Oakland University students writing dissertations or theses now have the opportunity for awards to offset the cost of the paper and are given the opportunity to apply for travel grants to present their work as part of the university’s new annual competition. The Graduate Dissertation and Thesis Award will recognize five quality dissertations and theses and honor one as the outstanding dissertation or thesis during the appropriate commencement ceremony.

“Oakland University has a proud tradition of faculty-sponsored student research. Nearly one-third of our students are engaged in graduate education, many requiring dissertation and thesis submission as part of fulfillment of requirements for the master or doctoral degrees. The quality of student scholarship, research and creative works are reflected in these documents,” said Virinder Moudgil, vice president of academic affairs and provost. “The Graduate Dissertation and Thesis Award program recognizes and encourages academic excellence — a hallmark of the Oakland experience.”

The competition was designed to acknowledge the importance of producing quality dissertations and theses. The intent of the award is to support excellence in graduate work and to defray the cost of producing the document.

The awards will be $500 for a Ph.D. dissertation and $300 for a master’s thesis. Award recipients also are eligible to apply for limited travel funds to present their dissertation or thesis at national or regional conferences. The author of the paper selected as the university’s outstanding dissertation or thesis will be awarded $1,000.

Candidates for the award must be nominated by their academic unit. The students must be in the process of writing the dissertation or thesis with an anticipated completion by the end of the following academic year.

The award selection criteria include the overall quality, student’s academic record, a letter of recommendation from an OU faculty member and the student’s record of publications and presentations at professional meetings.

A call for proposals is forthcoming. Details, including more specific criteria and a time frame will be available soon.

For more information on graduate dissertations and theses, visit the Graduate Study Web site.