Chattanooga State Community College (ChattState) is the area’s main public route into a trade: its TCAT Chattanooga division teaches welding, HVAC, truck driving and practical nursing for $1,591 a semester, and its college side teaches nursing, radiography and engineering technology at $197 a credit. The Construction Career Center adds a building construction diploma, Miller-Motte’s main campus teaches CDL, electrical, HVAC and surgical technology, and Chattanooga College teaches nursing and assisting. This page compares the 4 Chattanooga schools we have profiled.
Chattanooga at a glance
- Schools listed
- 4: ChattState (with TCAT Chattanooga), the Construction Career Center and 2 private career colleges
- Lowest-cost route
- ChattState: TCAT diplomas $1,591 a semester, college credits $197; Tennessee Promise and Reconnect accepted, including at the TCAT
- Short programs
- Truck driving in 7.5 weeks (ChattState’s TCAT); Class A CDL in about a month (Miller-Motte)
- Nursing
- Practical nursing and RN at ChattState; practical nursing and a CCNE-accredited BSN at Chattanooga College
- Licensed trades
- Contractors on jobs of $25,000 or more; Hamilton County also requires a home improvement license for remodeling jobs of $3,000 to $24,999
- Local median pay
- Electricians $72,330; HVAC mechanics $50,950; welders $49,220; truck drivers $57,440; registered nurses $79,770 (Chattanooga area, BLS 2025)
- More in Tennessee
- All Tennessee trade schools
Facts checked October 2026. Sources are linked in each section and in each school’s profile.
Chattanooga Trade Schools and Vocational Schools
Grouped by type, not ranked. Each school links to a full profile with programs, outcomes and sources. Each trade’s pay, length and license are in Trades and licensing.
Public college and training center (2)
Chattanooga State Community College (ChattState)
ChattState runs both associate degrees and TCAT Chattanooga, the only TCAT that is part of a community college. The TCAT side teaches full-time clock-hour diplomas, day or evening, in welding, HVAC, truck driving (7.5 weeks) and practical nursing; the college side teaches ACEN-accredited nursing, radiography, dental hygiene, veterinary technology and engineering technology degrees. TCAT Chattanooga reports 77% completion and 86% placement across its programs.
- Length
- 7.5 weeks (truck driving) to 2.5 years (night RN degree); most TCAT diplomas 1,290 hours, about a year
- Accredited
- The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC)
- Federal aid
- Yes; Tennessee Promise and Reconnect, including at the TCAT
Cost: $197 a credit for Tennessee residents ($342 out of state), plus fees (2026-27); TCAT $1,591 a full-time semester with fees, plus $100 for welding
View school profile →Construction Career Center
A training building opened in 2022 where TCAT Chattanooga teaches one adult credential: a full-time, three-semester Building Construction Technology diploma with NCCER Core, Construction Craft Laborer and OSHA 10 credentials. Hamilton County Schools runs a high school construction program in the same building, and AGC East Tennessee helps with job placement.
- Length
- 1,290 clock hours over 3 semesters, full-time day
- Accredited
- Through Chattanooga State (The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC))
- Federal aid
- Through Chattanooga State; Tennessee Promise and Reconnect
Cost: $1,591 a semester; about $5,873 for the whole program with books and tools (2026-27)
View school profile →Career colleges (2)
Miller-Motte College
Chattanooga is Miller-Motte’s main campus. On campus it teaches Class A CDL (one month), electrical and HVAC diplomas of about 10 months (the electrical program does not prepare you for a licensing exam), dental and medical clinical assisting, medical billing and coding and an 18-month surgical technology degree taught at no other campus. In its 2022 surgical technology cohort, 56% graduated and 58% of testers passed the CST exam.
- Length
- 1 month (CDL) to 18 months (surgical technology)
- Accredited
- ACCSC
- Federal aid
- Yes
Cost: Not on program pages; $27,040 (medical coding) and $33,620 (pharmacy technician) in tuition and fees reported for Chattanooga (2024-25)
View school profile →Chattanooga College
Chattanooga College trains practical nurses, BSN registered nurses, dental assistants and medical assistants, mostly in hybrid programs that pair online coursework with campus skills labs, clinicals or externships. Practical nursing is its largest program, with 140 completions in 2024-25; the BSN is CCNE-accredited.
