econ honors thesis stanford

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Honors Thesis

Main navigation, honors programs.

Honors programs are organized by departments and programs. They allow students to engage in advanced, independent research, analysis and articulation with faculty guidance, usually in the senior year. Engaging in original research on a topic of a student’s own devising is one of the most exciting experiences of a college education. Working closely with a faculty advisor allows the teacher-student dynamic to become far more collegial. In the most satisfying experiences, students can make genuine contributions to knowledge, challenging the way scholars in the field think about the topic.

Learn more about Planning for Honors

Junior Honors Seminar

Course description, cross listed courses, grading basis, course repeatable for degree credit, course component, enrollment optional.

• ECON101 - Economic Policy Seminar
• ECON-BA - Economics (BA)
• ECON-MIN - Economics (Minor)

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Stanford University, Department of Economics, Honors Theses

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Dissertations and Theses

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Congratulations on being close to the finish line with your dissertation or thesis.

After you’ve applied to graduate and enrolled, dissertations and theses may be submitted online through the Dissertation & Thesis Center in Axess.  

Once you finish submitting your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted. 

The electronic submission process is free of charge and allows you the ability to check your pre-submission requirements and when ready, upload a digital copy of your dissertation or thesis. 

You can learn more about the center on the How to Use the Dissertation & Thesis Center webpage.

• FAQs: Dissertation & Theses
• How to Submit Your Signature Page
• How to Use the Dissertation & Thesis Center
• How to Request to Use Copyrighted Material

Note: The online submission process is not available for master's theses or undergraduate honors theses. Please consult with your department directly regarding submission procedures.

Follow these guides to ensure you meet all the requirements for submitting your dissertation or thesis. 

• Prepare Your Work for Submission
• Submit Your Dissertation or Thesis
• Steps After Submission

Submission Deadlines for Conferral

You must apply to graduate and enroll before you can access the Dissertation & Thesis Center in Axess.

The Dissertation & Thesis Center opens to submissions on the first day of instruction each quarter for which the student has applied to graduate.

The quarterly deadlines are set as late in the quarter as possible, providing the time necessary for review of the dissertation or thesis, including review of final degree requirements by the Registrar's Office and the departments. 

You are strongly encouraged to submit your work at least two weeks prior to the deadline to ensure that all requirements can be met in time for the conferral of your degree. 

Once you finish submitting your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted. 

After the final reader approves the dissertation, it typically takes about seven (7) business days for the university to process the submission.  

Deadlines by Quarter

Dissertation deadlines are strictly enforced.  No exceptions are made. By noon on the final submission deadline date, all of the following steps must be completed:           

• The student enrolls and applies to graduate;
• The student confirms the names of reading committee members in Axess, and designates a Final Reader;
• The student submits reading committee signatures;
• The student completes the necessary University Milestones;
• The student’s candidacy is valid through degree conferral;
• The student submits the final dissertation or thesis in Axess;
• The designated Final Reader certifies the final draft of the dissertation or thesis submitted in Axess.

For help, contact the Student Services Center .                                                                        

For faculty and staff information on Dissertations, visit Inside Student Services.

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2020-2021 Thesis Prize Winners

Main navigation, david m. kennedy honors thesis prizes.

Engineering and Applied Sciences:  Jiarui Sun , Chemical Engineering. CD22 blockade is a target for reversing microglial lysosomal dysfunction in Niemann-Pick Disease Type C. Mentored by Tony Wyss-Coray and Monther Abu-Remaileh Humanities:  Marilyn Zhang , Ethics In Society. Affirmative Algorithms: Relational Equality as Fairness for Pretrial Risk Assessments. Mentored by Leif Wenar and Kathleen Creel Natural Sciences:  Jamie Leonard , Earth Systems. Long-Term Biodiversity Change in a Foundation Species Intertidal Community: Ecological Insights from Three Surveys Over Sixty Years. Mentored by Fiorenza Micheli and Rodolfo Dirzo Social Sciences:  Arjun Ramani , Economics. The Donut Effect: How work-from-home impacts migration patterns and real estate markets. Mentored by Nicholas Bloom and Pete Klenow

