University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information

Location: Knoxville, TN
Website: http://www.cci.utk.edu/

The University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information is located on the university’s flagship campus in Knoxville. UTK is a public university with a long and fascinating history reaching back to the 1700s. The university is home to 28,000 students, nearly 2,000 of whom are enrolled in the College of Communication and Information. U.S. News & World Report has ranked UTK 101st in the United States among public and private secondary schools.

The College of Communication and Information prides itself on emphasizing the legal and ethical responsibilities associated with communication. However, the college is equally mindful of the fact that it must provide the equally important function of preparing students to enter careers in the field of communication. The college is made up of four schools.

The School of Advertising and Public Relations offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, including both master’s and doctoral degrees. Separate programs of study use different academic approaches, with the program of study tailored to either advertising or public relations.

The School of Communication Studies offers undergraduate degrees. The college focuses on examining and teaching the science behind communication between and among humans and groups. Areas of study include organizational development and change, leadership and persuasion, among others. Graduates are prepared to take on leadership roles in a variety of fields.

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The School of Information Sciences takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of information. Graduates go on to fill leadership positions in the field of communication or to continue their studies in the College’s graduate programs or elsewhere.

The School of Journalism and Electronic Media prepares students to enter the growing field of mass communication.

The College of Communication and Information has sought and received accreditation for its academic programs in all areas in which accreditation exists. The advertising, electronic media, journalism and public relations programs have received accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. The Information Sciences program has received accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the the American Library Association.

Students can pursue a number of degrees in a variety of majors. Bachelor’s degrees are available in Communication Studies, Advertising, Public Relations, and Journalism and Electronic Media. Master’s degrees are available in Communication and Information and doctoral degrees are offered in Communication and Information.

Communication students have the opportunity to practice their craft by participating in a number of media outlets, including the Rock, which is a student-operated radio station and The Phoenix, which is a literary art magazine published twice a year. The School of Journalism and Electronic Media produces an online news forum, the Tennessee Journalist, as a collaborative effort between a paid staff and student journalists. In addition, the Daily Beacon, a traditional print newspaper, is produced daily throughout the academic year by students and has a long history of editorial independence.

The University of Tennessee’s colors have been white and orange since the late 1800s, and today the school boasts 21 varsity teams and 25 sport clubs. The teams are known as the Volunteers or the Lady Volunteers, and the school competes in the Southeastern Conference. UTK has had a live mascot since the 1950s, when a local pastor’s Bluetick Coonhound won the title in a contest. The original mascot’s name was Smokey, and the current dog is called Smokey IX.

UTK’s Knoxville campus sits on 550 acres in an urban setting. Ample on-campus housing is available, and a special mass-transit bus system, known affectionately as the “T,” serves students who need transportation across campus. A special cab service is available at no charge to students and serves the campus and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The school is home to more than 450 official student organizations and a thriving Greek system, with 25 fraternities and 19 sororities. Playboy rated UTK the university with the best parties in the United States, and the Princeton Review named it Most Fraternity & Sorority friendly, although it also named it Least Tolerant of Homosexuality, a dubious award generally earned by private, religious universities.