Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology

Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology

Former name	State Area Vocational-Technical School (1967–1994) Tennessee Technology Centers (1994–2013)
Type	Public technical college system
Established	1967 (1967)
Students	34,486
Location	Tennessee , United States
Campus	26 campuses

The Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) is a public technical college system operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It has 24 campuses located throughout the US state of Tennessee. ^[1] It was previously named the Tennessee Technology Centers.

As of March 2025 ^[update] , the TCAT campuses have a combined enrollment of 34,486 students, with the most popular programs being truck driving, welding, automotive technology, practical nursing, and cosmetology. ^[2]

History

TCAT was founded as the State Area Vocational-Technical Schools. Construction began on the first three urban locations, Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville, in July 1966. ^[3] The Knoxville campus opened in January 1968. ^[4] In 1994, State Area Vocational-Technical Schools were rebranded as Tennessee Technology Centers. ^[5] Tennessee Technology Centers received praise from Complete College America in a 2011 report for their high degree completion rate of 75 percent. ^[6]

In July 2013, Tennessee Technology Centers was rebranded as Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology to clearly communicate the post-secondary training offered. ^[7]

Campuses

TCAT Morrison in 2022

TCAT has 26 campuses and several branches from other campuses:

Athens

Chattanooga

Crump

Dickson

Elizabethton

Harriman

Hartsville

Henry/Carroll

Hohenwald

Jacksboro

Jackson

Knoxville

Livingston

McKenzie

McMinnville

Memphis

Morristown

Murfreesboro

Nashville

Northwest

Oneida/Huntsville

Pulaski

Shelbyville

Upper Cumberland

class=notpageimage|

Tennessee Colloges of Applied Technology locations, 2025.

• Athens
• Brownsville
• Chattanooga
• Covington
• Clarksville - Branch of Dickson Campus
• Crossville
• Crump
• Dickson
• Elizabethton
• Fayetteville—Branch of Shelbyville Campus
• Greeneville —Branch of Morristown Campus
• Harriman
• Hartsville-Trousdale ^[8]
• Hohenwald ^[9]
• Huntsville
• Jacksboro
• Kingsport—Branch of Elizabethton Campus ^[10]
• Knoxville
• Lewisburg—Branch of Shelbyville Campus
• Livingston
• McKenzie
• McMinnville
• Memphis
• Morristown
• Murfreesboro
• Nashville
• Newbern
• Oneida—Branch of Huntsville Campus ^[11]
• Paris
• Pulaski
• Ripley
• Surgoinsville—Branch of Morristown Campus ^[12]
• Tazewell—Branch of Morristown campus
• Shelbyville
• Whiteville
• Winchester—Branch of Shelbyville Campus
• Union City—Branch of Newbern Campus

Academics

TCAT offers numerous programs and has partnerships with businesses. The Memphis campus offers a welding apprenticeship program with Morgan Steel company. ^[13]

See also

• List of colleges and universities in Tennessee
• Tennessee Board of Regents

References

1. "Colleges of Applied Technology". Tennessee Board of Regents. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
2. "College Data Profile: All TCATs" (PDF). TBR. Tennessee Board of Regents. March 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
3. "Knoxville School Bids Due July 31". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. June 30, 1966. p. 37. ProQuest   2660673489 . Retrieved May 19, 2025.
4. "About ready to open". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 25, 1967. pp. A12. ProQuest   2660675491 . Retrieved May 19, 2025.
5. "Vocational school changes its name". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. June 19, 1994. pp. B6. ProQuest   2662051306 . Retrieved May 19, 2025.
6. Lewin, Tamar (2011-09-27). "College Graduation Rates Are Stagnant Even as Enrollment Rises, a Study Finds". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-05-20.
7. "Tennessee Technology Centers becoming Colleges of Applied Technology; Recognized for Workforce Education". Clarksville Online. June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
8. "Home". tcathartsville.edu.
9. "Home". tcathohenwald.edu.
10. "Contact Us | TCAT Elizabethton". tcatelizabethton.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
11. "Home". tcatoneida.edu.
12. "Locations | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Morristown". www.tcatmorristown.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-04-30.
13. "Morgan Steel & TCAT offer apprenticeship for high-paying steel industry". FOX13 Memphis. 2025-04-30. Retrieved 2025-05-19.