Outstanding Dissertation Award

To be eligible for the 2024 award, the dissertation must meet one of the following criteria:

• It will be submitted in final form to the Graduate School by April 26, 2024 for a degree to be awarded in May 2024.
• It was submitted for a degree awarded in August 2023 or December 2023.
• It was submitted after April 1, 2023, for a degree awarded in May 2023.

Nominees for the award must be submitted through the Graduate School's dedicated online awards system. The application process entails the nominator filling out the application with the necessary details about the nominee.

To successfully complete the online application, please gather the following documents:

1. Nomination Letter: A letter from the chairperson of the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) that succinctly outlines the reasons for selecting the dissertation as the program's nominee.
2. Two Letters of Support: Obtain letters of support from two of the following individuals:
   • The dissertation supervisor
   • The graduate adviser
   • The department chair
   • A committee member
3. Dissertation Copy: Include one copy of the complete dissertation, along with the abstract.

Ensure all components are compiled and submitted through the Graduate School's online awards system to facilitate a thorough and efficient nomination process.

The faculty review committees will consider both the methodological and substantive aspects of the dissertations, including the:

• Importance/impact of the subject;
• Originality/creativity of the work;
• Quality of the scholarship;
• Potential for publishing;
• Organization of the dissertation;
• Quality of the writing; and
• Other appropriate factors that denote excellence.

Individuals writing letters of support should be encouraged to keep these criteria in mind as they comment on the significance/major contribution of the dissertation and the particular aspects of the dissertation that distinguish it.