Help us provide awards to deserving graduate students who exemplify the mission of SDSU! 

We need your help to continue to fund graduate student awards! Please consider donating any amount to help support and recognize SDSU graduate students who exemplify excellence and contribute to SDSU’s commitment to Aspire. Discover. Achieve.

our story

The SDSU Graduate School has been providing graduate student awards for the past six years. These awards include Distinguished Master’s Thesis, Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching, and the Three Minute Thesis Competition. We would also like to add the Distinguished Dissertation Award. All of our awards are important ways to recognize and reward distinguished scholarship, research, and teaching at the graduate level. 

At the end of the Spring 2021 semester, graduate student award funding will be depleted. Graduate students look forward to participating in these annual awards and being rewarded monetarily for their hard work. These awards not only provide recognition at SDSU, but the opportunity to participate in regional and national level competitions, which serves to further spotlight top notch SDSU graduate programs and graduate students. Past award winners have commented on how being an awardee has increased their confidence and provided ways to gain transferable skills. This type of recognition is also highlighted on CVs and resumés to attract the attention of employers and graduate programs. 

Where will the money go?

Your donation will be used to fund part or all of these awards:

• $250 Distinguished Master’s Thesis
• $250 Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching
• $250 Distinguished Dissertation
• $250 1st place: 3 Minute Thesis Competition
• $125 2nd place: 3 Minute Thesis Competition
• $75 3rd place: 3 Minute Thesis Competition

Once current awards have been funded, any extra support will go toward creating new opportunities, such as travel awards, which would cover student costs of attending conferences or events. Our hope is to raise more funds to support these awards into the future and possibly add more award opportunities for graduate students.

For more information about each student award, please visit this link: (https://www.sdstate.edu/graduate-school/awards-and-scholarships). 

UPDATE: We met our first goal of $1,500! You can help reach our new goal of $2,000 to go towards additional graduate student travel awards.

video Testimonial 

Dr. Neha Sigh, SDSU graduate and past award winner 

Find us here

SDSU Graduate School Website - www.sdstate.edu/graduate-school 

Facebook Page - @southdakotastategradschool 

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Help us succeed!