Eller Undergraduate Honors Program
Eller Tracks of Excellence
Upper Division Core and Major Honors Courses
In their third and fourth years, Eller Honors students select one of the following Tracks of Excellence in order to complete six units of thesis work as required for graduation with Honors:
| Track | Description |
|---|---|
Track 1: Academic Departmental Research Marketing, MIS, Business Economics, Business Management, OSCM, and BA Economics majors or Global Business Program Minors | To complete this track, initiate contact with a faculty member in the department of your major. That faculty member will serve as your advisor as you undertake research design and critical analysis for the discipline of your choice, leading to writing and presenting your thesis during the second semester of your senior year. Course: Independent Study |
| Track 2: Entrepreneurship | This track allows you to complete a business plan as your Honors thesis, working closely with faculty in the McGuire Entrepreneurship program to complete your Honors capstone project. This track requires acceptance to the McGuire Entrepreneurship program. Courses: ENTR 487H, MKTG 480H, FIN 480H, ENTR 484H, ENTR 420L |
Track 3: Finance Applied Portfolio Management | If you are interested in finance, this track allows you to apply classroom learning to the active management of a portfolio, with your applied portfolio report serving as your final thesis. Admission to this track requires completing FIN 412, earning an A in FIN 421, FIN 423A and approval from the Department of Finance. Courses: FIN 423A/B |
| Track 4: Accounting | Completing your honors thesis in accounting is a two semester commitment, starting in Fall and ending in Spring of the Senior year. The Fall semester begins with a more traditional classroom experience. The course is taught by a research faculty member or experienced PhD student and focuses on understanding accounting research theories, developing research questions and writing a well-developed research thesis proposal. Successful completion of the first semester will enable you to continue into the Spring semester where you will gather data, execute the statistical tests and complete the writing of the thesis. Both semesters will be graded and are additive courses to the standard courses required to graduate. Courses: ACCT498H |
McCord Scholars Program
The McCord Scholars Program is the Eller College of Management’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarship program.
Phoenix residents Robert and Sharon McCord donated $10 million to establish the McCord Scholars Program for outstanding undergraduate business students across the state of Arizona at UA, ASU and NAU. The portion of the gift that is designated for the Eller College provides ten scholarships of $10,000 each annually.
"Education is critical to maintaining competition in the international marketplace," said the late Robert McCord, upon establishing the program. "This program will help us compete and will assist in attracting the best students in Arizona, thus providing great local benefit. It is our wish that this financial assistance will make a difference in the ability of talented students to finish their business education at quality universities.”
About the Program
McCord Scholars receive $5,000 in the fall semester and $5,000 in the spring semester during their first year in the professional program (i.e., junior year). McCord Scholars are expected to remain active in the McCord Scholars Program for the duration of the professional program, with the intention that senior students will mentor junior students.
Award Criteria and Application
McCord Scholars will meet the following criteria:
- Enrolled in the Eller College Professional Program, a two-year management program completed in the junior and senior year of the undergraduate experience resulting in a baccalaureate degree
- Member in good standing of the Business or Economics Program, maintaining a minimum 3.6 cumulative GPA
- Actively involved in student and professional organizations and have a demonstrated track record of leadership
- Pursuing a full-time academic course load and make regular progress toward a four-year undergraduate degree
- Arizona residents
- Main Campus student
- Application dates for Spring 2024 are updated below. Please contact Elise Romero at emb@arizona.edu with any questions regarding the process.
2024 Award Process Timeline
| March 12 | Call for Applications |
| March 19 | Information Session 5:00pm-6:00pm via ZOOM |
| March 26 | Applications Due by 12:00pm (noon) |
| April 10 | Winners Selected (notifications made by 5:00 p.m.) |
Honors Credit Requirements
The number of honors credits that need to be completed depend on the classification (earned units transferred) to which students are admitted to the UA.
For example:
- If admitted as a first year student, students must complete 30 units of honors credit, six of which include the honors thesis or capstone project.
- If admitted as a sophomore, students must complete 24 units of honors credit, six of which include the honors thesis or capstone project.
- If admitted as a junior, students must complete 18 units of honors credit, six of which include the honors thesis or capstone project.
Students with questions about credit reduction should speak with their Academic Advisor in the W.A. Franke Honors College.
Additional Information
Visit the official website for the W.A. Franke Honors College for the University of Arizona to find out about resources and policies about the Honors experience.