Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Awards

Overview

The Graduate School is pleased to announce its Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation
Awards competition for 2025. We have adopted the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)
outstanding dissertation program for award criteria and rotation for field of study. TTU award
recipients will receive monetary prizes and first place dissertation award recipients will also be
nominated to CGS as part of their annual CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award
competition to recognize an outstanding dissertation representing original work that makes an
unusually significant contribution to the discipline being considered that year.

Criteria

Awards will be given annually according to the designated research topic. See
expanded list at the end of announcement:

• Even Years:
  • Social Sciences; Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Engineering – 2024 fields of competition
• Odd Years:
  
  • Biology and Life Sciences; Humanities and Fine Arts – 2025 fields of competition

*Theses and Dissertations may be considered from current year and 2 years prior (July 1, 2023 –
June 30, 2025) and must represent original work. Degrees must be confirmed before any theses or
dissertations are eligible.

Awards

Biology and Life Sciences

Humanities and Fine Arts

*University employees - Cash awards are taxed and must be processed through payroll. Current students who are not University employees – awards are processed through Student Business Services and applied to your account going towards any tuition and fee balance first. Awardees who have already graduated are processed through a W-9 and paid directly through purchasing.

Timeline

Nomination Process

For nomination purposes, please submit a nomination letter and a 2-3 page abstract of the thesis/dissertation. The nomination letter should address why the thesis/dissertation is being nominated and the significant contribution the research makes to the discipline.

Nominations may be submitted by any TTU graduate faculty member online

Questions

Please contact gradfellowships@ttu.edu for any additional questions.

Selection

• The Dean of the Graduate School’s committee will select the winners based on the nominations from each college.
• Committee member must step down and be replaced if the member has a conflict with the nominated dissertation.
• All nominating committee members at each level must be graduate faculty.
• The first place dissertation award in each category that fits the CGS categories will be nominated to the Council of Graduate School’s yearly recognition competition.

If the dissertation is chosen to be forwarded on to CGS – the following requirements also apply:

• Extended abstract (not to exceed 10 double-spaced pages). Appendices containing other material, such as charts, tables, and/or references, may be included as additional pages.
• Three letters of reference evaluating the significance and quality of the nominee’s dissertation work. 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.
• A brief CV (not to exceed 5 pages).

The CGS categories as shown on their website are as follows:

• Even Years:
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Physical Sciences
  • Math, Physical Sciences and Engineering include:

  Expand to see list

  • Mathematics
  • Statistics
  • Computer Science
  • Data Processing
  • Systems Analysis
  • Chemistry
  • Earth Sciences
  • Physics
  • Geology
  • Meteorology
  • Astronomy
  • Metallurgy
  • Geophysics
  • Pharmaceutical Chemistry
  • Engineering disciplines include (excluding engineering technologies):

  Expand to see list

  • Aeronautical Engineering
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Ceramic Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrcial Engineering
  • Environmental Health Engineering
  • Geological Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mining Engineering
  • Nuclear Engineering
  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Social Sciences include:

  Expand to see list

  • Agricultural Economics
  • Geography
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Demography
  • Psychology
  • Business, Human Sciences, and Mass Communications are in the social sciences category for the purposes of the TTU awards, however, they are not categories that CGS accepts nominations from.
• Odd Years:
  • Biological Life Sciences
  • Humanities
  • Fine Arts
  • Biology and Life Sciences include:

  Expand to see list

  • Biology
  • Botany
  • Zoology
  • Ecology
  • Embryology
  • Entomology
  • Genetics
  • Nutrition
  • Plant Pathology
  • Plant Physiology
  • Anatomy
  • Biochemistry
  • Biophysics
  • Microbiology
  • Pathology
  • Pharmacology
  • Physciology
  • And related Fields
  • Humanities and Fine Arts include:

  Expand to see list

  • History
  • Philosophy
  • Language
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
  • Archaeology
  • The History, Theory, and Criticism of the Arts
  • Ethics
  • Comparitive Religion
  • Aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches

If a dissertation is multi- or interdisciplinary in nature, a significant portion of the work must be comprised by at least one of the 2025 fields of competition.