Tepper School of Business
Tepper Senior Honors in Economics FAQ Sheet
- What are the advantages to participating in the Honors Program?
- Who is eligible to write a Tepper Senior Honors Thesis in Economics?
- What is the time commitment associated with the Honors Program?
- What are titles of recent Tepper Senior Honors Theses in Economics?
- Is the Honors Program an acceptable substitute for the Economics's Senior Project Course (73-497)?
1. What are the advantages to participating in the Honors Program?
The principle rewards of participating in the Honors Program in Economics are three-fold. First comes the satisfaction of undertaking and completing an original piece of research. Working independently or with a faculty member to identify a research question and claim ownership of its discovery process is a rewarding experience. Second is the opportunity to challenge yourself intellectually. The third advantage is the opportunity to graduate with Tepper Honors.
2. Who is eligible to write a Tepper Senior Honors Thesis in Economics?
The following four conditions must be met in order for a student to be considered eligible for the Honors Program:
- Students who have a primary major or dual degree major in Economics;
- Students who are officially classified as a senior by having completed a minimum of 238 units before beginning the year long project;
- Students who have a cumulative QPA of at least a 3.50, and QPA of at least a 3.50 in the required courses for either the B.A. in Economics, B.S. in Economics, or B.S. in Quantitative Economics;
- Students who have found a faculty member willing to supervise your project and serve in the role as thesis/project advisor. Please note that the only faculty eligible to be advisors are members of the Undergraduate Economics Program or its affiliated faculty.
- Students who have successfully passed Econometrics (73-261) or Modern Regression (36-401).
3. What is the time commitment associated with the Honors Program?
The Honors Program demands a significant amount of a student's time, typically during both Fall and Spring semesters of the senior year. In terms of course load, it is the equivalent of a taking two nine unit courses over two semesters. During the senior year at Carnegie Mellon, students have competing and compelling interests (e.g., course work, applying to graduate school, interviewing for jobs, extra-curricular activities, etc.) that warrant a substantial amount of time. Juniors should carefully consider whether their senior-year obligations will allow them adequate time to participate in the Honors Program.
4. What are the titles of recent Tepper Senior Honors Theses in Economics?
|
Author |
Title |
Advisor |
Year |
| Jerome Combes-Knoke | The Valuation of Alternative Energy Proposals in Stochastic Markets | Prof. Benoit Morel (CIT) | 2009 |
| Akshaya Jha | Estimating the Effects of School Closings on Student Retention | Prof. Dennis Epple (TSB) | 2009 |
| David Mirsky | Considerations for an NFL Rookie Pay Scale | Prof. George-Levi Gayle(TSB) | 2009 |
| Andre F. Tartar | Do Special and Charter Schools Help Attainment in Public Schools? | Prof. Maria Ferreyra (TSB) | 2009 |
| Robert L. Jefferson | Anti Foreign Sentiment in the California Gold Rush | Prof. Karen Clay (Heinz) | 2008 |
| Michael C. Lee | Kodak-Fujifilm Trade Allegations and the Discovery of "The Petition Effect" Using Stock Prices Analysis | Prof. Patrick Sileo (TSB) | 2008 |
| Sudeep Paul | The Effect of Induced Competition on Decision-Making within the Auction Model | Prof. Roberto Weber (H&SS) | 2008 |
| Rebecca H. Radkoff | Food Price and Market Behavior in the California Gold Rush | Prof. Karen Clay (Heinz) | 2008 |
| Sara K. Wille | Housing and Development in Pittsburgh: Lessons from Minneapolis' Corridor Housing Initiative | Prof. Stephen Spear (TSB) | 2008 |
| Justin Berka | The Good, the Bad, and the Waiting: Simulating Generalized Second-Price Auctions for Online Advertising | Prof. Patrick Sileo (TSB) | 2007 |
| Mercy Chang | Migration, Risk, and Insurance: Evidence from the California Gold Rush | Prof. Karen Clay (Heinz) | 2007 |
| Randall C. Jones | Migrating to Riches? Evidence from the California Gold Rush | Prof. Karen Clay (Heinz) | 2007 |
| Seng Keat Teh | Option Valuation and Hedging with Volatility-Adjusted Pricing Kernels | Prof. Stan Zin (TSB) | 2007 |
| Brandi M. Tish | Forecasting Real GDP Growth | Prof. Holger Sieg (TSB) | 2007 |
| Henry S. Tsai | Economic Inequalities of Major League Baseball | Prof. Burton Hollifield (TSB) | 2007 |
| Andy Butler | Breaking the Ranks: A Closer Look at the Problems and Imperfections in College Football's Bowl Championship Series | Prof. Patrick Larkey (Heinz) | 2006 |
| Max Egan | Descriptive Analysis of Charitable Giving Behavior to Pittsburgh Cultural Organizations | Prof. Holger Sieg (TSB) | 2006 |
| Aileen Ma | An Examination of Music Downloading and its Effects through Stock Price Analysis | Prof. Karen Clay (Heinz) | 2006 |
| Lin Tian | Singapore Monetary System -- How Does it Work? | Prof. Bennett McCallum (TSB) | 2006 |
| Yew Choe Wong | The Self-fulfilling Effects of the Business Week Graduate Business School Ranking | Prof. Dennis Epple (TSB) | 2006 |
5. Is the Honors Program an acceptable substitute for the Economics's Senior Project Course (73-497)?
The work produced in the Honors Program and the Senior Project Course are both culminations of the undergraduate program. Both courses require students to produce original work and to show a command of the discipline of economics. Therefore, the Honors Program is an acceptable substitute for the Senior Project Course.
