Student Research

Every Alleghenian completes a Senior Project in his or her major field-—a significant piece of original work, designed by the student and a faculty advisor, which proves to employers and graduate schools the ability to complete a major assignment, to work independently, to analyze and synthesize information, and to write and speak persuasively.

Examples of Senior Projects

  • The Carbonated Soft Drink Industry: A Case Study”
  • “Decision-making Under Risk and Uncertainty and a Defense of Graham and Dodd”
  • “Incentives to Interest Rate Capitalization in International Debt Rescheduling”
  • “An Exploration of Portfolio Insurance”
  • “A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of U.S. Life Insurance Companies, 1960 to 1990”

Student Publications/Presentations

The Senior Project and other research projects, either conducted independently or in concert with faculty, give our students opportunities for achievements not often available to undergraduates at other institutions. Some recent examples:

  • “Decomposing Change in Energy Input-Output Coefficients” (research jointly authored with two faculty members and published in Resources and Energy)
  • “Cafeteria Polystyrene and Alternatives” (case research presented jointly with faculty member to regional school district task force)
  • “Evaluating Fuel Tax Equity: Direct and Indirect Distributional Effects” (student/faculty research published in The National Tax Journal)