The Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson is one of 24 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology and 37 total institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system that are located across the state, serving the citizens of Tennessee. The TBR and the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee System are coordinated by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC). THEC was created by the General Assembly in 1967 to achieve coordination and unity in the programs of public higher education in Tennessee. The TBR system was created by legislation enacted by the 1963 General Assembly of Tennessee, Chapter 229 of House Bill 633. Chapter 181, Senate Bill 746-House Bill 697, of the Public Act of 1983 transferred the governance of the state technical institutes and area vocational-technical schools from the State Board of Education to the Tennessee Board of Regents. The transfer became effective on July 1, 1983. By action of the Tennessee Legislature in 1994, the school name changed from Dickson State Area Vocational Technical School to Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson. In 2013, the Legislature unanimously approved changing the name of the state’s technology centers to the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology.

The Tennessee Board of Regents, the governing body for Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson, underwent a major shift in 2017 because of the FOCUS Act of 2016 and the appointment of a new Chancellor, Dr. Flora Tydings. The FOCUS Act seeks to ensure the state’s Community Colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology are organized, supported, and empowered in efforts to increase the percentage of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential. Largely this involved the development of local governing boards for each of the six universities thus allowing TBR a greater focus on the 13 community colleges and 24 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology. Additional TBR efforts under the leadership of Dr. Tydings included the retitling of the chief administrative officers of the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology from Director to President; the movement towards all 37 campuses in the TBR system operating with shared services; and, the restructuring of the TBR organization uniting the community colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology through common offices and services.

Dickson Campuses

The school had its origin in February 1964, in a leased building in downtown Dickson. The first program was a cooperative effort between the state of Tennessee and Scovill-Schrader to train machine operators to manufacture tire valves.

During this time, construction was begun on the Highway 46 training facility. The school was constructed at a cost of $525,000, of which the Dickson County Court provided $130,000. In 1974, a drafting department was added at a cost of $83,254, and in 1977 the health occupations building was added at a cost of $102,000. In 1989, the heavy equipment/diesel mechanic building was added to the campus. From 1996 through 1999, renovations were made on the Dickson main campus. Classroom/lab/shop areas were renovated and expanded. During the 1996-99 expansion, an additional 22,610 square feet were added, and equipment updated for a total cost for Dickson and Clarksville of $3.5 million.

The Dickson facility houses 11 different programs (Surgical Technology was closed in August 2009) plus administrative offices for the school’s main and satellite training facilities.

In May 2010, the Green Sustainable Energy Instructional Service Center opened on Beasley Drive in Dickson, and the Solar Photovoltaic Technician program began.

In the fall of 2012, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson added a Welding/Pipefitting Technology program at the Dickson main campus.

In fall of 2015, Digital Graphic Design program was added to the Dickson main campus. The Green Sustainable Energy Instructional Service Center’s name changed to the Advanced Manufacturing Campus where the Industrial Maintenance/Electricity program relocated from the main campus, the Mechatronics program began, and the Solar Photovoltaic Technician program was closed.

In 2013, a master plan was developed for the Tennessee College of Applied Technology system, which identified statewide facility needs. The study of the Dickson campus found that the nursing program, which was located in a 40-year-old building, needed to expand to be adequate for training needs. As a result, in 2018, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson received funding for an 11,850 square-foot building, at $3.3 million.

In spring of 2022, the Computer-Aided Design Technology program was added to the Dickson main campus. 

In January 2023, the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration program's name changed to Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration. Effective July 2023, the Mechatronics program's name changed to Mechatronics Multicraft Technology.

Clarksville Campus

In January 1992, the Practical Nursing program in Clarksville began within facilities at Gateway Medical Center. Land donations of 15 acres in the Montgomery County Industrial Park, valued then at approximately $250,000 and cash donations of more than $225,000, were raised jointly through Advisory Council efforts. Additional contributions included air conditioning/heating units, wiring, building materials, training equipment, supplies and architectural funding.

