Assistantships

A limited number of assistantships are available to CCI graduate students. These assistantships include competitive stipends and tuition waivers.

An assistantship is a financial award to a graduate student for part-time work in the College while pursuing study toward an advanced degree. Appointments include 10 hours of work for Master’s students, or 20 hours of work per week for doctoral students. In addition to the stipend, Graduate Assistants are entitled to a waiver of the maintenance fee (required of all students), tuition (additional for out-of-state students), and various other fees (some of which are mandatory). The waiver of fees for assistantships applies to maintenance and tuition fees only; it does not include any other fees. Graduate assistants must pay all other mandatory fees, even if they have a waiver of tuition and/or maintenance fees.

Graduate assistantships are normally held for two years for master’s students and three years for doctoral students, subject to the student maintaining a 3.0 grade point average or higher on graduate coursework and satisfactory performance in the requirements of the job.

More information regarding the cost of attending UT is available at One Stop, and other information about graduate assistantships is available in the Graduate Studies Handbook.

Assistantship positions within the College are applied for as part of the application to UT Graduate School. Applications should be received no later than January 15 for the following academic year. Every effort will be made to notify assistantship applicants of the final decisions in this regard by April 15.

For more information about assistantships within the College, contact:

Margaret Taylor
Administrative Specialist for the Associate Dean for Academic Programs
865-974-6651
ccigradinfo@utk.edu

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College Scholarships

Currently enrolled students may apply for scholarships, which do not include remission of fees. The application for college graduate scholarships is due January 15.

Apply for a CCI graduate scholarship using the following form:

CCI Scholarship application

Names of scholarship recipients are announced at the college’s annual convocation in April. Students should also check with their individual schools regarding funding opportunities.

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University Fellowships and Scholarships

The University also funds several fellowships and scholarships for graduate students. For further information, visit the Graduate School online or contact

UT Graduate School
The University of Tennessee
111 Student Services Building
Knoxville, TN 37996
(865) 974-2475
gradschool@utk.edu

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Other Funding Sources

Loans and Work Study

For information on loans and the work-study program, contact the

One Stop Office
(865) 974-1111
onestop@utk.edu

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 is a media-rich city and also has many other types of 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.

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.