Graduate and Professional Student Government Association

The Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) announces the 2013 MAGS/Proquest Distinguished Master's Thesis Award selection process.  Each member institution may submit one nomination for the award. Each nomination requires the written endorsement of the Dean of the Graduate School.

To be considered, a thesis must contain original work that makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline. It must be in a format that conforms to accepted disciplinary standards, and it must have been accepted as final by the degree-granting institution. Theses submitted electronically will normally be in pdf format; hyperlinks to additional materials may be included but must be verified prior to submission. Nominations will be accepted in any discipline in which the institution offers a master's degree. Original works accepted by an institution "in lieu of thesis" (such as musical compositions, published books, works of art, computer software, etc.) may not be nominated.

A nominee must have been awarded the master's degree within the calendar year from October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012. 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.



Each recipient of a MAGS Distinguished Master's Thesis Award will receive a $750 honorarium. In addition, up to $500 will be available to each recipient for travel expenses to attend the Annual Meeting, April 10-12, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN.  It is expected that the winner's institution will cover any travel expenses which exceed the $500 provided by MAGS for the awardee to attend the meeting to receive the award. The faculty mentor or thesis advisor will also be invited to attend the presentation ceremony.


To submit a nomination, please use the attached nomination form.  The nomination form, the abstract of the nominated thesis, and the thesis must be submitted electronically to grad.dean@okstate.edu<mailto:grad.dean@okstate.edu>  by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 24, 2012. Please use as the subject heading "MAGS Thesis." The abstract, describing the research and its significance, must not exceed 300 words and contain the title of the thesis and the name of the author.  Letters from the faculty mentor may accompany the nomination.