Omicron Delta Epsilon - Honors Society

Cornell University hosts the New York Kappa chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, The International Honor Society in Economics, and was chartered in 1961. We are economics majors interested in creating a close-knit community within the department and supporting the academic success of our members.

OΔE inducts new members each year, from among members of the junior and senior classes with majors in Economics. Membership is limited to those students meeting requirements with respect to both overall GPA and GPA in the Economics major.

Benefits of OΔE membership include:

• Community of Economics Majors - Talk about concepts or current events you learned about in class, get advice from upperclassmen, and make important contacts for the future.
• Social and Academic Events - Members have the opportunity to serve in leadership positions within Omicron Delta Epsilon and contribute to the academic life of the department by planning events of interest to the economics community.
• Academic Success - Members are eligible to compete for the ODE Undergraduate Research Award and the Outstanding Student Leader Award and to submit papers for publication in The American Economist, the journal of Omicron Delta Epsilon. Members are also recognized with unique blue and gold ropes worn at Commencement. 

Omicron Delta Epsilon (OΔE) is an international honor society in the field of economics. Resulting from the merger of Omicron Delta Gamma and Omicron Chi Epsilon, OΔE was founded in 1963. Its board of trustees includes well-known economists such as Robert Lucas, Kenneth Arrow, and Robert Solow.

OΔE is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has approximately 88,000 members. OΔE currently has 578 active chapters worldwide. New members consist of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as college and university faculty. OΔE publishes a journal entitled The American Economist twice each year and awards honor cords for its graduates. Cornell University’s Kappa chapter of OΔE was chartered in 1961.

In order to apply you will need to meet the following requirements:

1. Must have an overall GPA of at least a 3.6
2. Must have taken at least 5 Economics courses at Cornell (not including 1110, 1120, and 2040)
3. Must have a GPA of at least 3.7 in those Economics courses.

Good Standing and Graduation Ropes:

The following service commitments are required of members inducted in 2022-23 and onward:

• After new members are inducted, meet as a group to select through an anonymous vote at least three officers for the Cornell chapter of ODE.
• Work together to plan at least two economics-related activities per year open to all students interested in economics; feel free to collaborate on these activities with other economics student groups on campus.
• Attend monthly ODE planning meetings in the Economics Undergraduate Lounge.

Members in good standing will earn unique Omicron Delta Epsilon ropes for their graduation regalia.

How to Calculate your Econ Course GPA:

To calculate your ECON Course GPA, use the following guide.  Please include all ECON courses, except ECON 1110, 1120, and 2040 in this calculation.  Cross-listed courses should be included in this GPA (ie ECON 3710/PAM 4280 The Economics of Risky Health Behaviors). Grades of INC, R, S, SX, U, UX, and W should not be included in this calculation.

To compute your ECON course grade point average (GPA)

• First, add up the products (Multiply credit hours X  grade quality points)
• Divide by the total credit hours taken
  
  Quality Points

  A+ = 4.3	C = 2.0
  A = 4.0	C- = 1.7
  A- = 3.7	D+ = 1.3
  B+ = 3.3	D = 1.0
  B = 3.0	D- = 0.7
  B- = 2.7	F = 0.0
  C+ = 2.3

The application for the 2022-23 academic year is now closed. Please check back in September 2023 for instructions.