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Improve your career prospects with an Honours degree in Economics

An Honours degree (BA(Hons)/BCom(Hons)/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
  • 4x 400-level papers plus research dissertation
  • Entry requirements: B average in third year papers (incl. 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, please contact us!

Programme structure

Economics may be taken as a subject of study for a Bachelor of Arts, Commerce or Science with Honours.

All Honours degrees in Economics are made up of:

  • ECON480: Dissertation (40 points)
  • Four of ECON402 - 413 (80 points), including at least one of ECON410 (Advanced Microeconomic Theory) and ECON411 (Advanced Macroeconomic Theory) plus at least one of ECON412 (Macroeconometrics) and ECON413 (Microeconometrics)

The dissertation component (ECON480) 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, 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
  • ECON375, ECON377, plus two further ECON300-level papers, plus one further 300-level paper*

(*Applicants who have passed ECON270 are normally required to have ECON371, ECON375, ECON376, plus one other ECON300-level paper, plus one further 300-level paper.)

Example of typical paper choices

For general information about each of three types 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.

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