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Current Students

Welcome students!


VolsTeach provides:

  • Hands on teaching experience in your first semester of the program
  • Small-size classes with personalized attention from professors
  • Access to a dedicated student workroom, resource library, and commons group area
  • Academic coaches who provide guidance to help keep students on track

The Tennessee Department of Education endorses the VolsTeach program to prepare highly qualified teachers to meet state and federal guidelines.

Teacher Education Admission Requirements:

  • Minimum cumulative 2.7 GPA, major 2.5 GPA
  • Successful completion of a background check
  • Minimum ACT 22 or R-SAT 1020 score or complete Praxis/CORE exam
  • Minimum of 45 credit hours
  • Math Majors: Math 141,142, and 6 credit hours of 200-level math
  • Science Majors: 8 credit hours of lab natural science
  • Students must maintain these standards once admitted.

These requirements must be completed before Project-Based Instruction.

Click here for the Teacher Education application.

For the complete process and all steps for admission to Teacher Education, students will need to contact the Office of Advising and Student Services.(http://ehhsstudentservices.utk.edu/staff-2/).

Scholarship Opportunities:

  • The Nivedita Ganguly Memorial VolsTeach Scholarship Fund. To honor Nita Ganguly, PhD, former clinical associate professor of VolsTeach, her husband Ranjan Ganguly, PhD, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Professor of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB), created an endowment that will provide scholarships for VolsTeach and BCMB students. The VolsTeach scholarship is named the Nivedita Ganguly Memorial VolsTeach Scholarship in her honor.


My name is Courtney Drennen, and I am from Gatlinburg, TN. I am a Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Major. My favorite science topic is cell division or anatomy. I have always had a passion for education ever since I was a little girl! I had my own classroom in my mom’s office where I would teach to my imaginary students! I also had so many influential teachers in my education career that showed me what it looked like to not just educate, but to also care for students. My goal is to be a light and role model for my students for many years to come! My high school ACT preparatory teacher John Terrell had the biggest impact on me as a student and a future teacher. He showed me what it looked like to really invest into your students, and I cannot thank him enough for what he’s done for me. He continues to work with me today to help me prepare for my first year of teaching. Teachers like him have paved the way for future teachers! Dr. Kirkpatrick with VolsTeach has also had an extreme impact on my life as a student and as a future teacher. She has believed in me, pushed me, and has continued to give me opportunities to gain experience in the field as I prepare for my first year of teaching. I am always so thankful for her constant help and support. Colossians 3:23: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

  • The Brent L. and Rachel W. Trentham Endowed Scholarship, established in 2013, recognizes and awards a VolsTeach student who has demonstrated high-quality math teaching skills and commitment to the education profession. Brent and Rachel Trentham are alumni of the University of Tennessee. Apply here.
  • The Stringer-Thompson-Taylor-Richardson-Cox Endowed Scholarship. This endowment was established by University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) alumni Jeanne and Neal Richardson, to support those students who show high academic performance and are planning to teach science. The name given to this scholarship honors four generations of Jeanne’s family and the positive influence they shared about the importance of good education. Apply here.
  • The Cleonelda B. and Leo Harner Scholarship. This endowment was established through an estate gift of the Harners. Cloenelda Braden Harner was a UTK alum, having graduated with a degree in Home Economics.
  • ACS-Hach Land Grant Undergraduate Scholarship. The mission of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. This scholarship is awarded to undergraduate chemistry majors who attend one of ACS-Hach Land partner institutions and express an interest in teaching high school chemistry.
  • Tom and Judy Edenfield Hodge Scholarship is awarded for academic success and commitment to K-12 teaching. This scholarship is selected by faculty in the VolsTeach program.

My name is Jacob Knight, and I’m from Dandridge, Tennessee. I am a Mathematics Major concentrating in education as well as a VolsTeach Math Minor, and I am choosing to become a teacher because I want to help give all students the great learning experiences similar to the ones I grew up having so that they can experience the wonder, joy, and beauty of mathematics! I want to be like the amazing teachers I had in school who inspired me in a plethora of ways, including like my favorite K-12 teacher, Mrs. Hodge, who taught me to think critically and be analytical and also gave me life advice and help with preparing for college. To end, I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes from Francis Su “You can not flourish without play. And if mathematics is for human flourishing, we should ‘play up’ the role of play in how we teach and who we teach. Everyone can play. Everyone enjoys play.”