A senior honors thesis is a chance to investigate an idea, theoretical issue, policy problem, or historical situation of keen economic interest. All economics senior thesis writers are required to take an ECON 985 Senior Thesis Seminar.
Attention Juniors: See the Ec Thesis Canvas page for a recording of the Ec Senior Thesis Interest meeting and other key details!
Resources for Writing an Economics Thesis
- Thesis Canvas page
- Senior Thesis Guide, 2024-25
- Ec Thesis Registration Form (due 10/7/24)
- Non-Ec Thesis Agreement (due 10/7/24)
- Thesis Formatting Guidelines, 2023-24
- Check out Why to Write a Senior Thesis in Economics by Professor Benjamin Friedman.
- Our Writing Economics guide is a great reference for thesis writers, as well as for anyone doing any writing in economics (course paper, RAship, etc.).
- Sortable Thesis Advisor List, 2023-24 (updated 9/21/23)
- Advice from former thesis writers
- Advice for juniors thinking about a thesis
- Economics Senior Thesis Titles through 2023, available in Harvard Archives
- Ec Dept Thesis Blog, launched May 2020!
- General (not ec-specific) thesis support from the Academic Resource Center
Research Resources
- Undergraduate Research at Harvard, a source of info on research funding, research opportunities like BLISS, PRISE, PRIMO, and more.
-
Harvard Libraries Resources
- Resources for Economics Research
- Diane Sredl, Data Reference Librarian extraordinaire!
- HBS Baker Library: Data & Resources Overview, Financial Data FAQ. HBS library contact: Emilie Codega
- Sources for research funding on our website and through the College
-
Human Subjects research and the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Any research that involves experiments, surveys, human subjects, or uses previously gathered data on human subjects containing identifying information must seek IRB approval.
- Apply through Harvard's Committee on the Use of Human Subjects (CUHS).
- Fall 2023 Human Subject Training Seminars for undergraduates: details here.
- Guidance about research that may need IRB approval and steps to follow for approval.
- FAQs about human subjects research.
- If you have questions, please reach out to the econ IRB contact person at CUHS.