The following Eller College programs have been approved for special thesis options for W. A. Franke Honors College students:
- *Accounting (major)
- *Finance (major)
- *Entrepreneurship (major)
ACCOUNTING
Franke Honors students in Accounting will register for two semesters of ACCT 498H. The first semester of ACCT 498H is a group course; Students will begin their independent thesis work during the second semester. The two-semester ACCT 498H sequence must be started in the fall semester.
FINANCE
Franke Honors students in finance apply to the instructor of Applied Investment Management course (FIN 423A and FIN 423B) for admission. If admitted, honors students are registered for FIN 498h in lieu of 423A/423B. This class manages a portion of the UA Foundation’s endowment and is organized along the lines of an investment bank. Franke Honors requirements include:
- *The finance thesis/applied portfolio coursework MUST be started in the fall semester.
- *Students must earn a minimum grade of “B” in the course requirements for both FIN 423a and FIN 423b
- *Students must submit an honors report, in both the fall and spring semesters, reviewing and assessing investment committee meetings, providing recommendations to next year’s class, and including discussion about a guest speaker’s address.
- *Students meet individually with a finance faculty member 3 times during the semester and submit a mid-semester draft of the honors report to that faculty member.
See the Finance Honors Thesis Contract for full details on these requirements. (Prior to January 2009, Honors students in finance registered for Fin 423a/b, still fulfilling the above requirements.)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The McGuire Entrepreneurship Program offers entrepreneurship students a structured sequence of courses and assignments that when successfully completed satisfying the W. A. Franke Honors College thesis requirement. The entrepreneurship honors experience is anchored in two sequential courses. Students must begin this sequence in the fall semester.
- *ENTR 487H (New Venture Development and Industrial Analysis - 4 units) and
- *ENTR 484H (Development of New Venture Plans - 4 units) and
- *ENTR 420L (Innovation Principles and Environments Lab - 1 unit)
Franke Honors students participate in a graduate level section of ECON 487 during the fall semester with the expectation that they will gain a deeper knowledge of the covered material that will, in turn, be integrated into their entrepreneurship team project. This integration is dependent on the honors students’ capacities to process the information and meaningfully communicate it back to their fellow team members. This leadership experience comes under the close supervision of the students’ Entrepreneurship Mentor-in-Residence.
During the spring semester, Franke Honors students in the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program will rejoin the general undergraduate students. However, Franke Honors students will be enrolled in a distinct ENTR 484H section and will be required to complete under the supervision of McGuire faculty and the McGuire Center Director a rigorous research project that analyzes and deconstructs the entrepreneurial dimensions of an existing organization. This research project, in conjunction with the standard team-based venture plan, will serve as the honors thesis. The rigor and quality of these assignments will be subject to the approval of both a McGuire faculty member and the director of the McGuire Center.