Financial Support

The College of Communication and Information supports graduate students with multiple funding sources. Unfortunately the funds available never meet the needs of all graduate students.  Following is a summary of funding opportunities.

Assistantships/Associateships

A limited number of assistantships and associateships are available to graduate students. These assistantships/associateships provide competitive stipends and tuition waivers (in-state and out-of-state). On some occasions, assistantship/associateship opportunities arise in other branches of the university. Students are advised of these opportunities whenever they arise.

Graduate assistantships/associateships are normally renewable for up to two years for master’s students and three years for doctoral students subject to the student maintaining a 3.3 grade point average or higher on graduate coursework and satisfactory performance in the requirements of the job.

The stipend is payable in 12 monthly installments. For most students who are on an assistantship in the fall and spring semesters, tuition fees are waived for each of those semesters as well as for summer term. Most assistants/associates are not expected to work in the summer – the exception is some graduate research assistants who do have summer assignments.

Applications for assistantship/associationship positions within the college must be received no later than February 1 for the following academic year. Requests for renewal of assistantship/associateship positions must also be submitted by February 1. All application materials are available from the associate dean’s office.

Graduate Assistants

The college offers a small number of graduate assistantships that are typically filled by master’s students. These are usually 25 percent appointments meaning that students work about 10 hours per week. Tasks for a GA range from monitoring labs to management of equipment. Most graduate assistants work for a specific school within the college and will receive their assignments from the director of that school.

Graduate Research Assistants

Graduate research assistants work on specific research projects under the supervision of a faculty member(s). Master’s or doctoral students may hold these positions that are often funded with grant money and supervised through the research center. However, some research assistantships are also funded by the college or by one of the schools. Students work 10-20 hours (25-50 percent time) on research projects. Most research assistantships require summer work.

Graduate Teaching Assistants

Graduate teaching assistants (usually doctoral students, but occasionally these positions may be held by advanced master’s students) work with faculty members to help with grading, class preparation, and related class activities. They may also teach under the supervision of a faculty member. Most teaching assistants are on a 25 percent assignment meaning that they work about 10 hours per week. Most graduate teaching assistants work for a specific school within the college and receive their assignments from the director of that school.

Graduate Teaching Associates

Graduate teaching associates are usually doctoral students and are responsible for teaching one or more classes. Most are assigned to work 10-20 hours per week (25-50 percent time) on activities such as class preparation, teaching, grading, meeting with students, etc. Graduate teaching associates are expected to work autonomously in teaching their classes, but they are provided with guidance, draft syllabi, and other related materials from the school for which they teach or from the associate dean if they are teaching college-wide classes.

Scholarships

The University of Tennessee funds several scholarships for graduate students. Some of these are designated for specific minority groups, others award academic excellence. For further information, go to http://gradstudies.utk.edu/gradfund.shtml or contact Dr. Kay Reed (kayreed (at)utk.edu), Assistant to the Dean, Office of Graduate Student Services, P105 Andy Holt Tower, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0165.

The College of Communication and Information also awards scholarships each year to outstanding graduate students. More detail on these scholarships is available from the associate dean’s office. Application for the college graduate scholarships is February 1. Names of scholarship and fellowship recipients are announced at the college’s annual convocation in April.

Other Funding Sources

Loans and Work Study

For information on loans and the work-study program, contact the Financial Aid Office, 115 Student Services Building, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0210.

Graduate students are eligible to apply for the student work-study program. Work-study is considered a form of financial aid, although it is not a loan and it is not subject to repayment.  Full-time students should not attempt to work more than 20 hours per week. Part-time students should not attempt to take more than six hours of coursework per semester.

Employment Opportunities

Knoxville has many organizations that hire communication and information professionals. Some graduate students find part-time employment in the local community. Those without professional experience are especially encouraged to gain experience through internships and/or part-time employment in communication and information-related organizations.  Full-time students should not attempt to work more than 20 hours per week. Part-time students should not attempt to take more than six hours of coursework per semester.

Some doctoral students succeed in obtaining part-time teaching positions at nearby community colleges, private universities, and other higher-education institutions. This is a valuable source of teaching experience for doctoral students who do not have teaching assistant/associate positions. 

Support of Student Travel

The College of Communication and Information encourages all graduate students to submit research papers to conferences. Whenever possible, presentations of student research work will be supported. Students should first contact the appropriate school director or his/her designee to notify him/her of the acceptance of a conference paper. The director/designee will evaluate the relevance of the conference and, if appropriate, provide a letter of support for the student. This letter should then be submitted to the associate dean who will provide funding, as available, from the college. Additional funding my also be available from the university’s Graduate Student Travel Fund administered by the Graduate Student Senate.