Departmental Honors
Honors Thesis Procedures:
1. Students who are interested in writing an Honors Thesis should first enlist a member of the Department to act as the Chair of their Honors Thesis Committee. In consultation with the student, the Chair will solicit two other members of the Department to act as committee members.
2. The student will submit a written proposal of no more than five pages to the committee. The proposal should:
- provide a clear and succinct description of the thesis project
- state the question that the student is attempting to answer
- the procedures and sources that she or he plans to use to answer this question
- prove the student has already obtained access to relevant data
The submission date for a December graduate is the previous August 1. The submission date for a May graduate is the previous November 15.
3. The proposal must be approved unanimously and sign an Honors Thesis Contract.
- If a proposal is not approved, the student will be given two weeks to revise and resubmit
- If the revised proposal is not approved, then the student will not be allowed to write an honors thesis.
The objective of the proposal process is to ensure that the members of the Committee have a clear understanding of what the student intends to do, and the student has a clear understanding of the Committee’s expectations. The student should consult with the chair on his or her committee to arrange a regular schedule of meetings about the project during the writing process.
4. An oral thesis defense will be held by November 15 in the case of December graduates and April 15 in the case of May graduates. One week prior to the defense, the student will submit a copy of the thesis to each committee member. The oral defense will be open to all faculty and students in the Department.
5. After the oral defense, the thesis committee will consult. The committee can vote to approve the thesis:
- as is– the process is over and the student will graduate with honors if the GPA requirement is met
- to approve the thesis conditionally– The student has until the last day of the semester in which they plan to graduate to make all necessary changes required by the committee in order to be approved. The committee chair will determine if the required changes have been made.
- 0r to reject the thesis– the student will not be able to graduate with honors.
Students should not lose sight of the fact that the thesis committee is not obligated to approve their project.
Other requirements:
The thesis will conform to the Chicago style guidelines.
According to University policy the student must deposit a copy of the thesis in the library by the last day of exams, and the chair of the department must notify the Office of the Registrar that the student is to receive departmental honors by the date upon which Senior grades are due.
The thesis must have a department-approved cover sheet.
The final copy of the thesis must be deposited in Simpson Library by the Monday before the May graduation date.
Download: Honors Thesis Contract
The Adam Smith Award
Graduate Study in Economics
The criteria for selection include:
- the applicant’s potential for graduate study (based on grade point average, courses taken, and other relevant background and experience)
- the level and type of graduate study planned.
Interested seniors should submit a letter of application to the department chair by April 7.
Applicants planning to enter Ph.D. programs will be given preference over those entering M.A. programs. Applicants planning to enter economics programs will be given preference over those entering related field programs Applicants who have been accepted into a program and who plan on beginning study the following academic year will ge given preference over those who have not yet been accepted or who plan to work for a period before graduate study. In the event the award goes to one of the latter, the fund will not be made available until the graduate program begins. In any case, the award must be used within three years or the award lapses.
Fred E. Miller Memorial Scholarship
Double Major in Business Administration and Economics
Selection is made by the Associate Dean for Financial Aid and the Chairpersons of the Departments of Economics and Business Administration
Download: College of Business Scholarship Application
 The Henry W. Hewetson Economics Award
Graduating economics major to honor academic achievement and service to the department.
The recipient is chosen by the economics faculty. The prize has variously been a luncheon, a book, or cash. The funding is provided by a generous gift from an anonymous donor.
 The James Harvey Dodd Award
Rising senior economics major who shows academic promise, is interested in graduate study in economics, and is eligible for financial aid.
The recipient is chosen by the economics faculty. The funding for the award comes from a generous gift from an anonymous donor.(Prior to 1992, the recipient was a graduating senior economics major planning on attending graduate school in economics.)
 Richard George Allgaier Scholarship
The Richard George Allgaier Scholarship is awarded to a student with an interest in and potential for a business related career, especially accounting or economics if they have demonstrated financial need, are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and reside on the UMW Fredericksburg campus as undergraduates.