Honors

Objective

Econ 396 (Honors Workshop) and Econ 397 (Honors Thesis) constitute a two-semester sequence in which outstanding seniors write an honors thesis in economics. Its primary emphasis is to help prepare the best economics undergraduates for graduate programs in economics and master's programs in business, public policy, and international relations.

Economics Honors Program

The Economics Honors program is a 12-hour sequence, which culminates in the completion of a senior thesis. Specifically, students must satisfy the following requirements:

Econ 422 (Econometrics I) isrequired for entrance to the honors workshop (Econ 396), which is offered only in the Fall term.
Students must complete Econ 396 and Econ 397 in their senior year.
In addition to Econ 422, students must complete one of the following four courses:
- Econ 407 (Advanced Macroeconomics)
- Econ 414 (Game Theory)
- Econ 423 (Econometrics II)
- Econ 425 (Mathematical Economics)
Since Econ 422 is a prerequisite to entry into Econ 396, students should plan their sequences of courses accordingly.
To be eligible, a student must have
- completed 15 hours of Economics with a GPA of at least 3.25
- have an overall University GPA of at least 3.25.

If you have any questions about this program, please feel free to e-mail and/or contact Dr. Carlos Vegh, Honors Program Director, for an appointment at Vegh@econ.umd.edu.

Preparing for the Honors Sequence (Econ 396-397)

Given the high standards that must be met for the honors thesis (i.e., Econ 396-397), it is never too early to begin to prepare for it! In fact, if you are considering enrolling in the program, I would urge to contact Dr. Vegh for an appointment. This will give you a chance to ask any questions that you may have on the honors program and for him to offer you some guidance into how to best approach the honors sequence.

Since the main decision that you will have to make at the start of Econ 396 is to choose a concrete topic and an advisor, doing some serious reading over the summer is strongly encouraged! Below you will find a link to some general readings on various topics that should hopefully help you in getting started on some topic that interests you.

Math Background

In terms of math background, a well-prepared honors student aiming at entering a good graduate program in economics should have taken MATH 140, 141, and 241 (the 3-semester calculus sequence for math, engineering, and science majors), MATH 240 (linear algebra), and MATH 246 (differential equations). The two semester-sequence in real analysis (advanced calculus), MATH 410 and 411, is also highly recommended. (In fact, good graduate programs like to see at least one course in real analysis on transcripts.) Other math courses worth considering are MATH 340 and 341 (Multivariable calculus I and II), STAT 410 (Introduction to Probability Theory), and MATH 424 (Introduction to the Mathematics of Finance).

[It is worth emphasizing that this math background is not required to take the honors sequence (Econ 396-397), but is strongly recommended if your goal is to be admitted to a good graduate program in economics.]

Useful Readings for Undergraduate Research in Economics

By clicking on the title above, you will be directed to a webpage that contains a host of readings written by leading researchers in various fields and which should be generally accessible to undergraduates with a good background and advanced courses in economics. This is, of course, just a suggestive list but please be careful in not wasting time on low quality material which may not only confuse you but also take you along the wrong track (believe me, there is a lot of junk out there!). If in doubt about the quality of an article or book, please do not hesitate to e-mail Dr. Vegh.