BUSINESS: Honors in the Discipline
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Eligibility
Students with a GPA of at least 3.5 in their major (AC/BA/EC/FIN/FINEC/INTLB/MKTG) by the end of the fall semester of the junior year are eligible to become a candidate to participate in the Honors in the Discipline (HID) program in the School of Business.
Honors in the Discipline are noted in the graduation program and on the academic transcript. A student may receive recognition in more than one discipline.
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Invitation
The Chair of the School of Business will send a letter to eligible students by February 10th of the students' junior year inviting them to participate in the HID program.Students must accept (or decline) the invitation in writing--and submit the name of the honors advisor--to the Chair no later than March 15th of their junior year. A copy of their letter is kept on file in the School of Business, the Office of Registration and Records and in the student's advising folder.
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Project
Topic and Honors Advisor: Students must meet with a full-time faculty member in the School of Business to discuss a suitable project and declare the name of their honors advisor to the Chair by March 15th of their junior year. A student and his/her honors advisor can choose to designate a secondary advisor, depending on the research topic.Course Credit: The HID project must be independent of work done for credit in other courses. However, the Honors in the Discipline paper may be used to satisfy the Senior Thesis requirement for the Elizabethtown College Honors Program.
Registration: If you decide to conduct an HID project, you should plan to register for BA400 Honors in Discipline course. This course has variable credits and you should take 2 (two) credits of this course in the Fall and 2 (two) credits in the Spring semester of your senior year. BA400 is an RBI course; students wishing to register for the course should notify the department assistant, Zach Spencer, during Registration.
Honors students: If you are enrolled in the Elizabethtown College Honors Program, you should register for BA400 (3 cr) and Thesis Preparation (1-credit) in the Spring.
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Research Proposal
A research proposal must be submitted to the honors advisor no later than October 1. The proposal should include the following:
- A title.
- An abstract of 200-300 words. The abstract should provide a brief description of the research project, including goals, methodology and expected outcomes.
- A tentative time line for completion of different parts of the project.
- A reference page with at least five different sources of information for the project.
Electronic submissions are encouraged.
By Oct. 31, honors advisors will notify candidates whether the proposal has been accepted or rejected. If rejected, candidates must make appropriate revisions within five business days and resubmit to the honors advisor for consideration in order to remain eligible for HID designation.
HID candidates should review HID papers from the past two years (on file at the High Library) to be sure that they understand the quality of work required to obtain the HID designation. -
Honors Committee
The project will be overseen by an Honors in the Discipline Committee (HID Committee) consisting of the honors advisor, the Chair, and the student and his/her honors advisor can choose to designate a secondary advisor, depending on the research topic.
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Presentations and Paper Submission
Students are expected to present their preliminary research work in November. Presentations are brief, lasting 5-10 minutes each.A preliminary draft of the paper must be submitted to the honors advisor no later than March 20th. The paper should also be submitted to the secondary advisor, if applicable.
Students are expected to make a presentation of 10-12 minutes at the annual Student Conference in Business and Economics at Elizabethtown College, held typically in early April.
The completed paper should be at least 25 pages typed (double-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 points font), not including appendices. The cover page should contain the following: Title, Name, Primary advisor, Secondary advisor (if applicable), Date. Submit the completed paper electronically to your primary advisor (and to secondary advisor, if applicable). Then, complete the High Library online agreement form at http://bit.ly/JayScholar-submit. NOTE: The form indicates to submit your paper; however, you should not do this. Your paper will be submitted to the High Library by the School of Business after final review.
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Evaluation
The designation of Honors in the Discipline requires that the student's project be judged as excellent by the honors committee. Generally, the HID Committee must agree that:- the paper is excellent work (equivalent to the grade of A or A-);
- the author has paid diligent attention to details; and
- the author displays exceptional analytical and writing skills.
Students making presentations at the SCBE receive certificates and are eligible for cash prizes. Awards are made at the School of Business Banquet later that day. Abstracts of the paper are published in the Business and Economics Footprints.
Official Record: The designation "Honors in the Discipline" will be recorded in the Commencement Program and on the student's official College transcript.
Withdrawal: In order to withdraw from the HID program, students must submit a written statement specifying their reasons for withdrawal. The statement must be signed by the HID honors advisor, and submitted to the Chair. A copy of the statement is filed with the Office of Registration and Records and is placed in the student's advising folder.
Important Dates
| Junior Year | |
|---|---|
| February 10 | Chair, School of Business sends invitation letters to eligible students |
| March 15 | Student accepts (or declines) the invitation and submits the name of honors advisor to the Chair |
| Senior Year | |
|---|---|
| October 1 | Student submits research proposal to honors advisor |
| October 31 | Honors advisor approves research proposal; notifies the Chair and secondary honors advisor (if applicable) |
| November | Student pre-registers for BA400 Senior Project for credit (optional) |
| November | Student presents preliminary research |
| March 1 | Student submits abstract of paper to Student Conference in Economics and Business |
| March 20 | Student submits draft of paper to the honors advisor (and the secondary advisor if applicable) |
| April (first week) | Student presents paper at SCBE |
| April 20 | Student submits electronic copy of completed paper to the honors advisor (and to secondary honors advisor, if applicable) |
| April 30 | Advisor notifies Chair of grade |