Awards
Scholarships and Travel Funding
Mossman Scholars Endowment Awards
Thanks to the generosity of Kenneth and Blaire Mossman and the Mossman Family Trust, the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC) is pleased to offer travel abroad funding opportunities to students majoring or minoring in any WLC language; Language and World Business and College Scholars students with a concentration in these disciplines may also apply).
The travel funding may be used for:
- Scholarship for use towards semester, year-long, or summer study abroad programs approved by UTK. Semester and full-year funding will have priority, with summer study supported as remaining funds allow. Students may apply for a Mossman Scholarship before receiving official acceptance from the Programs Abroad Office, although receipt of the funds is contingent on this acceptance and participation in the study abroad program.
Current amounts of awards:- Full-year program: $8000 [majors]/$6000 [minors];
- Semester-long program: $5000 [majors]/$3000[minors]
- Summer program: $1500 [majors and minors].
- Award of research money, i.e., travel to archives or to do other types of research related to the student’s WLC major or minor. This travel may take place during the academic year or during summer, and must be approved and supervised by a tenure-line faculty mentor. Award amounts vary by duration and projected costs.
Eligibility
Before beginning this application, please ensure that you meet the following general criteria for these awards:
- You are currently enrolled at or admitted to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as an undergraduate student.
- You have officially declared a major or minor in an WLC language, including LWB, or College Scholars with a Foreign Language emphasis.
- You have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher (out of 4.0).
- You will be studying or researching in a part of the world that speaks the language you are studying.
Deadlines
Please submit your application materials (see below) by the following deadlines:
- Fall semester and full academic year programs: April 1, 5 pm
- Spring semester programs: October 1, 5 pm
- Summer programs: February 15, 5 pm
Applications should be submitted by email to Drew Paul, Director of Undergraduate Studies for WLC, at wpaul2@utk.edu. Awardees are chosen by the WLC Languages Scholarship Committee and will usually be notified via email no later than four weeks following the deadline.
Application Materials
To apply for a Mossman Scholars Endowment Scholarship or Award, please submit a cover sheet that contains the following information.
All applicants:
- Name (first, middle initial, last):
- UTK email address:
- Phone:
- Student ID:
- Major(s): Minor(s):
- Projected Graduation Month/year:
- GPA:
- Name of recommender:
- Date declared major/minor:
- Students applying for a semester, year-long, or summer study abroad should also include:
- A short (about 300 words, maximum) description of the study-abroad program you are interested in and how it will benefit your language major;
- A PDF of your unofficial Academic history, showing GPA and your major/concentration/minor;
- A brief email of recommendation from a UT faculty member or GTA teaching in the language of your major/minor, whose class(es) you have taken. In requesting this recommendation letter, please ask the faculty member to send a brief email directly to Drew Paul (wpaul2@utk.edu) with the words “Mossman Recommendation [student name]” in the subject line. The recommendation should be sent as an email from the instructor, not as an attachment.
- Students requesting research support should also include:
- A short (2-page maximum) description of how you will use the research award money (submit an estimated budget);
- A PDF of your Academic history, showing GPA and your major/concentration/minor;
- A brief letter of recommendation from a tenure-line or other research-active UT faculty member who agrees to supervise your travel. In requesting this letter of recommendation, please ask the faculty member to send a brief email directly to Drew Paul (wpaul2@utk.edu) with the words “Mossman Recommendation [student name]” in the subject line.
William E. and Barbara U. Arant Scholarship
The purpose of this scholarship is as follows: “…to assist undergraduate students with tuition or internship travel expenses as he/she obtains marketable skills and experiences from international study.”
Selection Criteria
The student must be at the advanced undergraduate level (at least 60 credit hours); successful academic performance in LWB; award based on academic achievement; financial need may be a consideration; may be used on tuition, travel funds to participate in conferences, workshops and research projects.
Factors that will be taken in consideration for the selection process:
- GPA (2.70 minimum overall and 3.00 in language concentration)
- Overall good citizenship in the university community (as demonstrated in resume and cover letter)
Application Process
The student will submit an application including:
- a cover letter (1 page maximum)
- a current resume
- an internship proposal or a research project statement (1 page maximum)
- a budget (itemizing how funds will be allocated)
It is anticipated that two $500 awards will be made annually. Applicants should send their application package by April 15 (for the fall and summer semesters) and by November 15 (for the spring semester) via email to:
Dr. Lisa Y.F. Parker
lparke11@utk.edu
Director of the Language and World Business Program
Department of World Languages & Cultures
701 McClung Tower
(865) 974-9827
Goldman/Pendleton LWB Internship Scholarship
Chad Goldman, a Language and World Business alumnus (LWB), and his partner, Brian Pendleton, have contributed an endowment to the Department of WLC. The purpose of the endowment is as follows:
“…to fund scholarship awards to students who enroll in study abroad programs or perform international internships or service learning abroad. The scholarship funds are intended to cover academic expenses, such as tuition, and/or expenses related to travel, room and board for such students.”
