Honors in the Major

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The Economics Department awards Honors and Highest Honors to students who have completed a major program with superior or exceptional work. Honors decisions are made by the department’s Honors and Scholarship Committee.

At the end of each quarter, faculty teaching the upper-division core courses submit to the department a list of students in their respective classes whose performance is at the Honors-level. At the time of graduation, the files of students who received an Honors designation in one or more of these courses is pulled, narrative evaluations are included, and the department’s faculty honors committee review all files. The faculty committee looks for a record of excellence in courses offered towards the major, with a strong performance in the upper-division core (theory and econometrics – Econ 100A/M, 100B/N, and 113) being a necessary condition for honors. While not computing a GPA for the economics courses, in general highest honors are awarded to students who have received a grade of at least an “A” throughout their economics program. Honors are awarded to students who have no more than two courses with grades of less than an “A-“. Students who have completed a portion of the major at another institution may be asked to submit a transcript for evaluation. Students interested in being reviewed for honors may request that the department conduct a review, and such requests are always granted.

In general, honors have been awarded to between 10 and 15 percent of each year’s graduating class.