Tennessee Legislative Internship Program
2024 SESSION OF THE TENNESSEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
For more than 50 years, the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program (TLIP) has provided students from across the state with the opportunity to experience Tennessee politics first hand and contribute to the democratic process by serving as interns in the Tennessee General Assembly. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TLIP is jointly administered by the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy & Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science.
Student Eligibility
Applicants for the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program must be:
- Enrolled as a junior, senior, graduate student, or law student
- Pursuing degree programs in political science, law, history, social work, english, economics, sociology, communications, journalism, agriculture, or other related fields
- Maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
Internship Dates
Selected applicants will be appointed as legislative interns for the 2024 session of the TN General Assembly for the period of January 8 until April 26, 2024. (The appointment period is not concurrent with the semester calendar, and school holidays such as spring break are not observed by the General Assembly.)
Financial Support
UT interns will earn $7,000 during the spring semester and be paid on a weekly basis (approx. $400/week). This stipend will also cover a $400 relocation fee and allow for reimbursement for travel from Nashville to UT once per month (approx. $200 total). Students should note that all stipend payments including the relocation allowance are treated as taxable income.
Academic Credit
UTK students will have the ability to register for 12-15 hours of academic credit during their semester internship. The Baker School and the Department of Political Science collaborate to offer students courses that provide support and context for their internship experience. Further, we work with each individual student to determine which courses will keep them on track for graduation.
Duties and Requirements
Interns will be assigned to work in legislative leadership offices and committees from 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Duties will vary from office to office but may include bill analysis, constituent work, computer and library research, and general office work. Interns are expected to attend weekly intern meetings that are either guest speakers, site visits, or other socials with the student interns.
Application Process and Timeline
To apply for a legislative internship, students should do the following:
- Application: Complete the application through Handshake. The below materials will need to be uploaded to the Handshake application.
- TLIP Application: tiny.utk.edu/TLIPApplication (i.e. Chris Doe Application)
- Autobiography: Type and save as a separate pdf file a 2-3 page autobiography as described in the application that will enable the selection committee to learn more about you and your writing skills (i.e. Chris Doe Autobiography)
- Transcript: Scan a current copy of your transcript (not your academic history) and save this as a pdf file (i.e. Chris Doe Transcript)
- Resume: Save a pdf copy of your updated resume (i.e. Chris Doe Resume)
- Faculty Appraisals: Send the appraisal link to the 2 individuals identified on your application as faculty who will be completing appraisals for you. Please remind each appraiser to complete the survey submitted by noon on Friday, October 6, 2023.
- Appraisal Link: tiny.utk.edu/TLIPFacultyAppraisal
All applications with the items above must be completed and submitted via Handshake no later than 5:00pm on Friday, September 22, 2023. Early submissions are encouraged.
All applicants will be interviewed by the UT TLIP Selection Committee between October 11-13. The selection committee is comprised of members from the Howard Baker School, Department of Political Science, College of Communication & Information, and UT Institute of Agriculture.
Students will be notified of their acceptance by 5:00pm on Friday, October 13. Once students are accepted, there will be mandatory pre-departure trainings, as well as student reception with members of the Knox County delegation in late November.
Learn More
For more information, attend the TLIP Information Session on Thursday, September 7 from 5-6pm in the Toyota Auditorium of the Baker School (Room 103). If you cannot attend, please stop by the Student Union on Friday, September 8 between 10am-2pm to meet Shirley Frierson, TLIP Director.
For questions, please feel free to email Dr. Pat Freeland (pfreelan@utk.edu).