- Length
- About 9 months (medical assistant) to about 3 years (BSN); practical nursing 12 months by day or 18 in the evening
- Accredited
- ACCSC; next review August 2027
- Federal aid
- Yes
Cost: Medical or dental assistant $12,750; practical nursing $23,200 (day); BSN $34,500 for the core nursing program (2026)
View school profile →No profiled schools on this page match. The public colleges below may still teach it, or see all Tennessee trade schools.
Public colleges: Cleveland State Community College; TCAT Athens. Chattanooga College and ChattState are different schools. Strayer no longer lists a Chattanooga campus.
- A certificate is not a license. Miller-Motte says its electrical program does not prepare you for a licensing exam; Tennessee licenses contractors on jobs of $25,000 or more.
- TCAT Chattanooga programs are full-time only, and new students start in the first week of a semester.
- Miller-Motte’s 2022 surgical technology cohort: 56% graduated and 58% of testers passed the CST exam.
- Ask Miller-Motte for program prices in writing; it does not publish them on its program pages.
More in Tennessee: All Tennessee trade schools
Where to start, by goal
| Your goal | Schools to consider | What it leads to |
|---|---|---|
| Welder | ChattState (1,290-hour TCAT diploma, day or evening, with a Dayton welding lab) | Employer weld tests; no state license |
| HVAC or electrical | ChattState (TCAT); Miller-Motte (10-month electrical and HVAC diplomas) | EPA 608 for HVAC; contractor license at $25,000 |
| Construction | Construction Career Center (building construction diploma with NCCER and OSHA 10) | Entry-level construction jobs |
| Truck driver | ChattState (7.5 weeks, Soddy-Daisy range); Miller-Motte (Class A, about a month) | Tennessee commercial driver’s license |
| Nurse (LPN or RN) | ChattState (LPN diploma, RN by day or night); Chattanooga College (practical nursing, BSN) | NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN and a Tennessee nursing license |
| Surgical technologist | Miller-Motte (18-month AAS) | CST exam |
These match goals to published program features. They are not rankings.
Costs and financial aid
TCATs charge one flat rate a trimester and community colleges charge by the credit, with no separate in-district rate; private schools charge by the program. These are the prices each school published, with the date.
| Route | Example | Cost | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCAT | TCAT Chattanooga (ChattState) | $1,591 a full-time semester with fees; welding adds $100 a semester | 2026-27 |
| Community college | ChattState, Cleveland State | $197 a credit for Tennessee residents, $342 out of state, plus fees | 2026-27 |
| Training center | Construction Career Center | About $5,873 for the whole building construction diploma, with books and tools | 2026-27 |
| Career college | Chattanooga College | Medical or dental assistant $12,750; practical nursing $23,200 (day); BSN core $34,500 | 2026 |
| Career college | Miller-Motte | Medical coding $27,040; pharmacy technician $33,620 in tuition and fees (federal data) | 2024-25 |
Books, tools, uniforms, program fees and licensing exam fees are often extra. Ask any school for the total in writing before you sign. School prices are from our school profiles, where the original sources are linked.
Paying for training
- Tennessee Promise: a last-dollar scholarship that covers tuition and mandatory fees not paid by other grants at any of the 13 community colleges and 22 TCATs, for students starting right after a Tennessee high school. You apply in your senior year, file the FAFSA, attend a meeting and do community service each year.
- Tennessee Reconnect: the same last-dollar help for adults who want an associate degree, technical degree or diploma at a community college, or a diploma or certificate at a TCAT. It pays what is left of tuition and mandatory fees after Pell and other state aid.
- Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant: up to $2,000 a year ($667 a trimester in 2026-27) for TCAT certificate and diploma students, with no grade or income requirement. File the FAFSA.
- HOPE Scholarship: $1,600 a semester at a community college (2026-27) for recent Tennessee graduates with a 21 ACT or a 3.0 high school GPA; also usable at eligible four-year and private colleges such as South College.
- Federal aid: every school on this page takes Pell Grants and federal loans through the FAFSA (the Construction Career Center through Chattanooga State).
Trade pathways and licensing
How each trade works in Tennessee, how long training takes, what it pays and which license you need. Pay is the Chattanooga-area median annual wage for all experience levels (BLS 2025, via O*NET OnLine).
