The economics department takes pride in our ability to work with students on original research.  There are two main opportunities for students to pursue research.  First, a student can pursue a departmental honors thesis.  A honors thesis gives the student a chance to work closely with a member of the faculty to pursue a research topic of mutual interest.  A student completing an honors thesis is eligible for up to 6 credits.

Second, a student can conduct a shorter original product through our Capstone course (Econ 488: Seminar in Economics).  This one semester course is offered annually to give Economics majors guidance on how to pursue original research.  The course has focused on the local/regional economy during the last three years.  

See the links on the right side of this page for details on the departmental honors thesis requirements as well as a list of past research topics from Economics majors. 

The Economics Department offers numerous awards and scholarships for students.

 Economics Endowment: A twelve hundred dollar scholarship presented by the Economics Department to a declared economics major who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement with preference given to students with financial need.

Fulton Bank Award: A four hundred dollar award is presented by the Economics Department, on behalf of Fulton Bank, to a student demonstrating outstanding academic scholarship in the field of Money, Credit, and Banking.

The Omicron Delta Epsilon Research Award in Economics: An annual award presented to an economics major who demonstrates academic excellence through economic research by presenting the best research paper at a research conference, symposium, seminar, or poster session.  The recipient is determined by a majority of the economics faculty upon review of the research projects presented over the course of the academic year.

Omicron Delta Epsilon Induction: ODE was established in 1963 to recognize scholastic excellence and outstanding acheivements in economics.  Strict acceptance criteria based on academic merit determine all members' eligibility.  There are more than 535 chapters in the United States and abroad, many of which are located at some of the most prestigious universities in the world.  Students who meet the criteria for induction will be notified by the Chairperson of the Alpha Sigma Chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon.

The 2012 Millersville University Student Research Conference will take place on Friday April 13, 2012 at 4:30pm in McComsey Hall.  The application to present a paper, poster, or performance piece is located here

Follow the link below to access a pdf document that contains details on honors thesis requirements and guidelines

Honors Thesis Requirements and Guidelines

Follow the link below to see past honors theses and Capstone research projects and posters by economics majors

 Student Research

Patricia Grieggs (C'07, left in above photo) was the winner of the Omicron Delta Epsilon Frank W. Taussig Award in 2007 for her honors thesis: Variations in Individual Decision Making: Children, Adults, and Economic Theory.  Patricia's honors thesis will be published in a forthcoming issue of The American Economist journal.  Patricia also received a monetary award of $1000, and a $200 donation was made to the Millersville Chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon.  Patricia's thesis advisor was Dr. Ron Baker.