Distinguished Dissertation Awards will be given at the May commencement. Approximately seven awards of $100 each have been established through the Binghamton University Foundation in recognition of superior work by doctoral students. Awards will be offered in each of these categories: Humanities and Fine Arts; Social Sciences, Management, Education, and Nursing; Science and Mathematics; and Engineering and Applied Science.
Nominations for these awards may be made by directors of graduate programs; they must be received in the Graduate School, AD-134, by 5:00 p.m. on the first Monday in April for the current year's May commencement. The nominations must include letters of support from the Director of Graduate Studies of the program and from the dissertation advisor. These letters should explain the original and substantial contribution to the discipline made by the dissertation. At least one complete copy of the dissertation with abstract must accompany the nomination. Students are eligible if they graduated with the PhD or EdD Degree in summer, fall, or spring of the current academic year. The nomination may precede the defense if the Director of Graduate Studies certifies that the dissertation will be successfully defended and submitted through the Graduate School before the last day of classes in the spring semester of the academic year. A curriculum vita is required. Other supporting materials, e.g., written comments from members of the dissertation committee are welcome. If the dissertation consists of several papers, an introduction that frames the chapters within a larger objective or question, and a final synthesis are required.
Each program may nominate only one dissertation. Programs are requested to nominate dissertations of truly superior quality and unusual distinction. A minimal qualification would be that at least part of the dissertation is of publishable quality in its submitted form.
A panel of scholars will be designed for each of the categories of awards, to serve as the Distinguished Dissertation Awards Committee. Each program that nominates a dissertation must arrange to have a scholar from their discipline, who was not a member of their nominee's dissertation committee, serve on the campus-wide committee.
Helpful Hints for for Nominating Graduate Students for BU or External Awards
