Honors Program
To be considered eligible for the Honors Degree Program in Economics, the student must:
- Maintain a minimum grade of B in honors sections of both ECON 2010 - Intro to Macroeconomics** and ECON 2020 - Intro to Microeconomics** .
- Obtain the recommendation of a faculty member in the Department of Economics to the Department Honors Committee.
Once accepted to the Honors Degree Program in Economics, the student must
- Maintain an average GPA of 3.25 in all economics courses to continue in the program.
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in all economics courses at graduation.
- Enroll in ECON 3310 - Intermediate Microeconomic Theory and ECON 3320 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory with an honors contract. Those contracts will be discussed with and approved by the faculty member teaching each course.
- Write an honors thesis. This begins with finding a faculty advisor for the thesis project, discussing a thesis topic, then writing the thesis. The honors thesis typically takes one semester to complete, although work on it can begin early. When working on the honors thesis, the student will enroll in a section of ECON 4996 - Honors Thesis in Economics for up to one semester. The completed thesis will be graded by the faculty advisor.
Upon successfully completing all these requirements, the student will be recognized at the commencement ceremony by having their degree conferred “With Honors in Economics.” Moreover the student’s diploma and the record at the University of Memphis will reflect this accomplishment.
Accelerated B.A./M.A. Program in Economics
This program allows outstanding undergraduates to begin the coursework for the Master of Arts in Economics during their senior year. Students are encouraged to begin planning to enter the Accelerated B.A./M.A. program early in their undergraduate career, in consultation with their advisor in the Department of Economics.
Working with the undergraduate and graduate academic coordinators, undergraduates selected into this program begin a carefully tailored course of study which will allow them to complete their B.A. degree while they also begin the coursework toward their M.A.
To apply, students must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, and must submit two reference letters and a copy of their transcript to the Economics department. Each applicant will complete an interview with the graduate academic coordinator in economics.
Students must also apply to the Graduate School for the accelerated B.A./M.A. program, which allows them to take graduate courses in economics. To continue in the program past the B.A., students must apply for full admission into the Graduate School and into the Economics department’s M.A. program.
Only in ABM programs, up to 12 hours of graduate course work may be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate programs. However, any graduate coursework will not apply to undergraduate GPA.