Firestone Medals for Excellence in Undergraduate Research

Melda Alaluf , Political Science. The “Politics” of Family Business: A Social Network Analysis of Turkey’s Koç Family & Their Political Connections. Mentored by Stephen Haber Sofia Miranda Avila Jamesson , Symbolic Systems. Fallouts of Deportations in Texas: Analyzing the impact of large-scale workplace raids on academic performance. Mentored by Michelle Jackson and Beka Guluma Audrey Bloom , Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. How Doctors Influence the Price of Healthcare in the United States and Japan: The Critical Role of Interest Group Politics in America's Healthcare Cost Crisis. Mentored by Terry Moe Nic Fishman , Sociology. Making (Global) Criminal Procedure: Empire, the End of Justice, and the Rise of Efficiency. Mentored by John Meyer Matthew Hall , Chemistry. The 3’-5’ DEDDh RNA Exonuclease ISG20L2 is essential for maturation of the Telomerase RNA Component. Mentored by Steven Artandi Jabari Hastings , Mathematics. Positive Correlation in Matroids. Mentored by Jan Vondrák Elyssa Hofgard , Physics. Cuts Optimization and Machine Learning Models for Dark Photon Signal-Background Discrimination with the ATLAS Detector. Mentored by Lauren Tompkins and Ariel Schwartzman Joy Hsu , Computer Science. Unsupervised Learning for Discovery in 2D & 3D Scenes: Towards Unbiased Understanding of Biomedical Images. Mentored by Serena Yeung and Wah Chiu Rishabh Kapoor , Biology. Evaluating the Influence of the Nuclear: Cytoplasmic Ratio in the Maternal to Zygotic Transition in Xenopus Embryos. Mentored by Jan Skotheim and Or Gozani Avi Kaye , Human Biology. Investigating the Role of Autophagy in Replication-Competent Hepatocytes. Mentored by Roeland Nusse Nathalie Kiersznowski , Center for International Security and Cooperation. Fanning the Flames: The Impact of Targeted Sanctions on Foreign Militant Activity. Mentored by Jeremy Weinstein Jamie Leonard , Earth Systems. Long-Term Biodiversity Change in a Foundation Species Intertidal Community: Ecological Insights from Three Surveys Over Sixty Years. Mentored by Fiorenza Micheli and Rodolfo Dirzo Saket Myneni , Biology. Identifying the mechanism of aged oligodendrocyte progenitor cell rejuvenation by young cerebrospinal fluid. Mentored by Tony Wyss-Coray and Susan McConnell Arjun Ramani , Economics. The Donut Effect: How work-from-home impacts migration patterns and real estate markets. Mentored by Nicholas Bloom and Pete Klenow Julia Rathmann-Bloch , Human Biology. How The Angular Gyrus Updates and Integrates New Knowledge. Mentored by Anthony Wagner and David Lyons Marisol Rodriguez , Urban Studies. Empire, the End of Justice, and the Rise of Efficiency. Mentored by Asad Asad Chloe Sorensen , Psychology. News Media Reporting on Suicide: An Examination of Affect and Adherence to Safe Standards. Mentored by Jeanne Tsai Jiarui Sun , Chemical Engineering. CD22 blockade is a target for reversing microglial lysosomal dysfunction in Niemann-Pick Disease Type C. Mentored by Tony Wyss-Coray and Monther Abu-Remaileh Alexa Thomson , Education. Every Student Succeeds Act (2015): Exposing Racialized Disparities at the Intradistrict Level in Florida Schools. Mentored by Thomas Dee Catherine Wang , Biology. Cell Surface Sialylation Modulates Neuronal Excitability and Network Integration. Mentored by Carolyn Bertozzi and Xiaoke Chen Beatriz Yankelevich , Engineering Physics. Refraction of Dirac Fermions across Molecular Graphene Junctions. Mentored by Hari Manoharan and Jennifer Dionne

Robert M. Golden Medals for Excellence in the Humanities and Creative Arts

Caroline Baker , English. "Milk in a Male Tiger”: Sarah Siddons, Sarah Bernhardt, and Julie Taymor as Studies of Cross-Gender Casting in Shakespeare. Mentored by Blair Hoxby Charlie O'Donohue , Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Gender Liberation Demands Collective Liberation: a body of lived scholarship uplifting decolonization, reparations, and sovereignty work. Mentored by Samer Al-Saber and Asad Asad Esther Abisola Omole , Honors in the Arts. Each Beloved Birth. Mentored by Jessi Piggott and Umniya Najaer Hannah Scott , Science, Technology, and Society. "Light and Sound, Not Song and Dance": Cybernetic Subjectivity in the Environmental Art of the Pulsa Group, 1966-1973. Mentored by Fred Turner and Kyoko Sato Jamie Seney , Art Practice. Repo/Possession. Mentored by Terry Berlier Peter Thomas , History. Aristotelianism and English Political Thought. Mentored by David Como and Laura Stokes AnQi Yu , Art and Art History. Unsettled Wests: The Cinema of Kelly Reichardt. Mentored by Karla Oeler and Pavle Levi Marilyn Zhang , Ethics In Society. Affirmative Algorithms: Relational Equality as Fairness for Pretrial Risk Assessments. Mentored by Leif Wenar and Kathleen Creel Yulou Zhou , Linguistics. Proto-Bizic: A Study of Tujia Historical Phonology. Mentored by Paul Kiparsky and Dominic Yu

Analyzing Candidates' Ideological Messaging Throughout the Electoral Cycle

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Stanford University, Department of Economics, Honors Theses

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Honors Program

Departmental honors.

