Human Development Awards

Annual Human Development Outstanding Student Awards

The Psychology Department wants to acknowledge our outstanding students in the Human Development major.  Thus, the department has created three awards for students majoring in Human Development:

  • The Human Development Outstanding Scholar Award
  • The Human Development Promising Teacher Award
  • The Human Development Researcher Award.

Eligibility, application materials, and selection criteria are explained below.  If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Bethany Fleck at bfleck2@msudenver.edu

 

Application materials for these awards are due to the Psychology Department Administrative Assistants by April 12th!

 

Human Development Outstanding Scholar Award

Definition: This award recognizes the student who has shown outstanding academic achievement in the Human Development major, as well as in his/her other coursework.  Scholarly activities are defined as activities that involve an academic component such as being a research assistant, teaching assistant, doing an independent study, presenting research at a conference or doing an internship.

Eligibility:

  • G.P.A. in MSU Denver Human Development major must be at least 3.75
  • Overall G.P.A. at MSU Denver must be at least 3.5
  • Must have completed at least 2 semesters at MSU Denver
  • Must have completed 12 credit hours in the Human Development major by the application deadline

Application Materials:

  • A cover letter stating why you are qualified for this award
  • MSU Denver transcripts
  • Vitae or resume (include GPA, TAs, RAs, conference presentations, membership in honor societies or student clubs, awards, or honors)
  • Scholarly Writing Sample:  Describe a topic on human development that you learned about in a Human Development class in the Psychology Department at MSU Denver.  The paper should be between 2-3 pages in length.  The writing sample will be evaluated on the quality of:
    • Content of writing
    • Overall writing quality

Criteria for Judgment:

  • Academic record (e.g. GPA and scholarly activities)
  • Writing sample quality
  • Note: academic record and writing sample quality will be considered to be of equal importance in the decision-making process.

 

Human Development Promising Teacher Award

Definition: This award recognizes the student who shows outstanding promise as a future teacher.

Eligibility:

  • Overall G.P.A. at MSU Denver must be at least 3.0
  • Must have completed at least 2 semesters at MSU Denver
  • Must have completed 12 credit hours in the Human Development major by the application deadline
  • Must want to pursue a career in teaching

Application Materials:

  • A cover letter stating why you are qualified for this award
  • MSU Denver transcripts
  • Vitae or resume (include GPA and all teaching experiences)
  • A recommendation letter from someone who has observed your teaching (e.g., a professor, a supervising teacher, your employer)
  • Scholarly Writing Sample:  Pick your favorite cognitive developmental theorist and state how this theory has informed or will inform your teaching.  The paper should be between 2-3 pages in length.  The writing sample will be evaluated on the quality of:
    • A coherent description of the theory and how the theory can be applied to teaching
    • Overall writing quality

Criteria for Judgment:

  • Recommendation letter
  • Writing sample quality
  • Teaching experience (the quality is more important than the quantity)
  • Note: GPA will not be a criterion for this award; however, you do need to meet the minimum GPA requirement in order to be eligible for this award.

 

Human Development Outstanding Researcher Award

Definition: This award recognizes the student who has shown an outstanding level of commitment to research in the field of Psychology.

Eligibility:

  • Overall G.P.A. at MSU Denver must be at least 3.0
  • Must have completed at least 2 semesters at MSU Denver
  • Must have completed 12 credit hours in the Human Development major by the application deadline

Application Materials:

  • A cover letter stating why you are qualified for this award
  • MSU Denver transcripts
  • Vitae (include GPA and all research-related experiences). Note: research-related experiences that should be reported are: a) all research methods or statistics coursework, b) a list of ALL research projects in which you have been involved, c) all research assistantships and/or independent study experiences, d) all conference presentations, e) involvement with research club.
  • An essay in which students 1) describe one of the research projects in which they have been involved and 2) propose a follow-up study.  The description of the research project should include a statement of the problem (e.g., why is it an important topic to investigate), a brief literature review, a statement of the hypothesis or research question, a description of the method and findings (only if the data are collected and analyzed).  The description of the follow-up study should include a clear explanation of the logical connection between the completed study and the proposed study, as well as a brief description of the method and expected outcome.  This essay must be typed in 12-point font and may be no longer than 2 double-spaced pages (excluding reference pages and tables/figures).

Criteria for Judgment:

  • Involvement in Research
  • Writing sample quality
  • Note: GPA will not be a criterion for this award; however, you do need to meet the minimum GPA requirement in order to be eligible for this award.