Selection Criteria
Preference will be given to LWB students who plan an internship abroad, especially if that internship involves community service or a community‐based project. Special consideration will also be given to those students whose study abroad programs include an independent research project (designed by the student with faculty guidance and approved prior to departure) and those students who enroll in study abroad courses taught in the native language of their country of study.
Factors that will be taken in consideration for the selection process:
- Language GPA (minimum 3.00 in all languages)
- Overall GPA (minimum 2.70)
- Overall good citizenship in the university community (as demonstrated in resume and cover letter)
- Length of practical experience (full year term, semester term, summer term)
Application Process
The student will submit the following:
- a cover letter (1-page maximum)
- a current resume
- an internship proposal or a research project statement (1-page maximum)
- a budget (itemizing how funds will be allocated)
- copy of acceptance correspondence from Program’s Abroad Office (PAO)
Applicants should send their application package by April 15 (for the fall and summer semesters) and by November 15 (for the spring semester) via email to:
Dr. Lisa Y.F. Parker
lparke11@utk.edu
Director of the Language and World Business Program
Department of World Languages & Cultures
701 McClung Tower
(865) 974-9827
Chad Goldman and Brian Pendleton Undergraduate Travel Abroad Scholarship
This scholarship is to be used for travel for the purpose of study abroad; typically, two awards of $500 are granted each semester. Semester study abroad is given priority over summer study. All majors in WLC programs are eligible to apply. Deadline is April 30 for Fall semester programs, and November 15 for Spring semester programs.
Selection Criteria
Factors that will be taken in consideration for the selection process:
- Study program relevant to the student’s major
- Language GPA (minimum 3.00 in all languages)
- Overall GPA (minimum 2.70)
- Overall good citizenship in the university community (as demonstrated in resume and cover letter)
Application Process
The student will submit an application including:
- a cover letter with description of program of study (1 page maximum)
- a budget (itemizing how funds will be allocated)
- a PDF of an unofficial transcript or academic history
Applicants should send their application package by April 30 (for the fall semester) and by November 15 (for the spring semester) via email to:
Dr. Lisa Y.F. Parker
lparke11@utk.edu
Director of the Language and World Business Program
Department of World Languages & Cultures
701 McClung Tower
(865) 974-9827
Inquiries about possible summer fund availability may be made between May 1 and May 15.
Clayton McDonald Undergraduate Travel Abroad Scholarship
Clayton McDonald, a UT alumnus, has established a scholarship to be used by students enrolled in the Language and World Business Program for study abroad. One non-renewable award will be given each year. Semester or year-long study abroad will be given priority over summer study while reviewing applications. The deadline for applications is March 1st, and the awardee will be informed by April 1st. The amount to be awarded will be $1,200.
Selection Criteria
The scholarship is open to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, or veteran status, subject to the following criteria:
- Applicants must have been admitted to the Language and World Business Program in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures (any language).
- Applicants must use the funds for a UT-approved (but not necessarily UT-run) study-abroad program that begins less than one year after the scholarship is granted.
- Applicants must demonstrate successful academic performance, and the overall and language GPAs of applicants will be taken into consideration.
- Applications must demonstrate good citizenship in the university community (as demonstrated in the resume).
Application Process
- a cover letter (one page maximum), in which the applicant describes why they have chosen their particular study-abroad program and what they hope to achieve while abroad.
- a current resume
- a budget (itemizing how funds will be allocated)
- copy of study-abroad program acceptance correspondence from Programs Abroad Office (PAO).
Applicants should send their application package by March 1st as a single PDF file via email to:
Dr. Lisa Y.F. Parker
lparke11@utk.edu
Director of the Language and World Business Program
Department of World Languages & Cultures
701 McClung Tower
(865) 974-9827
Critical Language Scholarships
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a U.S. Department of State program focused on language and cultural immersion. Intensive institutes are offered in the following foreign languages offered at UTK: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Russian
The CLS Program provides opportunities for American college and university students to study languages and cultures essential to America’s engagement with the world.
Each summer, American undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities across the country, spend eight to ten weeks learning one of thirteen languages at an intensive study abroad institute. The CLS Program is designed to promote rapid language gains and essential intercultural fluency in regions that are critical to U.S. national security and economic prosperity.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be enrolled at an accredited U.S. undergraduate or graduate degree-granting program.
- Be in acceptable mental and physical health. Grantees will be required to submit a satisfactory Medical Information Form and Physician’s statement and must inform the program of any changes in their health status between submission of these forms and departure in order to participate in the program.
- Have completed at least one academic year of study (two semesters or three quarters).
