ECON 675
Capstone
STAT 656
Applied Analytics
Academic standing
GPA forecast
Update grades in the course plan. Blank planned courses are excluded from GPA.
Next steps
Priority queue
Upcoming deadlines
This Week & Next
Degree map
Semester plan
Core
ECON/ECMT elective
Supporting
Curriculum rules
Requirement checklist
Degree minimums
- 36 credit hours total
- 15 credit hours of core courses
- 6 credit hours of ECON/ECMT electives
- 15 credit hours of supporting coursework
Notes to track
- Summer 2026: ECON 684 Professional Internship completed with S; 6 credits applied to degree plan.
- Fall 2026 plan: ECON 675 (Capstone, 3 cr) + STAT 656 (Applied Analytics, 3 cr).
- ECON 675 syllabus received May 13, 2026; presentations confirmed at WCSS 218.
- STAT 656 Section 700 is fully online — Canvas quizzes, R homework, video project tasks.
- Final audit target: 15 core, 6 ECON/ECMT electives, at least 15 supporting credits.
Fall 2026 syllabi
What the Fall 2026 classes require
ECON 675 · Fall 2026
C
Capstone for Financial Economics / Financial Econometrics
Main work
Group research paper using professional literature and data, with teams of up to three students. Work includes a proposal, revised proposal, midterm report, updated midterm report, final report, final paper, and mandatory presentations.
Presentations
60%
Reports & revisions
35%
Writing + meeting
5%
STAT 656 · Section 700
SC
Applied Analytics
Homework
50%
Canvas quizzes
10%
Video project
40%
Format notes
R Markdown homework, open-book individual quizzes, and staged project videos replace a midterm or final exam.
ECON 675 syllabus
Capstone schedule checkpoints
Informal drop-in hours
As available, 2:30-4:30 PM. Useful window for checking project fit and remote presentation constraints.
Proposal due
Project description, literature review, data source, and optional AI usage log due to Canvas. Worth 5%.
Proposal presentation ✓
Presented Sep 3. Score: 13/15. Professor feedback: add scatter plots (returns vs factors), compare alpha/beta across 1990s dotcom vs current AI sector. Worth 10%.
Revised proposal
Revised proposal plus response to comments submitted to Canvas. Worth 5%.
Midterm report ✓
Submitted Oct 4. Fama-French analysis of Dot-Com, Post-COVID Tech, and AI Cycle booms. 4 models (CAPM, FF3, FF5, FF5+MOM), 5 figures, Tables 1–4. Group 8: Arnav Gokhale, Mustafa Zeshan, Rinad Mohamed. Worth 5%.
Second presentation ✓ — 18/18
Midterm results presentation — Group 8 (Arnav Gokhale, Mustafa Zeshan, Rinad Mohamed). 12 slides, 15–20 min. Topics: episode overview, model spec, alpha analysis (NVDA/CSCO/INTC/AVGO/PLTR significant), rolling beta, scatter plots. Slides in Drive. Worth 20%.
Final report
Final report submitted to Canvas under rubric #3. Worth 5%.
Professor feedback from midterm presentation (Oct 6, 18/18): (1) Add equally-weighted portfolio analysis side-by-side with current stock-level results — large-cap stocks like MSFT/AMZN/GOOGL are a chunk of the market index, creating mechanical beta friction. (2) Add an explicit investment recommendation: frame which stocks to buy vs. avoid based on alpha findings — NVDA, CSCO, INTC, AVGO, PLTR are the "get" stocks (significant alpha); rest are pure systematic risk.
Final presentations
Presentation to the instructor and one additional evaluator. WCSS 218. Worth 30%.
Final paper + responses
Final paper and responses to comments due. Rubric requires at least 12 pages with 1-inch margins. Worth 10%.
STAT 656 syllabus
Applied Analytics schedule checkpoints
Canvas Quizzes (×13, 1 dropped)
Open-book, individual. Post Thursday, due Sunday. 10% of grade total — ~0.8% each after the lowest is dropped. Quiz 1: 40/40 ✓
HW 1 — Flight Delays
R Markdown homework submitted as .Rmd + knitted file. 10% of grade. 30% late penalty; no submissions accepted after 24 hrs.
Task 1 — 1-min individual video
Each person submits a 1-minute video describing the problem and what they propose to do. Also form groups of 3 for the rest of the project. Worth 5%.
HW 2 — Bootstrap & Regression
R Markdown homework. Worth 10%.
HW 3 — Customer Churn
R Markdown homework. Worth 10%.
Task 2 — Feynman Method video
Group submits a 1-min explanation video + 5-min Feynman method video applying one topic/idea to the project. Worth 10%.
HW 4 — HIV Drug Therapy
R Markdown homework. Worth 10%.
Task 3 — Project Update video
Group submits a 7-min video answering specific questions about the project. Worth 10%.
HW 5 — Digits
R Markdown homework. Worth 10%.
Task 4 — Final project submission
Group submits a 10-min video describing the entirety of the project. Worth 15%.
Fall 2026 deadlines
Semester calendar
ECON 675
STAT 656
Work tracker
Course tasks
Source material
