Midwestern Association of Graduate School (MAGS) Awards

The Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is a regional affiliate of the Council of Graduate Schools. MAGS member colleges and universities are accredited institutions of higher education in the central U.S. that offer graduate programs leading to master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees.

MAGS presents annual awards to young scholars in recognition of their work and recognizes institutions for innovative programmatic efforts that benefit their graduate communities. MAGS offers awards in three categories, including the MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards, the MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award, and the MAGS Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education.

MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards

These awards recognize and reward distinguished scholarship and research at the master’s level in numerous broad areas, including the biological and life sciences, the social sciences, humanities, mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering. Different fields of competition are determined each year.  

Each award recipient will receive a $750 honorarium and up to $500 for travel expenses to attend the MAGS annual meeting. Each member institution may submit one nomination for the award in each field of competition.

For more information about this award, including eligibility, nomination and submission details, please visit the MAGS Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards page.  The Graduate School will seek one nomination from each of the college assistant/associate deans for graduate education during the Fall semester.

MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award

This award was created to raise the attention given to excellence in teaching and mentoring as a component of graduate education and the preparation of graduate students for future service as college and university faculty members. The awards recognize students who exemplify excellence in the teaching and learning mission of MAGS member universities.

One $750 honorarium will be given to a doctoral student, and one $750 honorarium will be given to a master’s student each year. The prize and a citation will be presented to each recipient at the MAGS annual meeting. An institution may submit one nomination in each of these two categories.

For more information about this award, including eligibility, nomination and submission details, please visit the MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award page.  The Graduate School will seek one master's and one doctoral nomination from each of the college assistant/associate deans for graduate education later during the Fall semester.

MAGS Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education

The purpose of this award is to encourage, recognize, and reward excellence and innovation in domestic and international graduate education at both the graduate school and program level. Applications may relate to any facet of the graduate education process, including outreach, recruitment, retention and degree attainment.

Any current member institution or graduate program within a member institution is eligible for this award, which comes with a $2,500 prize and a certificate presented at the MAGS annual meeting. Only one application will be accepted from a given graduate school.

For more information about this award, including eligibility, nomination, and submission details, please visit the MAGS Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education page.  Applications are typically due early during the Fall semester.