in this program should read the information below and plan on attending an information session, typically offered in late January. Fulfilling the Honors major requirements will allow them to graduate “With Honors in Economics,” as well as the opportunity to complete an undergraduate thesis. This distinction is noted on both the diploma and the student’s transcript from the University of Washington. Please note that admission to the Econ Honors Program is competitive.

Benefits of participating in the Economics Honors Program

Students naturally want to understand the benefits of participating in the Econ Honors Program when deciding whether to apply. Some benefits include:

• Production of original research resulting in a senior thesis
• Working on-on-one with a Department of Economics faculty member who serves as your thesis adviser (this can be helpful for letters of recommendation for internships, graduate programs, etc)
•  Preparation for graduate school
• Working with a small cohort of strong, like-minded Econ majors
• Small honors courses

While there are certainly strong benefits to participating in the program, Econ Honors is not a good fit for everyone.  For some highly qualified students, the additional courses do not fit into their graduation plans or work with their schedules, some may find the requirements too rigorous, etc.  It is not necessary to be in the Econ Honors program to apply to graduate schools  as long as they have done well academically. 

For those wanting to conduct research but not participate in the Econ Honors Program, ECON 499 and the opportunities found through the Undergraduate Research Program are other options.  

Econ Honors Admission Requirements

Students must apply no later than winter quarter of their junior (or second to last) year. Applications are available in winter quarter only. 

• Acceptance into the economics major
• Minimum cumulative UW grade point average (GPA) of 3.3
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 in UW Economics courses
• Minimum grade of 3.5 in ECON 300 (students should be enrolled in or have already taken ECON 301 when they apply to the program)
• Submission of completed application form (available in late January)

Program Requirements for Honors in Economics

1. Completion of  a. ECON 300 or ECON 400  with a minimum grade of 3.5   and    b. ECON 301 or ECON 401 with a minimum grade of 3.5 -an add code for ECON 497 will be given only upon fulfilling these two minimum grade requirements.

2.  Completion of the Honors course sequence in the following order: a. ECON 396 Honors Research Seminar, 2 credits (taken spring of sophomore or junior year) b. ECON 496 Honors Seminar, 5 credits (taken in autumn) c. ECON 497 Honors Thesis, 5 credits (must be taken in winter immediately after ECON 496) 3.  At the time of graduation, honors students must have a minimum 3.3 UW GPA and a minimum 3.5 ECON GPA (UW and transfer) Important notes:

• ECON 496 and 497 are in addition to the 400-level Econ courses required to complete the degree.  Both courses do  not  count toward the general education writing requirement.
• Strongly recommended:   One econometrics course to be taken  prior  to ECON 496
• ECON 396 must be taken prior to ECON 496 and 497.  ECON 496 and 497 must be taken in consecutive autumn and winter quarters.  Theses are due in May after taking ECON 497.
• Students who complete these requirements will graduate with “Honors in Economics.” This is noted on your diploma and UW transcript.

University Honors and the College of Arts and Sciences Honors

The Economics Department participates in the  University Honors and the College of Arts & Sciences Honors Program . The specific economics requirements for this program are listed above. Students who participate in this program must also complete the College Honors requirements and will then earn a Bachelor’s Degree “With College Honors in Economics.”

National Honor Society in Economics

Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE) , the national Economics Honor Society, recognizes distinguished scholastic achievement in economics. Eligible students will have earned a minimum of 20 upper-division (300- and 400-level) economics credits with a minimum GPA of 3.6, and have achieved a minimum overall UW GPA of 3.5. STAT 311 and other statistics courses are omitted from the **major GPA** calculation. Majors are automatically screened for eligibility and then invited to join each Spring.

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Philosophy politics and economics, honors theses.

PPE majors who enter their senior year with a 3.6 GPA or better in the major are eligible to pursue honors by completing an Honors Thesis.

