The Graduate School
Nomination and Submission Guidelines:
2008 Outstanding Thesis Award
The Outstanding Thesis Award was established to recognize master’s students whose theses, reports and portfolios merit recognition for excellence in scholarship, research, and writing. Each graduate program may nominate only one student for the award.
Three categories will be used to group the nominations:
- Area A – Humanities and Fine Arts
- Area B – Social Sciences, Business and Education
- Area C – Mathematics, Engineering, Physical Sciences, and Biological and Life Sciences
A thesis/report may be considered in only one competition category. Because certain graduate programs may be included in several of these areas, please select the area most appropriate to the topic and methodology of the nominated thesis.
Michael H. Granof Outstanding Graduate Student
If you would like the nominee to be considered for the Granof Outstanding Graduate Student award, please review the Eligibility and Submission Instructions.
Criteria
To be eligible for this year’s competition, the thesis/report must meet one of the following criteria:
- It will be submitted in final form to the Graduate School by May 2 for a degree to be awarded in May 2008. (Note: Nominees who do not submit their thesis by May 2 or who do not complete other degree requirements by this date will be ineligible to receive an award in this year’s competition.)
- It was submitted for a degree awarded in August 2007 or December 2007.
- It was submitted after April 6, 2007, for a degree awarded in May 2007.
Documentation
Nomination packets should consist of four sets of each of the following items:
- A completed nomination form (.pdf) (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or newer - download free Reader)
- A cover letter from the chair of the GSC briefly describing why the thesis/report was chosen for nomination by the program
- Two letters of support from the thesis supervisor, the graduate adviser, the department chair, or a committee member
- One copy of the abstract or summary on paper
- Nomination form for Granof Outstanding Student Award (optional)
Each faculty award review team will determine its top nominees based on evaluation of the materials listed above by April 8. Those nominees selected as finalists will be contacted to submit their full thesis/report by April 14. The winning student in each of the three categories will be selected based on the full thesis.
Evaluation
The faculty review committees will consider both the methodological and substantive aspects of the thesis, including:
- the importance/impact of the subject
- the originality/creativity of the work
- the quality of the scholarship
- the potential for publishing or other professional outlet
- the organization
- the quality of the writing
- other appropriate factors that denote excellence
Individuals writing letters of support should be encouraged to keep the above criteria in mind as they comment on the significance/major contribution of the thesis/report and the particular aspects of the thesis that distinguish it. Letters should be addressed to the Thesis Awards Committee.
Submission
Turn in four sets of the nomination documents BY MARCH 28, 2008, to:
Office of Graduate Studies
G0400 (Main Building 101)