Portland-State-University 2018-2019 Bulletin

Economics Departmental Honors Program

Departmental Honors is separate from Urban Honors and is administrated within the Economics Department.


The Departmental Honors Program allows outstanding majors in the Department of Economics to conduct research with a faculty member and to receive recognition for their exceptional performance. Honors students participate in faculty research projects or pursue an independent honors thesis under faculty guidance. Applicants are required to have earned a minimum GPA of 3.50 in economics courses at the time of application.

To earn Departmental Honors, interested students should apply to the undergraduate advisor after completing Ec 201, Ec 202, Ec 311 or Ec 415 and Ec 312. It is recommended that students either complete Mth 251, Stat 243, Stat 244 and one of the following: Ec 456, Ec 457, Ec 460, Ec 469 OR that they enroll concurrently in these courses while working on the Departmental Honors program. Students admitted to the Departmental Honors complete the following requirements:

  • 8 credits of Ec 403 which cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for the BA/BS in economics.
  • A written thesis to be completed during the final term of enrollment in Ec 403.
  • Presentation of the thesis during the final term of enrollment in Ec 403 fulfills the requirements for Departmental Honors.