Jennifer McMahon was awarded the Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award by the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools at its 35th annual meeting in Little Rock, Ark.
McMahon, who earned a master of arts in sociology in May 2005, also holds undergraduate degrees in criminal justice and psychology from the university. Her thesis, “Marital Rape Laws, 1976-2002: From Exemptions to Prohibitions,” won in the social sciences, business and education category.
The award recognizes excellence in research and writing by graduate students. Graduate deans in CSGS member institutions nominate one candidate from their institutions, whose thesis is then judged by CSGS faculty members in the discipline. The other category that received an award this year was life sciences. Winners each received $500 plus travel expenses to attend the 2006 CSGS meeting late last month.