Joseph Mazer, Dean
Courtney Childers, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Success
College of Communication and Information website
The College of Communication and Information fosters among students and the larger community a sense of the legal and ethical responsibilities of access to information and the exercise of expression in a democratic society. Additionally, the college serves the professional goals of preparing students for careers in the communication and information professions.
The college is comprised of four schools – School of Advertising and Public Relations, School of Communication Studies, School of Information Sciences, and School of Journalism and Media. The college came together in its current configuration on July 1, 2003. The college offers two master’s and one doctoral degree.
The Master of Science with a major in communication and information is a college-wide degree that offers multiple concentrations. The on-campus concentrations are closely aligned with specific disciplinary areas: advertising, communication studies, journalism and media, and public relations. Concentrations require 30-33 hours of approved graduate coursework. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available. Students are expected to be in Knoxville to participate in these residential concentrations.
The on-campus concentrations are intended for students who desire careers related to a variety of communication, information, or media fields, and those who seek a deeper understanding of the role of communication and information in organizations, media, and society. See catalog listings for the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, the School of Communication Studies, and the School of Journalism and Media for information about these residential concentrations and the courses offered.
The Distance Education concentration in strategic and digital communication does not require students to come to Knoxville. The concentration is designed for career starters and career changers who want a flexible degree that is professionally oriented and that cuts across the college disciplinary areas. The Distance Education concentration is practitioner focused and provides stand-alone courses that are asynchronous and fully online. Courses build upon what all four Schools—Advertising and Public Relations, Communication Studies, Information Sciences, and Journalism and Media—bring to the contemporary job market.
The strategic and digital communication concentration requires that students select from the list of courses that are specific to this concentration. The online concentration requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of approved graduate work. Students in the strategic and digital communication concentration are not allowed to take on-campus courses that serve the residential concentrations. However, students in the on-campus concentrations may be allowed to select courses from the strategic and digital concentration if those selections are approved by their advisor and the associate dean for academic programs.
The Master of Science with a major in information sciences is designed primarily for librarians and information professionals. That program is coordinated by the School of Information Sciences and involves both on-campus and distance education coursework. This program is accredited by the American Library Association and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. More details on this major and degree are provided in the listing for the School of Information Sciences, which follows information about college-wide degrees.
The Doctor of Philosophy with a major in communication and information is an interdisciplinary program that builds on core courses that focus on knowledge creation across the disciplines represented by the college. Additional required coursework in a primary and cognate area will be selected by the student and his/her program committee.
The CCI Information Integrity Institute nurtures interdisciplinary research and the CCI Research and Innovation Center fosters research in information usage and effective communication. The Center assists college faculty and graduate students with obtaining and managing external funding for research and teaching projects.
Academic Standards and Academic Probation
A student in the College of Communication and Information whose graduate grade point average (GPA) is below 3.00 after the end of 9 credit hours of graduate credit will be placed on academic probation. A student will be allowed to continue graduate study in subsequent semesters if each semester’s grade point average is 3.00 or greater. Upon achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.00, the student will be removed from probationary status. A student must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.00 in order to graduate. A student who earns less than a grade of C in a required course will have his/her program terminated. A graduate student cannot repeat a course.
Graduate Assistantships for College-Wide Degrees
Graduate assistantships are available for students in college-wide programs. Assistantships may be for teaching or research. Assistantships are highly competitive and carry a waiver of tuition and fees as well as a stipend.
For information about college-wide graduate programs in Communication and Information, please visit our website. Contact the CCI Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs at ccigradinfo@utk.edu, at 865-974-6651, or at 302 Communications Building, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0332.
