MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master's Thesis Award
MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master's Thesis Award | Overview and Guidelines
NOMINATION PERIOD
September 2 - 20, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. CDT
Categories
For the 2024-2025 cycle, MAGS is seeking nominations for the MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master's Thesis Awards in the two broad categories of (1) Social and Behavioral Sciences, and (2) Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering. A full listing of eligible departments is provided below.
This category considers the following areas:
- Anthropology
- Child Language
- Clinical Child Psychology
- Communication Studies
- Economics
- Geography and Atmospheric Science
- Gerontology
- Linguistics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Sociology
- Speech, Language, and Hearing
- Urban Planning
- Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
This category considers the following areas:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Bioengineering
- Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
- Chemistry
- Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
- Engineering
- Geography and Atmospheric Science
- Geology
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Physics and Astronomy
Eligibility
- The thesis must contain original work that makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline.
- The effective date of degree awarded, or the completion of master’s degree requirements, must fall between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024.
*Since the intent of the competition is to recognize scholarship by students who are pursuing their first graduate research degree, individuals who received a Ph.D. (or comparable research degree) in any discipline prior to the writing of the master’s thesis are not eligible. However, recipients of a first professional degree awarded prior to the writing of the thesis may be nominated.
Award Details
Each school/College can nominate one (1) thesis per broad category, for a total of two (2) nominees.
Top nominees will be selected to represent KU in the regional competition. Each recipient of a MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award will receive a $750 honorarium. In addition, travel expenses to attend the 2025 MAGS Annual Meeting, April 2-4, 2025 in Indianapolis, IN will be covered by MAGS and the Office of Graduate Studies. The faculty mentor or thesis advisor will also be invited to attend the presentation ceremony, but their expenses will not be covered.
Nomination Process & Documents
Nominations must be made by the nominee’s school using the form below. Inclusion of an additional letter of support by from the faculty mentor as part of the submission is encouraged.
All of the following documents should be uploaded as PDFs:
- A statement of support from the school/college (statements can be provided to the school for the application by the nominee's advisor, DGS, chair, associate dean, or dean). The statement should provide insight on the level of scholarship and research demonstrated within the thesis, and should explain how this original work makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline, as well as any impacts beyond the discipline.
- An abstract of the nominated thesis, submitted as a standalone document.
- A link to the electronic copy of the completed thesis in ProQuest. URLs to the completed thesis can be found by using the ProQuest Thesis/Dissertation website.
Selection Criteria
Nominees will be evaluated on these criteria:
- Level of scholarship
- Contribution to the discipline
- Potential impacts beyond the program or discipline