- Students applying for Arabic, Chinese, Korean or Russian must complete a full academic year of language courses prior to going abroad.
- Students applying for Japanese must complete two full years of language courses.
Selection Criteria
Award recipients for the CLS Program overseas will be selected on the basis of merit with consideration for the following:
- Connection between language and goals;
- Contribution to the CLS Program goals of citizen diplomacy and mutual understanding;
- Preparation for the CLS Program;
- Adaptability, sensitivity, and resilience; and
- Commitment to language learning.
All other factors being equal, the CLS Program gives preference to veterans of the United States armed forces, and applicants are selected with the goal of representing geographic diversity and a diversity of institutions and fields of study.
Preference may be given to candidates with limited or no previous study abroad experience.
Application Process
The student will submit:
- the application form online
- unofficial copies of your transcripts with grades from your current school and any previous universities attended within the last five years
Applicants should send their application package by November (date changes annually, always due in November). Contact the Division of Student Success, as they will assist you with your application.
Fulbright Program
FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT PROGRAM (Worldwide)
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or English Teaching Assistantships (ETAs). A candidate will submit a Statement of Grant Purpose defining activities to take place during one academic year in a country outside the U.S. The program facilitates cultural exchange; through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding. Application made as senior; grant awarded following graduation.
Further details, scholar profiles, and application guidance available at: https://studentsuccess.utk.edu/urf/fulbright-u-s-student-program/
Study Abroad and National Security- Boren Scholarship
Boren Scholars (undergraduate students) and Fellows (graduate students) represent highly motivated individuals who are interested in long-term linguistic and cultural immersion and the national security arena. Boren awards enhance U.S. understanding of foreign cultures and languages, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness, and enhance international cooperation and security around issues such as sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, conflict, and population growth and migration.
In exchange for funding, Boren Awards recipients commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate a longer term commitment to government service.
The undergraduate scholarship provides up to $20,000 to study abroad in areas of the world underrepresented in study abroad; the graduate fellowship provides up to $36,000. Preference is given to those students who propose to study abroad for 6+ months. Boren Scholars must agree to the NSEP service requirement of one year of federal service.
All Boren Awards-funded programs must include language study as a core element for the duration of the grant. Applicants are encouraged to select or design programs that will provide an immersive environment both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities in order to demonstrate their commitment to language study.
Eligibility Criteria:
- A U.S. citizen at the time of application
- A high school graduate
- Enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program in the U.S. through the duration of the scholarship period
- Apply to a study abroad program that meets home institution standards in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, with a focus on language study and cultural immersion
Preferred languages for WLC students: Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian
French is a preferred language only through the African Flagship Languages Initiative, (French in Senegal) which is appropriate for students at the intermediate-high (ILR 1+ in Speaking) or greater proficiency level in French. For all other applicants, study of French or Spanish is only permissible for advanced speakers (ILR 2 or greater in Speaking) of the language, or at the intermediate level (ILR 1 or greater in Speaking) if enrolled in a STEM field.
Preferred study locations for WLC students include: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Perú, Russia, Senegal, Ukraine, Venezuela
Selection Criteria
Applicants must:
- Provide a clear and compelling explanation of the relevance of their country, language, field of study, and overseas study to U.S. national security.
- Describe how they might fulfill the service requirement, and demonstrates a longer term commitment to the federal government
- Possess the appropriate academic preparation, cultural adaptability, flexibility, and maturity required to succeed abroad (evidence of cultural adaptability and maturity)
- Demonstrate a serious commitment to language study, before, during, and after their overseas study
- Propose a study plan in a country and language preferred by the Boren Awards
Application Process
Applicants should send their application package by January (date changes annually, always due in January). Contact the Division of Student Success, as they will assist you with your application.
Normandy Scholars Program
The Normandy Scholars Program is an interdisciplinary honors program open to students from all majors at the University of Tennessee. The goal of the program is to study World War II in the wider context of memory studies, a discipline that examines how social, cultural, political, and technological shifts affect how societies react to and
commemorate past conflicts in their national histories. The Normandy Scholars Program includes a 3-credit hour UT honors course in the spring semester and a 1 UT credit hour mini-term program abroad. The mini-term 2025 program abroad portion will take place in Warsaw and Krakow (Poland), Berlin (Germany), and Prague (Czechia).
Each admitted student receives a $3,000 scholarship toward the cost of the program. The estimated program fee is about $3,800.
The deadline for Spring 2025 is September 30, 2024. For more information, contact Executive Director Dr. Matthew Brauer at mbrauer@utk.edu.
German Program Scholarships
If you wish to be considered for one of the awards, please fill out a self-nomination form to Marin Wooley, mwooley@utk.edu, by February 15. If you do not wish to authorize WLC to independently check your transcript for eligibility or if you are not a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, please supply a paper copy of it or a Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) Report with your application.
