Honors Thesis Track
The Honors Thesis Track supplements the Quantitative Track with a year-long research project under the supervision of a faculty advisor. These research projects provide an opportunity to do hands-on analysis of economics issues while learning how professional economists pose a research question, assemble the tools and resources needed to answer it, and describe their findings in a way that is informative to both specialized and broad audiences. Like the Quantitative Track, you might consider this track if you are interested in:
- Jobs that analyze data on individual behavior and market activity.
- Jobs that include in-depth analysis of firms and markets.
- Graduate school that build on expertise in market analysis.
Students considering applying to Economics PhD programs should meet with UNC Econ’s Director of Graduate Studies to learn more about the mathematics and statistics courses that are required by most doctoral programs.
Here is a sample path through the coursework we recommend for the Honors Thesis Track:
| Course Number | Title | Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Year | |||
| MATH 231 | Calculus of Functions of One Variable I | 3 | |
| or STOR 113 | Decision Models for Business and Economics | ||
| or MATH 152 | Calculus for Business and Social Sciences | ||
| STOR 155 | Introduction to Data Models and Inference | 3 | |
| ECON 101 | Introduction to Economics (H) | 4 | |
| Second Year | |||
| ECON 400 | Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics (H) | 3 | |
| ECON 410 | Intermediate Theory: Price and Distribution (H) | 4 | |
| ECON 420 | Intermediate Theory: Money, Income, and Employment (H) | 3 | |
| Second or Third Year | |||
| ECON 470 | Econometrics* | 3 | |
| Third and Fourth Year | |||
| Two additional electives from among 400- and 500-level ECON courses | 6 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| ECON 691H | Honors Course | ||
| ECON 692H | Honors Course | ||
| Total Hours | 35 |
(H) Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the non-honors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply.
* During 2018/19 students can take ECON 470 or ECON 570 to fulfill the track’s econometrics content.
For more information and a complete description of the courses required for an economics major, visit our undergraduate program section.