Tennessee Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities are accredited by organizations like the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools and the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training.  The state’s public and private colleges and universities include:

• University of Tennessee
• Knoxville College
• Columbia State Community College
• Nashville State Community College
• Volunteer State Community College
• Pellissippi State Community College
• Cumberland University
• Austin Peay State University
• Middle Tennessee State University
• East Tennessee State University
• University of Memphis
• Tennessee State University
• Maryville College
• Carson-Newman College
• Martin Methodist College
• Fisk University
• Meharry Medical College
• LeMoyne-Owen College
• Vanderbilt University
• Tennessee Temple University

About Tennessee and Higher Education

Tennessee is the 16th state, having been admitted to the statehood on June 1, 1796.  The capital city of Tennessee is Nashville, a city rich with music, history, culinary arts and culture.  States bordering Tennessee include Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Georgia.  Nicknamed the “Volunteer State,” Tennessee is known for the numbers of men from the Southern state who volunteered in the Civil War, the Grand Ole Opry, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame headquarters, and tourist attractions like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains.  Dogwood trees and red clay can be found in various parts of the state.  Temperatures in Tennessee are generally mild; however, it does snow occasionally during winter months.  Famous Tennesseans who lived in the state and/or where educated at the state’s accredited colleges and universities include musician, Chet Atkins; singer and actress, Dolly Parton; singer and actor, Elvis Pressly; actor, Morgan Freeman; singer, Aretha Franklin; poet, Nikki Giovanni; singer, Tina Turner and athlete, Wilma Rudolph.

For-profit colleges and universities in Tennessee offer accredited two and/or four-year degrees.  These postsecondary schools include:

• Art Institute of Tennessee
• Watkins College of Art and Design
• Strayer University
• Nossi College of Art
• HI Tech Institute
• South University
• Walden University
• University of Phoenix

Making College and University Degrees Work in Tennessee

In addition to exploring the Great Smoky Mountains and shopping, dining and having fun at places like Gatlinburg, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge and Elvis Pressly’s home, college and university students in Tennessee can go camping, fishing, hiking and bike and horse riding across the state’s natural landscapes.  Postsecondary schools like the University of Tennessee at Knoxville generally have activities and events that college and university students can participate in year round.  College students can also attend collegiate and professional athletic competitions by local teams such as:

• University of Tennessee Volunteers
• Austin Peay State University Governors
• University of Memphis Tigers
• Vanderbilt University Commodores
• Tennessee State University Tigers
• Nashville Predators (Pro hockey team)
• Tennessee Titans (Pro football team)
• Nashville Kats (Area football team)

Some of Tennessee’s major employers are energy, education or healthcare based establishments.   These public and privately owned organizations employ several hundred to thousand people.  College and university students may be able to get hired by Tennessee employers like:

• Eastman Chemical Company
• Southern Tennessee Medical Center
• Covenant Transportation Group
• Baptist Memorial
• Lockheed Martin Energy
• Nissan North America Incorporated
• Federal Express Corporation
• Seton Corporation
• Tennessee West Healthcare
• Baptist Health System
• Maytag Corporation
• Ingram Book Group Incorporated
• Aerospace Testing Alliance
• Denso Manufacturing Tennessee
• Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
• Bridgestone Firestone North
• Saint Francis Hospital
• University Health System Incorporated
• United Parcel Service Incorporated
• St. Jude Children’s Research
• American Residential Services
• Tyson Foods Incorporated
• Bell South Corporation
• Tennessee Valley Authority
• Comdata Network Incorporated

Some accredited colleges and universities in Tennessee are major employers in the state.  The schools offer internships, work/study and clinical assignment programs that college and university students may register and participate in so that the students can start to interview with and work on short-term assignments with the state’s employers.  Education and training students receive at college prepare them to take and pass professional licenses in areas like education, medicine and cosmetology.  As college and university students attending postsecondary schools in Tennessee major and/or minor in subjects that complement industries employers operate in throughout the state, they may increase their chances of getting hired after they graduate from college.  Farming management, music administration, hospitality management, energy, culinary arts, marketing, advertising, retail management, education, sports management, transportation management, business administration, information technology and medicine are types of subjects college and university students may want to consider majoring in while they attend postsecondary schools in Tennessee.