The honors thesis represents new and novel research as undertaken by you, the thesis writer. Though the final length of the thesis may vary student to student, the average thesis is between 50-90 pages (including references, images, other editorial infrastructure like the table of contents), depending on the methods and analysis used by the thesis writer. It represents sustained and engaged research and the thesis writer’s very best in research and writing. It should be a culmination of your time not just in PPE but at the University of Pennsylvania.

Honors in the major is attained through the completion of 3 steps:

• Submission of a spiral-bound hard copy of the senior thesis to the PPE Program Office
• Receiving an A- or better in PPE 4998
• Presentation of research at the annual PPE Senior Symposium

Who should write an honors thesis?

• Students looking to graduate with honors in the major. Completion of the honors thesis is the only way to achieve honors in the major.
• Students considering graduate school (law, med, or otherwise). The thesis makes for an excellent writing sample and the successful completion of an honors thesis greatly strengthens a graduate school application.
• Students interested in being eligible for a variety of thesis prizes, whether through PPE or through the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships .
• Students interested in applying for highly competitive scholarships, fellowships, grants, and so on (e.g. Rhodes, Marshall, etc.).
• Students interested in publishing their work in scholarly journals, or interested in a career in policy, consulting, communications, writing/journalism, etc.
• Students interested in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to undertake sustained research in a subject area of their choice!

Preparing for an Honors Thesis

• Students interested in pursuing an honors thesis are strongly encouraged to enroll in a PPE capstone (PPE 4XXX) in the spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year. This capstone will introduce you to upper-level interdisciplinary work and give you the opportunity to start thinking in a sustained way about the sort of work you will want to pursue in your honors thesis.
• Students are strongly encouraged to begin working on their proposal, literature review, and research in the semester prior to enrolling in PPE 4998 Directed Honors Thesis, the official honors thesis independent study. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to design a research proposal, undertake said research, analyze resulting data, and write a thesis within the space of a semester.

What do I do with my thesis once it’s completed?

• Students may choose to submit their thesis for consideration in the Penn Journal for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PJPPE) .
• Everyone who completes a PPE honors thesis may elect to publish it online in the PPE Honors Repository in the Penn Scholarly Commons once it's been approved by the Associate Director. You are able to self-submit your work to the collection by going to this direct link .  You can also find the link on the left sidebar of the collection's page ; you will select " Upload to Honors Theses(PPE) " located under Authors .
• PPE also awards its own prize for best thesis . The submission deadline occurs in early April.
• Students interested in submitting their thesis during the awards cycle are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to complete PPE 4998 in the Senior Fall semester. These prizes are highly competitive and students will benefit from the additional refining and polishing possible in the spring.

Process for completing an Honors Thesis

1. identify a topic or set of topics for your honors thesis., 2. secure a willing faculty member to serve as supervisor for the honors thesis..

• This could be someone who taught a class you have taken, or someone you know through some other event, club, or opportunity.
• In addition to standing faculty throughout the University, students may consider PPE Fellows as potential supervisors.
• CURF has a Research Directory with a database of Penn professors who have expressed an interest in working with students.

3. Develop an honors thesis proposal outlining your work and goals for the coming semester.

• Think of this proposal as a syllabus for your honors thesis. It should include a breakdown of what work you intend to do and when; any material you intend to read or engage with during the honors thesis (a reading list); any deliverables produced during the course of the honors thesis and when they should be completed by; and a deadline for the final product. 

4. Complete the PPE Independent Study Application Form.

• Download and complete the Independent Study Application form .
• Submit the completed form here .
• Independent study applications are due NO LATER THAN one week after the first day of the semester. Applications received after this deadline will not be approved.
• Following review by the Associate Director, you will be issued a permit for an independent study with your supervisor.

5. Submit final deliverable at the end of the semester to the PPE Program.

• We suggest this layout for your final deliverable.
• In addition to submitting your final product to your thesis supervisor, you must submit a digital and physical copy of that final product to the PPE program .
• Due: last day of classes
• Due: last day of the final exam period