KIND AWARDS About five to seven scholarships per year are awarded in the name of John Kind, who was a faculty member in the department, and his wife Elsbeth Kind. To qualify, a student must be an undergraduate and pursue either a major or minor in German. A minor consists of a minimum of 18 semester hours of courses in German language and literature or Germanic linguistics numbered above 200. German majors and minors may be declared at mfll.utk.edu. The principal criterion for the award is academic excellence, first in German and then in other disciplines. The award is for the following academic year, and to qualify, one must be at UT as an undergraduate or participating in a UT direct exchange program.
GERTI WUNDERLICH AWARD There is usually one award given each year in the name of Gerti Wunderlich, a former secretary in our department. This award has been given primarily to students who have demonstrated great interest in German in advanced courses. It has traditionally been awarded to help defray the costs of a stay in Germany—either for several weeks in the summer or for a longer period. The award’s general purpose is to help a deserving undergraduate or graduate student, and although good grades are desirable, they are not the most important criterion. Both graduates and undergraduates are eligible.
MARIA HARRIS AWARD The Maria Harris Fund was established in honor of Maria Harris, a long-time instructor in the department. The aid is directed exclusively at students who expect to travel to Germany for the summer or for a longer period of time, and the funds can only be used to defray travel expenses. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. Good academic performance and demonstrated interest in Germany and German culture are the principal criteria for selection.
JOHN C. OSBORNE MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP The John C. Osborne Memorial Fellowship is open to graduate students or advanced under-graduate students to support their studies in German. This fellowship was endowed in memory of Professor John C. Osborne, who helped found the Ph.D. Program in German in the late sixties and whose decades of effort helped build a superb library collection for advanced studies in German.
REINHOLD NORDSIECK AWARD The late Reinhold Nordsieck and his wife, Katherine, established an endowment benefiting students studying German language, literature, civilization and philology. The Nordsieck Scholarship is used for financial assistance to UT students who are enrolled in German courses offered by the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures (MFLL) department or study abroad in connection with their German studies at UT.
DENNIS RANDALL SHOCKLEY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP The late Dennis Randall Shockley was a devoted teacher and student of German language, history, and culture who received his undergraduate degree from UT in 1984 and his Masters in 1991. This award honors his memory and is available to an undergraduate major in German who has demonstrated successful academic performance.
Study Abroad Scholarship — Kirkland Family Spanish Award
The selection of the recipient(s) of the Kirkland Family Spanish Award Fund will be made twice a year by the Faculty of the Hispanic Studies Program within the World Languages and Cultures, provided there are acceptable candidates for the award and sufficient funds. Amount of each award: $500–$1,000 depending on the availability of funds.
Requirements
Students who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply:
- Declared Hispanic Studies major
- Must be in good academic and disciplinary standing
- Overall GPA of at least 3.00
- Minimum GPA of 3.5 in upper level Spanish Classes
- Must have completed Spanish 323 and Spanish 330 at the time of study abroad program.
- Will be studying in a UTK approved study abroad program for at least one semester
- Will be enrolled full-time in a study abroad program (minimum of 12 hours of Spanish classes per semester)
- Have not previously received a Kirkland Family Spanish Award
Application Materials
- Cover letter stating where, for how long, and with what program you are studying
- Unofficial transcript
- Completed faculty evaluation Form
- Original 500-word essay in Spanish. In this essay you should explain your motivation for study abroad (personal and academic), your choice of program and your experiences in and out of the classroom that have prepared you for study abroad. The essay should be well written, both in terms of style and grammar.
Applicants should send their application package by April 15 (for the fall semester) and by November 15 (for the spring semester) to the address below. Acceptance letters will be mailed to the address the student provides.
Dr. Nuria Cruz Cámara
Chair, Hispanic Studies Program
701 McClung Tower
World Languages and Cultures
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996
Becker WLC Honors Thesis Award
Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Gustave Becker, the Department of World Languages and Cultures sponsors an award of $1000 designed to encourage seniors to write an interdisciplinary honors thesis combining mastery of a WLC concentration and at least one STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math).
Selection Criteria
The thesis must meet the following criteria:
- The student must be a major in a WLC concentration, or in College Scholars with a strong component from WLC.
- The student must be writing an honors thesis as part of a WLC major or the College Scholar program, that includes strong WLC and STEM components.
- It must be guided from the outset and approved at the end by a committee including at least one faculty member each from WLC and the chosen STEM field.
How to Apply
- Students planning to submit theses should talk to their advisors as soon as possible, and notify WLC of their intent to enter the competition by March 1.
- The award of approximately $1,000 will be announced each year after the end of Spring semester.
- The completed thesis, approved by the student’s thesis committee, must be submitted by May 1.
- To apply, or for more information, contact Dr. Drew Paul, WLC Director of Undergraduate Studies.