Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Awards
Program Summary
Sponsored by the North Carolina State University Graduate School, the Thesis and Dissertation Award program is designed to reward outstanding scholarly research at the graduate level.
The Thesis and Dissertation Award program was established in honor of the late Nancy G. Pollock, who served as Thesis Editor for the NC State Graduate School for 30 years. During her long career in the Graduate School, Ms. Pollock reviewed over 18,000 theses and dissertations to ensure that they met the high standards set by the graduate faculty at NC State.
Eligibility and Criteria for Selection
For the 2009 Award program, the effective date of the nominee’s degree award, or the completion of doctoral degree requirements and dissertation, must fall in the period of July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2009.
Both the methodological and substantive quality of theses and dissertations will be evaluated. The thesis or dissertation summary must be written in terms that any individual who is not in the same academic area as the nominee can understand.
Winners will be selected by a committee composed of NC State Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professors. Where necessary, the committee will seek consultation from additional faculty to evaluate selected theses and dissertations.
Submission of Nominations
Each college Associate Dean with responsibilities for graduate programs is invited to submit nominations under this program. The call for nominations will announce the maximum number of thesis and dissertation award nominations each college may submit.
Nominations must include the following:
- Cover page (template available here).
- Abstract: Each nominee must prepare an abstract (not to exceed 10 pages) of his or her dissertation, typed double-spaced on 8-1/2" x 11" white paper. In addition, appendices containing non-textual material, such as charts or tables, may be included. The pages should be numbered, and each should bear the name of the nominee.
- Recommendations: Letters from three referees selected by the nominee, evaluating the significance and quality of his or her dissertation work, are to be included in the nomination materials. One of these letters is to be from the nominee's dissertation supervisor, another from a member of the nominee's dissertation committee, and the third from a person of the nominee's choice.
- Current CV: This should include any relevant publications and/or products (1-2 pages).
- Deadline: Nominations must be received by the Graduate School no later than April 30, 2009. Awards will be announced in Summer 2009.
Each nomination should be e-mailed to David Shafer as a PDF file at david_shafer@ncsu.edu or mailed to his attention in the Graduate School, Campus Box 7102.
Awards
Thesis and Dissertation Award nominees from each college will automatically receive $100. Of the Thesis and Dissertation Award nominations submitted, the Selections Committee will choose one thesis and one dissertation for university-level awards of $500 and $1000, respectively. Those selected for university-level awards will not receive the $100 college nomination awards in addition to their university-level awards.
Dissertation’s selected as for an award will also be considered for submission to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) for their Distinguished Dissertation Award. Graduate School Thesis Award winners will be considered for submission to the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) for their Master’s Thesis Award. Please note that the fields of study supported by CGS and CSGS rotate every year, so only theses and dissertations in appropriate disciplines will be considered each year.
Questions regarding this program should be directed to Dr. David Shafer at (919) 515-4462 or david_shafer@ncsu.edu.