Welding, HVAC, electrical and construction
Tennessee licenses contractors, not every tradesperson. Electricians and plumbers need a limited licensed electrician (LLE) or limited licensed plumber (LLP) license by exam for their own jobs under $25,000 where the state issues permits (many cities run their own licensing), and a contractor license for jobs of $25,000 or more. HVAC contractors need a license (CMC-C trade exam) at $25,000 and up, and HVAC technicians need federal EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerants. Remodelers need a home improvement license for home jobs of $3,000 to $24,999 in nine counties, including Davidson, Shelby, Knox and Hamilton. Welders and carpenters need no state license.
- Length
- 10 months (Miller-Motte diplomas) to 3 semesters (TCAT diplomas)
Schools on this page: ChattState (TCAT welding, HVAC and electrical programs), Construction Career Center (building construction) and Miller-Motte (electrical, HVAC).
A school certificate is not a license. Tennessee contractor exams are run by Prov from 1 July 2026, and the board lists licensed exam prep providers on its site. Sources: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors license pages; our school profiles.
Step-by-step guides: Welding schools in Tennessee · HVAC schools in Tennessee · How to become an electrician in Tennessee
Truck driving
Tennessee has no license for auto technicians or welders; ASE and AWS certifications are the usual credentials. Truck drivers need a commercial driver’s license after federal entry-level driver training from a provider on the FMCSA registry, and aircraft mechanics need the FAA’s A&P certificate.
- Length
- About a month (Miller-Motte) to 7.5 weeks (ChattState)
- Chattanooga-area median pay
- $57,440 truck drivers
Schools on this page: ChattState (TCAT commercial truck driving, Soddy-Daisy range) and Miller-Motte (Class A CDL).
Sources: our school profiles.
Nursing and healthcare
Nurses are licensed by the Tennessee Board of Nursing after the NCLEX. Every TCAT runs a board-approved practical nursing program; in 2025 their first-time NCLEX-PN pass rates ranged from 79% to 97%, against a state average of 87.89%. Check each program’s approval, accreditation and recent pass rate before you apply. Medical and dental assistants usually earn national certification.
- Length
- 9 months (medical assistant) to 3 years (BSN)
Schools on this page: ChattState (practical nursing, ACEN-accredited RN, radiography, dental hygiene, veterinary technology); Chattanooga College (practical nursing, BSN, assisting); Miller-Motte (surgical technology, assisting).
Sources: our school profiles.
Step-by-step guides: How to become a surgical tech in Tennessee
Frequently asked questions
What are the best trade schools in Chattanooga?
It depends on the trade. Chattanooga State (ChattState) and its TCAT Chattanooga division are the lowest-cost route for welding, HVAC, truck driving and practical nursing, and the Construction Career Center teaches building construction. Miller-Motte teaches CDL, electrical, HVAC and surgical technology, and Chattanooga College nursing and assisting. We list schools by type, not by rank.
How much does trade school cost in Chattanooga?
A full-time TCAT Chattanooga semester costs $1,591 with fees in 2026-27, and most diplomas take three semesters; the Construction Career Center’s whole program is about $5,873 with books and tools. Chattanooga College lists $12,750 for its assisting diplomas (2026).
Is TCAT Chattanooga part of Chattanooga State?
Yes. TCAT Chattanooga is a division of Chattanooga State Community College, the only TCAT that is part of a community college, and it bills on ChattState’s schedule. Its programs are full-time clock-hour diplomas, by day or evening, and Tennessee Promise and Reconnect apply.
Where can I get CDL training in Chattanooga?
ChattState’s TCAT runs a 7.5-week commercial truck driving certificate with a range in Soddy-Daisy, and Miller-Motte on Brainerd Road teaches a one-month Class A course.
How do I become an electrician in Tennessee?
Most Tennessee electricians start as an apprentice or helper with an electrical contractor, often while taking a TCAT electrical program or, in the Knoxville area, through the union’s four-year paid apprenticeship. To do jobs of your own under $25,000, you need the state’s limited licensed electrician (LLE) license by exam where the town uses the state for permits, or the local license where the city runs its own; jobs of $25,000 or more need an electrical contractor license from the Board for Licensing Contractors.
Facts checked October 2026. School facts come from each school’s profile on this site, where the original sources are linked; public college links from the Tennessee Board of Regents. Licensing rules are from the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (contractor, LLE, LLP and home improvement license pages), read November 2026, with aid amounts from the College Foundation of Tennessee and tnreconnect.gov. Pay figures are Chattanooga-area median annual wages from BLS 2025 data, via O*NET OnLine.