Scholarships + Awards
More than 25 scholarships and awards are presented to undergraduate and graduate students each spring. Among these are the C. Kermit (Buck) Ewing Scholarship, named in honor of the first head of the School of Art. The Dille Fund, which was endowed in 1991, also provides scholarships and awards for art students. Competition for departmental undergraduate scholarships and awards takes place in April.
The School of Art also offers a scholarship opportunity each spring for an incoming freshman. One $2,000 scholarship is available, based on GPA and submission of a Slide Portfolio. Students must meet UT admission requirements and plan to enroll at the University as a major in the School of Art the following fall. For information please contact the School of Art office, 865-974-3407.
Additional scholarships, fellowships and loans are available through the University. Contact the Financial Aid Office (115 Student Services Building, 974-3131). Note: The receipt of a scholarship may affect financial aid amounts. Contact the Financial Aid Office for specific information.
Basic Eligibility and Criteria
Applicants for scholarships and awards (other than the Community College Transfer Scholarship and the Freshman Scholarship) must be a currently enrolled major (Art History, Graphic Design or Studio Art) in good standing. Awards are based on the strength of the submitted portfolio. In the case of some scholarships, the GPA of the applicants will be a factor. Scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time. A recipient shall forfeit the unpaid portion of the scholarship upon failure to remain eligible to study at the University of Tennessee or upon change of major to a different department. Grants are usually awarded in the Fall semester and competition awards are usually given in the Spring Semester of the same academic year.
Nina Ratner Memorial Scholarship in the Arts and HumanitiesRecipients shall demonstrate academic promise and financial need. The recipient shall receive the award for four years provided s/he majors in a subject in the arts or humanities and remains in good academic standing. Preference will be given to residents of Knox County and incoming freshmen. Application Deadline: February 1. Selection of the recipient is made by the College of Arts and Science Scholarship Committee. Contact the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Advising Services (220 Ayers Hall, 974-4483) for an application form and additional information.
Annual Student Art Competition
The Annual Student Art Competition is one of the oldest student competitions in the United States. Awards exceeding $5,000 are presented to winning entries in all fine art media. Cash awards are also presented in the Outstanding Art History and Graphic Design divisions. Nationally recognized artists or critics jury entries. The exhibition is presented in the Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture in the spring.
Honors ExhibitionThe Honors Exhibition features work in all media by approximately 20 graduating undergraduate students from the College of Architecture and School of Art. The students are selected by faculty members based on scholarship and quality of work. The honored students select and install their work in this annual exhibition, which is held at the conclusion of each spring semester in the Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture.
Fellowship
There are several forms of financial aid, loans, part-time jobs, and fellowships available through The Graduate School and the financial aid office. Interested students should contact the appropriate office. Bulletins are periodically distributed and the graduate School Newsletter lists fellowships and scholarship opportunities. Students are encourage to apply for all scholarship/fellowships available. Additional scholarship, fellowships and loans are available through the University. Contact the Financial aid Office (115 Student Services Building, 974-3131).
Work/Study opportunities
The School of Art awards three types of assistantships: Graduate Teaching Associate, Graduate Teaching Assistant, and Graduate assistant. The Graduate Teaching associate has met the Southern Association of colleges and Schools (SACS) requirements of at least eighteen graduate semester hours in his/her teaching discipline (or comparable experience according to University regulations) and is assigned primary responsibility fro teaching an undergraduate course. The Graduate Teaching Assistant works directly under the supervision of a regular faculty member in the preparation and /or teaching of a class. The Graduate Assistant is assigned duties that do not involve teaching, such as shop maintenance or lab supervision. It is likely a graduate student with an assistantship would have duties in more than one of these categories, in which case the higher education title designation is used.