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.
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 8 for a degree to be awarded in May 2009. (Note: Nominees who do not submit their thesis by May 8 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 2008 or December 2008.
- It was submitted after April 8, 2008, for a degree awarded in May 2008.
Documentation
Nomination packets should consist of each of the following items:
- A completed nomination form (.pdf) (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader - 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
- A letter of support from the thesis supervisor, the graduate adviser, the department chair, or a committee member
- A copy of the complete thesis in .pdf format
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
All documents must be submitted electronically to gradawards@austin.utexas.edu by 5:00 p.m. on April 3, 2009.