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Latin Honors

“Latin Honors” (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude) is an award attached to the degree rather than to the major.  Therefore the student's undergraduate school, not the major department, awards Latin Honors, and students with a second major in Economics cannot participate in the Economics Honors Program if their “prime” major is not in Arts & Sciences.  The College of Arts & Sciences awards Latin Honors based on GPA and the recommendation of a student's major department.  Each department sets its own standards for such a recommendation, and the department's recommendation is usually followed by the College, provided the student has a sufficiently high GPA (see below).  You are permitted to participate in only one department’s Latin Honors program.  In other words, if you have two majors and you’re eligible to participate in both departments’ Latin Honors programs, you must select one. 

An invitation to the Economics Honors Program will occur if, by the mid-point of the junior year, a major has an overall and within-major GPA of at least 3.65 and if s/he has completed:   Econ 1011, 1021, 4011, 4021, 413, and one elective having 4011 and/or 4021 as a prerequisite.  A student may take Econ 413 or an advanced (Econ 4011/4021 prerequisite) elective in the spring of the junior year and still be admitted to the Honors Program; but this requires a petition to the Academic Coordinator.  Petitions will also be accepted from students whose GPAs are below 3.65.  In early February of the major’s junior year, the Academic Coordinator will email all majors with instructions for the petition process.

There are two “tracks” through which a student may be recommended for Latin Honors, and a student must select and meet the requirements of only one of these tracks.  The two “tracks” are:  “Latin Honors by Coursework” and “Latin Honors with Thesis.”  

“Latin Honors with Thesis” track -- requirements:

  1. An overall GPA of 3.65 or higher, at the time of graduation. 
  2. Successful completion of Economics 413, “Introduction to Econometrics,” by the end of the junior year.  (Ideally, Econ 4151 is also completed by the end of the junior year.)
  3. Completion of the economics major requirements by the end of the fall semester of the senior year.
  4. Successful completion of either Econ 4151, Math 3200 or Math 493.  (Note:  Math 493 is different from Econ 493.)
  5. Successful completion of an Honors thesis.   
  6. Participation in the following:

a)     The Honors Conference during both the junior and senior years.

b)     Defense of the Honors thesis with faculty in February of the senior year.

Note that the “Latin Honors with Thesis” requirements cannot be completed in time for December graduation.  Participants must, therefore, graduate in May.   The Department awards (monetary) prizes for excellence in economics to students who write a high quality thesis.    If you win a prize, this becomes a part of your permanent academic record – noted on your transcript.  

 

“Latin Honors by Coursework” -- requirements:

  1. An overall GPA of 3.65 or higher, at the time of graduation.
  1. Successful completion of either Econ 4151, Math 3200 or Math 493.  (Note: Math 493 is different from Econ 493.)
  2. Successful completion of two additional economics electives having Econ 4011 and/or Econ 4021 as a prerequisite.   In other words, to obtain “Honors in Economics,” students will complete at least four Econ 4011/4021 prerequisite electives for the Honors Program, rather than the two required for the major.
    1. The major requirements and (at least) one of the two additional Econ 4011/4021 prerequisite electives must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the senior year. 
    2. One of the additional advanced electives must be:  Econ 4111, Econ 4151, Econ 429, Econ 452, Econ 467, Econ 472, Econ 4721, Econ 501, Econ 502, Econ 503, or 504. 

i.     Students who select Econ 4151 to meet item #3, above, may not “double count” the course as one of the additional advanced electives.  In this case, students must select a different course from the list, above, as one of the “required” additional advanced electives.

ii.     Students selecting Econ 501 or 503 should meet with the Academic Coordinator in the semester prior to their anticipated enrollment.

Completing the requirements of either track of the Economics Department’s Latin Honors program will result in the Department submitting the student’s name to the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences for graduation with honors.  The College will assign the three levels of Latin Honors to fixed percentages of all eligible Arts & Sciences students each year:  the top 15 percent in overall grade point average of Latin honors candidates, with the recommendation of their major departments, will graduate summa cum laude; the next 35 percent, magna cum laude; the final 50 percent, cum laude. 

 

Further Information

For further information, please refer to the Undergraduate Guide or consult with the Academic Coordinator.

The links on the left provide information about the most recent Honors Conference, prizes awarded to our thesis writers, and the national economics honorary (Omicron Delta Epsilon).  Preliminary information on the content, style and formatting guidelines for the Honors Thesis can also be found to the left, but the Director of the Honors Program will be the final arbiter of what constitutes an acceptable and completed thesis.