Award for Excellence in Doctoral Education
Overview
The University of Florida Graduate School is pleased to announce the UF Graduate School Award for Excellence in Doctoral Education. This award recognizes excellence in doctoral education across an academic program. The award criteria are anchored in the outcomes of the AAU PhD Education Initiative, the purpose of which is to encourage institutional change, data transparency, and strategies.
Recognition & Award
- Recognition: Honored at the UF Graduate School Awards Ceremony
- Cash Award: One award will be granted annually, providing up to $5,000 to support graduate students including, but not limited to, conference travel support, technology, training and other professional development.
Eligibility
The award is open to any academic program offering a doctoral degree. Proposals should focus on strategies and ways in which the program strives for excellence as defined by the established criteria.
Application Process
Submission Deadline: March 14, 2025
Submission Format: All application materials must be compiled into a single PDF and submitted electronically to gradawards@aa.ufl.edu.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria identified through the AAU PhD Initiative:
- Student-Centered: The degree to which the graduate student needs are emphasized in programmatic decisions, recognizing a broad range of educational and professional interests, needs and challenges.
- Career Pathways: The extent to which programs encourage and offer full career exploration across multiple industries for their PhD students.
- Visible: The way the program makes transparent to all stakeholders the full range of career pathways of PhD alumni.
- Valued: The department culture and structures are created in an intentional way to ensure that students feel supported as they prepare for their future careers.
- Viable: The extent to which departmental resources are available and accessible to help students develop the knowledge and skills to enter their chosen career path.
Proposal Guidelines
Proposals should be submitted as a single PDF (maximum ten pages) and include:
- An in-depth description of the five AAU PhD Initiative objectives described above.
- A description of how the program intentionally designs programming for the full Graduate Student Life Cycle:
- An outline of the ways in which data are used in decision-making and the transparency of those data to program stakeholders.
- A vision statement outlining the aspirational goals and metrics for the graduate program.
- A letter of endorsement from the unit’s department chair or director and the college dean.
Reporting Requirements
Awardees must submit a final report detailing project outcomes, assessment data, and recommendations for best practices in graduate student success within a one-year time period.
For questions or to submit an application, please contact gradawards@aa.ufl.edu.
Graduate School