Dear Prospective Graduate Student:

The University of Tennessee’s Department of Anthropology is devoted to better understanding, and positively contributing to, the human condition. We therefore value diverse approaches to anthropology, both in terms of who does anthropology and how anthropology is done. We invite you to read over our Mission Statement to gain insight into our Department’s aspirations.

If would like to learn more about the Department beyond our web pages, we invite you to come visit us at our annual Open House that takes place in October every year. At the Open House, you will be able to meet personally our stellar faculty and staff, speak candidly with our graduate students, and tour the department’s many state-of-the-art spaces. We also invite you to attend remotely.

Acceptance into our graduate program rests on an excellent record of academic grades and activities. It also relies on a good fit between you, and our faculty and program. We encourage you to begin making contacts with potential faculty advisors before you submit your application. Send them an introductory email that speaks to your interests and that includes your curriculum vitae (CV), then come to the Open House and meet them in person!

If you decide to move forward with your application, we prepared a list of Application FAQs to guide you. Note that you initiate your application with the Graduate School, not with the Department; after processing, the Graduate School then sends the application our way. However, if you are interested in graduate funding via a graduate assistantship, you should apply directly with us and not the Graduate School. Both your Graduate Application for Admission and your Application for Graduate Assistantship are due on the same day each year—December 1^st .

We typically make our first round of decisions by mid-February, and continue making decisions through March or April, depending on the availability of funded graduate assistantship positions. You will receive notification of your admission status (accepted, waitlisted, or declined) directly from the Graduate School, followed by a letter from our Department, all via email.

Finally, we invite you find out more about The University of Tennessee, a dynamic and international campus with close association with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, providing access to some of the most powerful research facilities in the world. The University is located within the City of Knoxville (affectionally known as “The Scruffy City”), at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Knoxvillians enjoy numerous outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming, kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and more, due to area’s many rivers and trails. Downtown Knoxville boasts concerts, theater venues, and celebrated restaurants. Visit Knoxville has more information about all of Knoxville’s offerings.

We wish you the best of luck in pursuing your graduate education, and we hope it’s with us!

Feel free to reach out to me should you have any questions.

Sincerely and on behalf of the Department,

Graciela S. Cabana
Professor of Anthropology & Director of Graduate Studies