Will you join us this fall to start your graduate studies? Rocky Top!
Find your advisor
One of the next steps you should take is to find out who your major professor/advisor (those terms are used synonymously) will be. Currently, it is likely that Dr. Fairbrother has been assigned as your advisor as a default in his role of as Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs. This assignment will change, once you have found your actual advisor in our department.
If your major is kinesiology, I suggest that you contact Dr. Fitzhugh (fitzhugh@utk.edu), who coordinates the kinesiology program area. If your major is recreation and sport management, I suggest you contact Dr. Hardin (robh@utk.edu), our RSM coordinator. You will discuss your class schedule with your major professor/advisor.
Not sure if you are in recreation and sport management (RSM) or kinesiology (KIN)?
You are in recreation and sport management (RSM) if your concentration or specialization is in one of the following:
- Therapeutic Recreation
- Sport Management
- Socio-cultural studies
You are in kinesiology (KIN) if your concentration or specialization is in one of the following:
- Exercise Physiology
- Biomechanics
- Sport Psychology and Motor Behavior
- Physical Activity Epidemiology
Don’t miss announcements: Mind the GAP!
In your admission letter, you should have found a link to the KRSS Grad Announcements Page (GAP). This is where we post funding opportunities, orientation announcements etc. On the right-hand side, you can subscribe to get automatic emails. https://krssdgs.wordpress.com/
Note: We don’t send out notifications to your email directly. You have to subscribe to the GAP to receive emails. Thus, “I didn’t get the email” is not a valid excuse if you miss a meeting.
Put orientations on your calendar
Orientations typically start two weeks prior to the start of the semester. Attendance at these orientations is typically a mandatory part of your admission and assistantship. Plan your move to Knoxville accordingly and make sure not to miss those events!
We will post specific dates on the GAP once they are available. You should also monitor announcements on the Graduate School site: http://gradschool.utk.edu/
Here are some of the orientation events:
August 8: Graduate School New Graduate Student Orientation
Registration/Breakfast will start at 8:00 a.m. and the program will run from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
The Graduate School will be providing more details as the date gets closer.
August 10: Graduate School New GTA Orientation
Registration/breakfast starting at 8:00 a.m. and the program running from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
The Graduate School will be providing more details as the date gets closer.
August 28: KRSS/RSM New Graduate Student Orientation (for students in recreation and sport management)
From 4:40 to 5:40 in HPER
We will be providing more details as the date gets closer.
TBA: KRSS/KIN New Graduate Student Orientation (for students in kinesiology)
TBA
We will be providing more details as the date gets closer.
KRSS New and Returning Graduate Students Welcome
TBA
We will be providing more details as the date gets closer.
Need funding?
Further, the Graduate School posts assistantship openings here: http://gradschool.utk.edu/graduate-student-life/costs-funding/graduate-assistantships/
The Athletic Department does offer some Graduate Assistantships, but our department is not involved in the posting and hiring processes. Generally speaking, the NCAA’s The Market http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobseekers/ is a good source to monitor for opportunities in the athletic department. You can search for “University of Tennessee” to find specific openings.
Our department provides a limited number of assistantships. We have collected some related information from you as part of the application process. The faculty in each concentration/specialization make decisions about assistantship allocation. If you would like to receive further information, please contact faculty members in your concentration/specialization. You will find their information here: http://krss.utk.edu/faculty-staff/
Need more information?
On our department Graduate Program site, you will find additional information, including a roommate list and the Graduate Handbook, which is mandatory reading for all incoming graduate students.
The Graduate School also posts information about Graduate Student living here: http://gradschool.utk.edu/graduate-student-life/student-resources/ and here http://gradschool.utk.edu/graduate-student-life/
Note for international students who will be Graduate Teaching Assistants/Associates:
All Graduate Teaching Assistants whose native language is not English must take an oral language proficiency test called OPIc as an administrative requirement. If this requirement applies to you, please contact Dr. Lars Dzikus (lars@utk.edu) to schedule the test.
The tests are typically given in late July and early August. For more information about the test, see the list of Frequently Asked Questions: http://gradschool.utk.edu/SPEAK_FAQs.shtml, especially question 16 (“How can I learn about the test?”) and question 17 (“Can I take a practice test?”).