Skip to main content

Honors in Major Designation

In conjunction with earning either the Bachelor of Business Administration or the B.A. in Economics, a qualifying student may earn the Honors in Major Designation.  Qualifying students contemplating graduate school are encouraged to seriously consider earning the Honors in Major designation.

Purpose

The Honors in Major program provides an opportunity for students to extend their knowledge in an area of business or economics in which they have an interest. The course of study is flexible but time intensive and requires commitment on the part of both the student and the faculty advisor. 

Application Requirements

To qualify for the designation, a minimum GPA of 3.4 in the major is required.  An interested student should complete the following steps:

  • Meet with your academic advisor to determine if you qualify for the honors project.
  • Select a Business Administration or Economics faculty member, whichever is applicable, to be the major professor on the project.  The major professor must be in the field of study of the project.
  • In consultation with the major professor, select at least two additional faculty to serve on the committee.  These two faculty members may come from any academic department.  This faculty team is your Honors Committee.
  • Submit a written proposal to your committee.  If the project is approved by the committee and the department chair, permission to enroll in honors work for the following term will be forwarded to the Associate Dean.

Evaluation

  • Upon completion of the project, submit the appropriate number of copies of your paper to the Honors Committee for approval.  Evaluation of your work is based on both your paper and an oral examination.  A grade of "A-" or better on the project, as well as a minimum GPA of 3.4 in your major at the time of graduation, is required to receive the Honors in Major designation.
  • After your project has received final approval by the Honors Committee, present the project at a forum held specifically for honors projects presentations.

Enrollment

This designation, which appears on both the college transcript and the diploma, is a program of independent study, culminating in a paper presented at an Honors Forum.  At the discretion of the department chair and Honors Committee, the honors project may be completed in one term, in which case the student is enrolled in BUAD496 (1 unit), or over the course of two terms by enrolling in BUAD495 (1/2 unit) and BUAD497 (1/2 unit), consecutively.

Suggested Guidelines 

    The honors or independent study (IS) research is a summary of the student's experience as a business or economics major. Affirming the mission of the college, the business and economics department enables students and faculty to collaboratively research and understand complex research questions. The idea is for students and professors to use appropriate theories and empirical methods to foster an active engagement with local and global communities.

    These guidelines are prepared to help both the professors and students' understanding of IS to allow both parties to achieve the best possible goal while conducting research. These guidelines provide you with information necessary to make research a rewarding experience.

    See the guidelines here.


    BUAD496 or BUAD495/497 may be used as an elective within your major.  See the Academic Catalog for further details. See the example project.

    To open the application form click here.