The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Rankings by Salary Score™

I earned my PhD in the XYZ department (not disclosing which department or exactly during which years to maintain my anonymity and protect myself). I will also say that I am writing this review with a level head and calm attitude at a certain period of time after I earned my degree. I learned a few things along the way. For one, the undergrads seem to have a decent thing going for them. Unfortunately, the grad students are generally swept under the rug and have to fend for themselves. Very few of the faculty... Read More seem be concerned with the success of the grad students. This is not to say that the faculty members are not contributing scientists or decent folks. Some of them are well-respected or otherwise well-known (or used to be) scientists in their field of study. Some are "famous" scientists. Coursework: there are only 2 or 3 relevant upper-level courses offered in the XYZ department for the grad students. Only one of these courses has any sort of analytical or critical thinking component. The other few are essentially worthless and commonly known as a joke of a course. Even the faculty will admit that the courses are a joke. There is a common trend for the faculty to spend most of the class time palling around with the grad students, casually and infrequently mentioning a "neat paper" (and then not bothering to dive into how and why it is so "neat"). Many times the grad students are expected to lead the class or teach a lesson. This is actually a good thing in practice. However, due to the complete lack of rigor in the department the grad students often don't know exactly what they are talking about. Again, this can be a good learning experience. BUT, there is never a point where the professor in charge chimes in to correct a mistake or to highlight something important that should be discussed more deeply. Important analyses are never explained in the slightest detail. They are casually mentioned and breezed over. There is no instruction whatsoever at any point. As long as the student-instructor does not completely butcher every aspect of their lecture they often earn full points. This invites endless opportunities to confuse the other students. There is a palpable sense of apathy in the classroom. It is bizarre. This is especially frustrating as someone who is desperate to learn as much as possible. There is no structure in the department. Each academic advisor essentially makes up some arbitrary way to say that, "yes, this person can have an M.S. or Ph.D", and they give their nod to whatever almighty power that prints the diplomas. There are no standards for preliminary or final exams or any specific qualifications or abilities you need to display. Essentially, any student that stubbornly survives the process gets their advanced degree. It doesn't matter how poorly they perform. Some branches are worse than others. I will not divulge exactly which specific branch of study in the department - but many of these advanced degrees are essentially given away. Some faculty will openly admit to this academic sin or refer to it casually. Ultimately (especially for PhD - level studies), the student should display an ability to teach themselves complex analyses and to learn how and why the scientific method is best applied their field of study. However, there is still massive gaping hole in the educational process. It is rather frightening and depressing to watch this hole expand. Part of my project suffered immensely because some folks over my head "lost" or "misplaced" tens of thousands of dollars that were specifically delegated to my research project. The issue was discussed and shrugged off in a matter of seconds at a meeting. This was federal funding that required a lot of work to acquire - completely dismissed and forgotten. How does this compare to other Universities? In the USA or internationally? The educational process seems to be incredibly diluted. I sincerely hope that these are isolated issues. If not, "advanced degrees" are simply a product of an automated factory process.

The University of Tennessee has all of the resources of public university and the staff of a private university. While UTK can seem overwhelmingly large, professors and staff are committed to helping students succeed. Even after graduation, my professors went above and beyond to write letters of recommendation that helped me get into one of the most competitive masters programs in the country and went a step further to write a second letter to help me secure a scholarship. While I was at UT, I was in a sorority,... Read More a foreign language club, helped create a Minor in Leadership Studies, went on an alternative spring break, participated in endless volunteer opportunities and spent every Saturday of fall in Neyland Stadium.