2024 Award Categories

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• Social Sciences, Business and Education (1 award). 

This includes, for example, anthropology, accountancy, business, communications, criminal justice, demography, economics, education, finance, gender and sexual studies, geography, government, international relations, law, linguistics, management, marketing, political science, psychology, public administration, public policy studies, sociology, social work, urban studies, and research in closely related fields.

• Life Sciences (1 award).

This includes, for example, biology; botany; zoology; ecology; developmental biology; molecular biology; genetics; genomics; nutrition; biochemistry; biophysics; microbiology; pathology; pharmacology; physiology; cell biology; neurosciences; immunology; and related fields.

• Non-traditional Thesis/ Project Award (1 award).

This category refers to theses in any field that do not readily conform to the traditional model, such as those produced in MFA programs both for literature and the performing arts, as well as those that deviate from the typical disciplinary approaches.  Furthermore, it also includes capstone/final research-oriented projects in non-thesis degree programs.

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Award Amount

$1,000 and a plaque will be presented to each recipient at the award ceremony at the annual meeting to be held in Greenville, SC, March 13-15, 2024.

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Eligibility

• Graduate Deans or their designee(s) at CSGS member institutions may nominate one person per category (total of three per institution) whose thesis (or project) has been accepted in partial fulfillment of master’s degree requirements during the past two academic years and/or summer sessions (Fall 2021 through Summer 2023).

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Deadline and Nomination Materials

The Graduate Dean or designee shall provide the following materials as part of the nomination dossier to be received no later than November 15th, 2023, 11:59pm.  Materials must be compiled as a single PDF and named as follows: ThesisAward_Category_LastName_FirstName_Institution.pdf 
(Note: Nominations that do not adhere strictly to these instructions will not be considered).

• A synopsis of the thesis (500 word maximum) outlining its context within the broader field, as well as how the completed research contributes to the discipline; prepared by the nominee;

• An abbreviated resume or CV for the nominee (2 page maximum, prepared by the nominee);

• A web link to the thesis or an electronic copy submitted by e-mail;

• A letter of support/endorsement from the major professor focused on the criteria by which the committee will evaluate the submitted theses. These consist of: clarity of style and presentation, scholarship, research methodology, and contributions to the field or discipline; and

• Certification by the Graduate Dean or designee that the thesis was approved in partial fulfillment of requirements for the master’s degree and that the student completed the master’s degree within the past two academic years and/or summer sessions (Fall 2021 through Summer 2023);

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Please upload the dossiers via the form below. Each institution can only upload one nomination per category. Different categories can be submitted at once or in separate submissions. If you have questions, please contact csgsconference@gmail.com.

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Evaluation Process

Each thesis will be reviewed by faculty members in the field from CSGS member institutions and will be evaluated on the basis of clarity of style and presentation, scholarship, research methodology, and contributions to the field or discipline.