Distinction Policy

A student will receive Distinction in Economics if that student achieves at least a 3.4 GPA and also meets any of the following three criteria:

(1) Receives a grade of “A” on two economics papers in Level III courses.
(2) (i) Receives an “A” grade in one Level III paper and (ii) Receives an “A” grade in another Level III class with
at least a grade of “A-” on the paper in that particular class.
(3) Completion of an outstanding academic project that is reviewed by a committee of faculty in the Economics department.

Students with an overall GPA of 3.4 and a GPA of 3.4 in their economics or quantitative economics major courses are eligible to be awarded distinction in economics or quantitative economics. Any “S/U” grade in economics or quantitative economics major courses will be excluded when computing the major GPA. 

If granted, distinction will be noted on the student’s transcript and in the commencement program. To be listed in the program, all requirements for distinction must be met before program proofs are due. Please check with the Economics Department office for exact dates.

Two “A” Papers

1. Students may receive distinction by earning grades of “A” on two papers written for their courses in economics or management studies.
2. Both papers must be related to economics or management studies and each must be at least 1,500 words in length; both papers must be from level III courses in the department.
3. Both papers must have received a grade of A (A- is not acceptable).
4. Occasionally, a paper written for a course not in economics or management studies may be submitted as one of the two papers for distinction. A panel of three faculty members from the Economics Department will review papers not written for a course within the department.
5. The student must provide a clean electronic copy of each of the two completed papers clearly indicating the course and instructor. The department will verify the grade with the instructor.
6. Generally, papers shall have a single author. Co-authored papers will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

One “A” Paper and One Level III “A” Course

1. Students may receive distinction by earning grades of “A” on a paper written for their courses in economics or management studies;
   1. The paper must be related to economics or management studies, it must be at least 1,500 words in length; and it must be from level III courses in the department.
   2. The paper must have received a grade of A (A- is not acceptable).
      and
   3. Students must obtain an “A” grade in a level III class with at least a grade of “A-” on the paper in that particular class. 

Outstanding Academic Project

1. The other way to receive distinction is to complete an outstanding academic project related to economics or management studies. In consultation with a faculty advisor, the student will recruit two other department faculty members to form a committee of readers of the final project not less than three weeks from the end of classes during the academic term. The vote of the committee to confer distinction must be unanimous. A student who is denied distinction may appeal the ruling to the full faculty of the Department.
2. The project may take a number of different forms and may be either empirical or qualitative. All projects must demonstrate familiarity with important scholarship relating to the topic, apply appropriate theories and models from economics or management studies, show evidence of sound analysis, and draw appropriate conclusions. The project may extend work done for another class or may explore a new topic.
3. For the project, the student will register for ECON 389 or MGMT 398, Independent Research, during either semester of the senior year and complete the distinction project by the end of the term. The faculty advisor will supervise the Independent Research. One course credit is awarded for a passing project regardless of whether the project is awarded distinction or not. If the committee votes unanimously to award distinction, the supervisor shall assign a grade of “A” for the Independent Research. A grade of “A” may be assigned even if the committee does not vote unanimously to award distinction.
4. Two students may work together on a distinction project. However, the project must be significantly larger in scope than a single-person project. Each student must provide a written summary of his or her contribution to the project and the ways that his or her contribution helped to make the project distinct. Each person must meet all the qualifications for distinction.