DEPARTMENT of ANTHROPOLOGY, ECONOMICS & POLITICAL SCIENCE

Economics Honours


HONOURS | BACHELOR OF ARTS

You are passionate about in-depth economic analysis. You want to know the stories that will help you understand important economic events. You want to take your interest in economics further than what you can with a major in economics.

Taking the Honours program gives you a head start as a professional economist. Whether you wish to continue your studies or to start a career after graduation, the Honours program provides you with greater depth and breadth of training.

What to expect

Immerse yourself in economics by increasing the number of senior-level economics courses you study. This demanding, competitive-entry program is most suitable for students with a high level of academic motivation and potential.

When you complete your Honours thesis, a self-designed research project on a topic of your choosing, you work closely with a faculty member with extensive knowledge on your chosen subject. The project culminates in a written Honours thesis and a formal presentation of your research findings.

Courses and requirements

The Honours program in economics is available to selected students in the Bachelor of Arts. Courses in the discipline are only one component of the requirements you need to graduate. Consult the academic calendar for the year you are accepted into the Honours program for a complete list of requirements.

Courses & Requirements
Check the academic calendar to find the courses you need to take and the requirements you must fulfill to complete your program.
Academic Calendar

Admission to the Honours program

Normally, you will apply to the Honours program at the end of your third year.

Meeting with the Honours advisor will help to answer your questions—and provide specific advice about course planning, application requirements, expectations, possible ‘fits’ for potential supervisors, and information about the program and our faculty.

Aside from the formal requirements for acceptance into an Honours degree, you must find a faculty member within the Department of Economics who is willing to take you on as an Honours student. Meeting with various faculty members helps you to get an idea of what types of research faculty members are involved in and who you might be interested in working with.

Well in advance of the application deadline, you should investigate the research and scholarly interests of various faculty members. You should then contact several faculty members to discuss the possibility of working together on an Honours thesis. You are much more likely to be selected for the program if you begin discussing potential projects with at least one faculty member prior to applying to the program. Even if faculty members state that they are willing to consider your application, however, they might not commit to supervising particular students until after all applications have been reviewed by all participating Economics faculty.

For the 2021 - 2022 academic year, applications can be submitted from April 1 – December 31, 2021.

Submit your application via email to the Honours advisor. Include in the body of the email:

  • Your contact information
  • A transcript of your marks
  • A statement of interest (not exceeding one page) that outlines why you want to be an Honours student
  • A signed commitment from a faculty member to supervise your Honours thesis

Not all students who meet the minimum criteria will be accepted into the program. Acceptance is based on academic performance, GPA, course experience, and also on the availability of a suitable supervisor. Because the Honours program is an intensive course of study, involving a significant amount of one-on-one interaction with a faculty supervisor and access to departmental resources, we will only accept a limited number of students into the program. Decisions made by the department regarding acceptance to this program are not subject to appeal.

Faculty members meet to discuss and review all new Honours applications. All applicants will be notified whether they are accepted into the program.

The timeline of the application process are as follows:

April 1 – December 31, 2020

Application to the economics Honours program will be opened.

January 6 – 14, 2021

Economics faculty members review the applications.

January 15, 2021

Each applicant will be notified whether his or her application is accepted.

January 31, 2021

The Bachelor of Arts program office will change the status for the accepted students.

Honours advising

Consult the Honours Advisor for more information on the selection process and what to expect in the Honours program.

Joseph Fong, Honours Advisor
fongj@macewan.ca
780-497-5330