Senior Honors Thesis

Writing a senior thesis is an excellent way for students to build upon their economics coursework and pursue research that is meaningful and interesting to them. It also allows students to hone the skills they鈥檝e developed and apply frameworks and knowledge in a way that develops an even greater analytical perspective.

Writing a senior thesis requires organization, planning, and focus. Students interested in writing a senior thesis should consult the Senior Honors Thesis Guidelines. The guidelines document describes the philosophy behind the senior thesis and walks you through the process of selecting a topic, engaging a faculty adviser, and registering for the two-semester senior honors thesis seminar.

Past thesis students have found this experience richly rewarding. Read the testimonials below to learn how the opportunity to work closely with a faculty adviser and to think critically and deeply about a significant intellectual problem of their own selection helped these 情色空间 alumni grow as researchers, analysts, writers and critical thinkers. While a thesis is arguably essential for students who intend to pursue graduate work in economics, it is also incredibly valuable for the majority of thesis students who follow other paths.

Students who are interested in writing a senior thesis should begin the process in the spring of their junior year (identifying a faculty adviser and developing a research idea in late March or early April).聽

Thesis Program Co-Directors

Resources

  • Senior Honors Thesis
  • Senior Honors Thesis (Due April 30 Junior Year)
  • Senior Honors Thesis guide to
  • To see samples of past theses by economics students, please visit the eScholarship page on the .
  • Current and past years鈥 thesis topics

Student Testimonials

Current and Past Years鈥 Senior Honors Thesis Topics

Presentations will be in O'Neill 257.聽 We will meet from 8:30-10:15 a.m.聽 Advisers are invited to attend.聽 Each presentation should be about 15-20 minutes in length with some additional time for questions.聽聽

March 25

Christopher Walko: 鈥淗ow Legalized Sports Betting Impacts Casinos鈥 (McGowan)

Hunter Linton: 鈥淧overty and Peso: The Relationship Between Inflation and Poverty in Contemporary Argentina鈥 (Regan)

Maximilian Trulby: 鈥淒issecting the Dead Cat Bounce鈥 (Cox)

Sophie Sun: 鈥淎ssessing the Health Impacts of Natural Disasters on the U.S. Population鈥 (Baum)

March 27

Hannah Fuller: 鈥淭he Impact of Newborn Screening on Infant Mortality by U.S. State for Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders鈥 (Sanzenbacher)

Solomon Park: 鈥淎n Emotional Market? Analyzing Investor Overreaction to Economic Shocks鈥 (Sanzenbacher)

Jinju Park: 鈥淒id Bail Reform Affect Failure to Appear Rates? Exploring Efficacy of Cash Bail in Ensuring Court Hearing Attendance鈥 (Sanzenbacher)

John Herrington: 鈥淭he affect of light rail expansion on traffic related health externalities鈥 (Sanzenbacher)

April 1

Martin Brozman: 鈥淔inancial well-being of retirees in Public Retirement Funds exempt from contributing to Social Security鈥 (Rutledge)

Anthony Yang: 鈥淏ridges to Early Retirement and Maximizing Social Security Benefits鈥 (Rutledge)

Oliver Bernstein: 鈥淗ow advanced hockey analytics explain NHL players鈥 salaries鈥 (Rutledge)

Edward Deng: 鈥淣ews Sentiment and Volatility Prediction in the Commodities Market鈥 (Ulusoy / Murphy)

April 3

John Leech: 鈥淧rofit as a function of GDP acceleration鈥 (Ireland)

Charles Loeb: 鈥淔iscal Influences on COVID-19 Inflation: Analyzing the Price Level Using the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level鈥 (Ireland)

Andrew Baker: 鈥淪overeign Bond Mispricings and Economic Outcomes鈥 (Ireland)

Ryane Oswald: 鈥淔rom Cuts to Crisis: Austerity鈥檚 Long-Term Impact on the Pandemic Response in Spain and Italy鈥 (Bejan)

April 8

Kaylyn Eigen: 鈥淒isparities in Affordability of Diabetes Medications: How Price May Affect Quality of Life鈥 (Grubb)

Marco Luo: 鈥淩ent Deflation from Vacancy Taxation: Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax鈥 (McCullagh / Grubb)

Jonah Liwschitz: 鈥淭he Effects of Universal Preschool on Maternal Employment鈥 (Cichello)

Katherine McCaffrey: 鈥淐losing the Gender Wage Gap in Developing Countries: The Impact of Inward FDI on Labor Market Outcomes in Bangladesh鈥 (Cichello)

April 10

Grace Medjo: 鈥淒ata Control Rights and Sludge: A Policy Analysis of the CCPA鈥 (Felter)

Harold Wang: 鈥淚mpartial Intergenerational Beneficence as a Source of Professional Meaning鈥 (Liane Young / Stylianos Syropoulos)

Jane Guirl: 鈥淭exas TRAP Laws: Are They Trapping Mothers with Unpaid Work?鈥 (Venator)

Denis Mulcahy: 鈥淧aying the Citizen-Soldier: Earnings Outcomes for Non-Retiree Veterans entering the Civilian Labor Market鈥 (Ventor)

April 15

Jean-Fran莽ois Filippi: 鈥淓ffects on the Employment and Reservation Wage of Older Workers from the Increase in the Legal Retirement Age in France in 2010鈥 (Quinn)

Caroline Morrissey: 鈥淭eacher Labor Market Effects on Student Outcomes鈥 (Quinn)

Mary Perez: 鈥淪ocial Security:聽 Is now the time to change a leg in the retirement stool?鈥 (Quinn)

Yisi Liu: 鈥淲hy do people prefer anti-social behavior in the group than individually?鈥 (Coffman)