Improve your career prospects with an Honours degree in Economics.
An Honours degree – BA(Hons) or BSc(Hons) – extends, and builds on, the knowledge and skills gained in a Bachelor's degree. It offers a programme consisting of coursework and a research component. The Honours degree can only be taken full-time in one academic year.
Quick facts
- One academic year
- Four 400-level papers, plus research dissertation
- Entry requirements: B average in third year papers (including ECON 375 and 377)
Recent placements
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ), United Nations, New Zealand Treasury, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), PWC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Landcare, Commerce Commission, StatsNZ, Pharmac, and others.
If you have any questions or want to discuss postgraduate options, contact us:
Email economics@otago.ac.nz
Programme structure
Economics may be taken as a subject of study for a Bachelor of Arts or Science with Honours.
All Honours degrees in Economics are made up of:
- ECON 480: Dissertation (40 points)
- Four of ECON 402–413 (80 points), including at least one of ECON 410 (Advanced Microeconomic Theory) and ECON 411 (Advanced Macroeconomic Theory) plus at least one of ECON 412 (Macroeconometrics) and ECON 413 (Microeconometrics)
The dissertation component (ECON 480) is a complete independent research project of 8,000 to 12,000 words done under supervision. Hence, the Honours degree provides the preparation required for entry into our Master's degrees that are by thesis only (i.e. MSc, MBus, MA, MCom by thesis only) and PhD programmes.
It is possible for a 400-level paper in another subject to count towards Honours in Economics.
Entry requirements
Entry into the Honours degree normally requires:
- An ordinary Bachelor's degree in Economics (or related subject)
- An average grade of at least B for the best four 300-level papers that can count towards the Economics major subject requirement
- ECON 375, ECON 377, plus two further ECON 300-level papers, plus one further 300-level paper*
* Applicants who have passed ECON 270 are normally required to have ECON 371, ECON 375, ECON 376, plus one other ECON 300-level paper, plus one further 300-level paper.
Example of typical paper choices (PDF)
For general information about each type of Honours degrees, visit:
Combined (or Joint) Honours study
If you have a strong background in a second subject (e.g. you have completed a double major in your undergraduate degree), you may wish to consider doing Combined (or Joint) Honours across the two subjects.
In general terms this would require:
- Taking 400-level papers worth 60 points in each subject, and
- One of these papers including a dissertation component.
Depending on the specific subjects being combined, there may be other requirements as well.