The VSE’s Honours program provides intensive, small group instruction for academically outstanding students who commit to a more in-depth and extensive study of Economics.
Honours graduates have found success after graduation in pre-doc research assistant positions and top graduate programs worldwide, at places like the London School of Economics, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard Law School. In recent years, students have also been admitted to top PhD programs at MIT, Princeton, and Stanford.
Honours Program at a Glance
- Dedicated Honours intermediate theory courses taught by research faculty
- Honours applied economics seminar taught by the Honours Faculty Advisor (Econ 495)
- Students can be part of a cohort that take the same classes together
- A year-long independent thesis project under the direction of a personal faculty research advisor
Program Requirements
The following is a list of the Economic course requirements to obtain a BA with a Honours in Economics:
- Principles of Economics (ECON_V 101 and 102 or equivalent) – 6 credits
- ECON_V 200-level or 300-level courses – 6 credits
- Honours Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis (ECON_V 304) – 3 credits
- Honours Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (ECON_V 305) – 3 credits
- Intermediate Microeconomics II (ECON_V 306) – 3 credits (with at least a 68% average)
- Intermediate Macroeconomics II (ECON_V 307) – 3 credits (with at least a 68% average)
- Econometrics I (ECON_V 325) – 3 credits
- Econometrics II (ECON_V 326) – 3 credits
- Honours Seminar (ECON_V 495) – 3 credits
- Honours Paper (ECON_V 499) – 6 credits
- Additional Economics courses (ECON_V 300/400-level) – 9 credits
- Additional Economics courses (ECON_V 400-level) – 12 credits
- Total Econ 300-level and 400-level credits required – 48
- Total Econ credits required – 60
- A cumulative average of at least 78% in ECON courses numbered 300 and above
- No more than two ECON courses (6 credits) at the ECON 300/400 with a grade below 68%
Application Information & Admission Prerequisites
- Admission to the Honours Program is by application online only.
- Application into the fourth year of the program is not recommended.
- Applications must be accompanied by official transcripts from all other post-secondary institutions attended. Students should make every effort to have their applications submitted to the Vancouver School of Economics by May 5.
Students entering their third year with a minimum of 54 credits and a minimum GPA of 75% are welcome to apply:
- 6 credits of Principles of Economics (equivalent to UBC ECON_V 101 and 102)
- 6 credits of University-level Calculus (equivalent to UBC MATH_V 100 and 101)
- 3 credits that satisfy the Writing component of the Faculty of Arts Writing and Research Requirement (e.g., ASTU_V 150, WRDS_V 150, 151, CAP_V 001, Arts One, or an approved substitute) or SCIE_V 113
- 3 credits of introductory econometrics (ECON_V 325 or an approved substitute)
- 3 credits of 2nd or 3rd year level courses in Economics (courses in this category are not acceptable unless they require Principles of Economics as a prerequisite)
Courses required under the above cannot be taken on a Credit/D/Fail basis.
Selection for admission is based solely on the student’s academic record. We admit the applicants with the strongest transcripts until the available positions are filled. Due to the small number of students involved, we do not release any information about the GPAs of admitted students.
NOTE: Students who wish to be considered for the Honours program should enroll in ECON_V 304 and ECON_V 305 rather than ECON_V 301 and ECON_V 302.
Course Planning
Poster Session
Each year, Honours students present their capstone research projects to faculty, staff, alumni, and fellow students. Each project makes use of the empirical, data science and analytical tools our students have developed over their studies.
2025
Taxing Empty Homes: The Impact of Oakland's Measure W on Housing Markets Accepted to present at the CEA 2025 Alex Haddon
Alex Haddon
In response to growing concerns over housing affordability and the rise of vacant investment properties, cities like Oakland, California have…
2025
Farewell to Low Fares: The Price Effects of Alaska Airlines' 2016 Acquisition of Virgin America CEA 2025 Best Paper Award Pierre Lambelet
Pierre Lambelet
To better understand the impacts of market concentration and reduced competition on consumers in the airline industry, this paper investigates…
2025
Cat's in the Cradle: Paternity Leave Policy and Mothers' Labour Market Outcomes Accepted to present at the CEA 2025 Wuyang Ren
Wuyang Ren
How effective are paternity leave policies in improving new mothers' labour market outcomes and promoting gender equality? The persistent gender…
2025
Always an Angel, Never a God: Prosocial Norms and Gender Differences in Volunteering Accepted to present at the CEA 2025 Megumi Bernardo
Megumi Bernardo
Popular beliefs that women are more caring or helpful than men misalign with mixed evidence about gender differences in prosociality,…