Self-nominations are not accepted for the dissertation award; departments are asked to nominate a single student for this award. Departmental and self-nominations are accepted for the thesis award.
The winning thesis and dissertation may become MU’s nominations for prestigious awards beyond MU (e.g., the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools’ (MAGS) Distinguished Master’s Thesis and the Council of Graduate Schools’ (CGS) Distinguished Dissertation Award).
The Dean of the Graduate School will nominate the highest-ranking thesis and dissertation in the specific discipline noted in the MAGS and CGS calls (eligible disciplines rotate annually), even if that thesis or dissertation is not selected as MU’s best for the year.
Nominated dissertations should represent original work that makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline. Both methodological and substantive quality will be judged.
The recipient will receive an honorarium of $1,000 during the Graduate and Postdoctoral Awards Banquet held in April.
The recipient will receive an honorarium of $500 at the Graduate and Postdoctoral Awards Banquet held in April.