Only the very best research dissertations are picked each year for the Graduate Dean's Distinguished Dissertation Award. This award is presented by the Graduate School to recognize outstanding research and scholarship by a doctoral student at UNC Charlotte.
CRITERIA:
Fields of Competition:
To be determined
**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.
Competitors must be nominated by a faculty member. To be considered, applicants must have completed their doctoral degree requirements and dissertation during a period of July 1, 2024 - June 30 2026, inclusive.
Nomination Process:
1. An abstract of the nominee’s dissertation (not to exceed five double-spaced pages). Appendices containing other material, such as charts, tables, and/or references may be included as additional pages (not to exceed five pages).
2. Three letters of recommendation 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.
3. The nominee’s curriculum vitae (not to exceed five pages).
NOTE: The nomination package must be sent as a single pdf document with the file saved as: last name of the nominee and institution (i.e Green_UNCC) and emailed to jhgreen@charlotte.edu no later than TBD. Please indicate the field of competition in the subject line.
AWARD: $1,000 and an engraved plaque.
*Nominees may be considered for the CGS award and be eligible for an award of $2,000 and a certificate of recognition, which will be presented at Award Information Two CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards, each consisting of an award of $2,000 and a certificate of recognition, will be presented at the CGS Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon in December 2026. Reasonable travel expenses of award recipients will be covered. Only the winners and the nominating deans will be notified of the outcomes of the competition prior to the Awards Luncheon.
Deadline:
Summer 2026
Selection Process:
The nominated dissertations should represent original work making an unusually significant contribution to the disciplines. Both methodological and substantive quality will be judged.