In 1992, the Clarksville/Montgomery County Industrial Training Center was built by Clarksville industry/business and government for $300,000 and leased by Dickson State Area Vocational-Technical School. The building included 11,000 square feet. During the 1996-99 expansion, ownership was transferred to the Tennessee Board of Regents and a second building was added at a cost of $300,000 and 11,000 square feet. In 2005, 7.7 acres were deeded to the Tennessee Board of Regents by the Industrial Development Board of Montgomery County in anticipation of a projected 60,000-square-foot expansion. In 2007, the nursing program moved from Gateway Medical Center facilities to the extension campus in the Montgomery County Industrial Park. In September 2009, a Clarksville Instructional Service Center opened on Main Street in Clarksville and the Practical Nursing program moved there, leaving seven programs housed on the extension campus. In October 2010, school and state officials announced a $16 million expansion of the Clarksville Extension Campus. The 65,000-square-foot addition will increase the facility’s total square footage to more than 83,000.

The expansion opened to students in September 2013. At that time, the Clarksville Instructional Service Center closed, and the Practical Nursing program moved to the Clarksville Extension Campus.

In fall of 2015, Diesel Powered Equipment Technology, Digital Graphic Design, and Pharmacy Technician programs were added to the Clarksville extension campus moving the campus to a total of 12 training programs.

In fall of 2019, Building Construction Technology program was added. In the summer of 2023, Criminal Justice: Correctional Officer program was added.

In summer of 2023, the Criminal Justice: Correctional Officer program was added. In September 2023, the Patient Care Technology/Medical Assisting program was added.

Waverly Campus

Commercial Truck Driving was established in July 1994 in Waverly and began operating out of the FASTRANS, Inc., location on Highway 70 west of downtown Waverly.

In the 1990s, the people of Humphreys County came together to create a facility to serve the higher education needs of their community. The result of that collaboration was the Humphreys County Center for Higher Education located on Holly Lane in Waverly.

In the fall of 1998, Business Systems Technology started at Waverly Central High School. In April 1999, when the HCCHE opened, Business Systems moved to the Center and was joined by Industrial Maintenance / Electricity.

In December 2003, the Commercial Truck Driving program was closed.

In October 2010, the Industrial Maintenance / Electricity program closed and students were consolidated into the Dickson and Clarksville programs. In December 2011, the Business Systems Technology program closed, and Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson withdrew from the space at the Humphreys County Center.

Williamson Campus 
In January 2024, Digital Graphic Design and Practical Nursing programs were approved to be added at the Williamson campus located at Columbia State Community College. Classes began in May 2024.

Franklin Campus

In October 2001, the Practical Nursing program started in the Williamson County Center through a grant. Classes were held at the Williamson County site of Columbia State Community College in Franklin. In September 2004, the nursing class moved to the Lion’s Club building in Fairview for one year. The Williamson County program moved into new facilities in Franklin in 2005. In 2017, the program moved to 118 Seaboard Lane, Franklin, TN.

Ashland City, Fairview, and Williamson Campuses

In September 2009, with the assistance of federal economic stimulus funds, the college opened an instructional service center in Ashland City and students were enrolled in Business Systems Technology. A Practical Nursing program opened in Ashland City in January 2010. The Business Systems Technology program closed at the location in 2011. The Practical Nursing Program relocated from the Ashland City site to the Dickson main campus in December 2016.

Through a joint venture with Williamson County Schools, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson opened the Fairview Instructional Service Center within Fairview High School in 2009 and enrolled Automotive Technology students. That joint venture ended in June 2012, and the Automotive Technology program closed.

In January, 2024, Digital Graphic Design and Practical Nursing programs were approved to be added at the Williamson campus located at Columbia State Community College. Classes began May 2024.

Directors and Presidents
James Clemmer was named superintendent on Feb. 1, 1965, and continued in the position through February 1972. Robert Ivy held the position through September 1976, when Bobby Sullivan was named director. Sullivan retired in June 2008, and Warner Taylor was named interim director. The Tennessee Board of Regents named Mark Powers as the new director on Nov.1, 2008. Mark Powers retired in August 2013, and Warner Taylor was named interim director. The Tennessee Board of Regents named Dr. Arrita Summers Director, effective February 1, 2015. In 2017, the Tennessee Board of Regents changed the title of Director to President for all Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology. In 2018, the Tennessee Board of Regents changed the title of Assistant Director to Vice President. Following the retirement of Dr. Arrita Summers, Laura Travis was named President of TCAT Dickson in December 2023.