Grants and Writing Resources for South Dakota State University

South Dakota State's first Goldwater Scholar came in 1993. In April 2026 a junior became the 12th, and the first since 2020. A month later a doctoral student in natural resource management received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, three years of tuition and stipend for research on the downy painted cup and the pollinators it depends on.

Money for Undergraduate Projects

The Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College funds summer work through its Undergraduate Research Program, once called the Joseph F. Nelson Mentorship Program. One application is weighed against several sources, and awards for summer 2026 were capped at $2,500. The student writes the one- to two-page proposal. A faculty mentor can advise on scope and submits an assessment with a mentorship plan, but can't write any of the proposal. Eight students were funded for summer 2026.

The same college runs the Dr. Richard Deming Fund for student-led research and community engagement, with up to $40,000 a year shared among several projects. Projects can come from any discipline. Each needs an SDSU faculty mentor and must engage with a community-based project the student has identified.

Agriculture students have a separate route. In June 2026 the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences gave research grants to 18 undergraduates, bringing the program past $100,000 since it was revived in 2024. Students and mentors write proposals in spring for work the next school year, and the results go up as posters the following spring.

Posters, Papers and a Senior Prize

Those posters hang at Student Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day, held each spring by the Honors College and the Graduate School. There is a morning show for undergraduates and an afternoon show for graduate students. For the 2027 event each show is capped at 100 presenters. Top undergraduate posters in each category are recognized, and graduate awards go to the best master's and doctoral posters.

Seniors with finished work can enter the Schultz-Werth Award, open to every major. The student must be the paper's sole author, and the paper is written for educated readers in any field and judged on originality, scholarship and creativity. In the 2026 round awards ran up to $2,500 each, and 13 seniors won. Winning papers since 2019 are posted in Open PRAIRIE. Undergraduates and recent graduates can also submit research articles and abstracts to the annual Journal of Undergraduate Research, published by the Division of Research and Economic Development.

Oakwood and the Writing Center

Oakwood, the university's literary and art magazine, is edited by SDSU students. A former student and an English professor founded it in 1975. Students of all majors can submit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays and visual art. It appears each spring, and graduate students and advanced undergraduates can learn editing, production and publicity in a spring publishing practicum.

The Writing Center in Briggs Library 103 serves undergraduate and graduate students. Tutors are English instructors and trained students, and they work with a writer at any stage, from first ideas to citations. Book through ConnectState or walk in.

Graduate Awards and the Final Thesis

The Graduate School lists its awards and scholarships on one page. Travel Awards of up to $500 help graduate students present original research at conferences. The Joseph F. Nelson Graduate Scholarship gives $2,500 to thesis-option students in good standing for original research, preferably in biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, soils or another physical science. The 2027 Distinguished Dissertation Award carries $250 and is open in biological and life sciences and in humanities and fine arts. Its winner goes on to the national CGS/ProQuest competition. The 2026 round of the Distinguished Master's Thesis Award covers the social sciences and mathematics, physical sciences and engineering.

The thesis and dissertation guidelines let students pick APA, Chicago, MLA or another style with an adviser, to be used consistently, and place spelling and grammar with the student. After the final oral exam and committee corrections, the PDF goes to ProQuest for a Graduate School format check, as the submission instructions explain. Accepted work is published through ProQuest and in Open PRAIRIE, the Briggs Library repository. Starting fall 2026 each student also buys one bound copy for the library archives.

If a Schultz-Werth paper or a thesis headed to ProQuest needs a last check for grammar, consistency and format, our editors can take it on. See our South Dakota State University dissertation and thesis editing and South Dakota State University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• The Secret to Better Grades: Starting Your Writing Process Early
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• ProQuest Readiness: The Final Mechanical Audit