• RESEARCH REQUIREMENT
• THESIS EXAMPLES

Honors Criteria

In addition to completing the major requirements for graduation, the minimum requirements to receive honors in the Economics department are:

• Have a 3.5 GPA in all upper division economics major coursework
• Have a 3.3 GPA overall
• Complete ECON H195B (W rite an approved senior honors thesis)
• Effective for students graduating Summer 2021 and later: To be eligible for honors in the major, a maximum of  two  P graded upper division courses* earned in Fall 2020, Spring 2021, or Summer 2021 may count towards the upper division Economics major requirements . Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.  *excludes ECON H195A, ECON 197, ECON 198, and ECON 199.

Students who qualify for department honors can also check the College of Letters Science  website to see if they meet the criteria for a level of Distinction in General Scholarship at Graduation (Distinction, High Distinction, Highest Distinction). This is determined by the GPA in the upper division Economics core and elective courses, using the same distinction level as the College.

Honors Research Requirement 

There is a prerequisite research requirement for students who wish to write an honors thesis. The research requirement  must be completed before enrolling in Econ H195B. Students may complete the honors research requirement in one of the following ways:

• Complete ECON H195A (2 units, P/NP, Fall only course. See below for details)  or
• Complete ECON 191 (4 units, offered every semester. May count as elective towards major when taken for a letter grade)  or
• Complete an upper-division undergraduate research seminar (Econ 122, 124, 132, 153, 154, 164, 173, and 183), or, with approval, an upper-division Economics elective that requires a research paper. (NOTE: Research seminars offered on a limited basis).

If you would like to have an additional course reviewed for approval, please contact [email protected].

ECON H195A (Option for Research Requirement)

The goal of H195A is to help students choose a thesis topic, get data, write a prospectus, get an advisor, and start working on the thesis. Independent research is very different from taking a lecture class. In lecture classes, students can be passive. To do research, students must take the initiative.  Most students love research, some students hate research, but almost none are indifferent.  Writing a thesis is a lot of fun, and a lot of work!

ECON H195A is a fall semester only, two-unit course that can only be taken with the P/NP grading option. It cannot be used as an elective for the economics degree. 

H195A is for Economic Majors who:

• meet the GPA requirements of 3.3 overall, and 3.5 in the upper-division Economics courses (GPA requirements are lowered by 0.05 grade points for students with Expected Graduation Terms of Spring 2020-Spring 2021)
• have not taken ECON 191 or an undergraduate research seminar
• plan to write an honors thesis
• completed econometrics or is concurrently enrolled in econometrics.  ​ Econometrics is a must.  

ECON H195B - Senior Honors Thesis Course

Econ H195B is the writing of the thesis. There is no class. Students meet with their individual thesis advisor periodically throughout the term and receive independent study units. Before enrolling in Econ H195B, students must:

• have a 3.5 GPA in all upper division economics major coursework, and have a 3.3 GPA overall  (GPA requirements are lowered by 0.05 grade points for students with Expected Graduation Terms of Spring 2020 through Spring 2021)
• have completed macroeconomics, microeconomics, and econometrics
• have completed at least one additional upper-division course for the major
• have completed a course in which a research paper is required:  Econ H195A, Econ 191, an upper-division undergraduate research seminar (Econ 122, 124, 132, 153, 154, 164, 173, and 183), or, with approval, an upper-division Economics elective that requires a research paper.  If you would like to have a course other than those enumerated above reviewed for approval, please see an,  undergraduate advisor.  Work in Economics through the Haas Scholars Program can also be used to meet the research requirement for Economics.

Econ H195B must be taken for a letter grade and 3 units.  Econ H195B must count as an elective when taken and will always be included when calculating the major GPA for level of honors.

Students are encouraged to choose an Economics faculty member to supervise their thesis. Supervision by a faculty member outside the Economics Department is subject to approval by the Undergraduate Chair.

There are copies of prior semesters theses available online at the undergraduate thesis website.   Some submissions have been omitted because they contain proprietary data, or because we do not have permission from the author to post the work. This is not a reflection on the quality of their work. All work is © 2009-2024 by the individual authors. All rights reserved.

TO APPLY: Please submit  your completed application  signed by your faculty advisor here . Faculty may send their approval via email in lieu of a form signature. Students must include this emailed approval in their application submission.

The Fall 2024 ECON H195B application is due by 4PM May 3rd, 2024.

Thesis Deadline

Honors students are required to turn in a copy of their thesis to their thesis advisor. Theses are typically due on the last day of instruction, but faculty sponsors can require an earlier deadline. Students must also email a .pdf of their thesis to the undergraduate advising office ([email protected]). This thesis will not be posted on the web without permission.

For more information about when/how to submit your thesis, please see our honors timeline .

Honors Notations

All honors students who have written a thesis by the time of the commencement ceremony are listed in the Commencement program, with the title of their thesis shown. The honors designation also appears on all transcripts and the UC diploma. Please note: if a student is walking prior to writing the honors theses, they will not be listed with the honors candidates in the Commencement program.