Program Overview
TCAT Nashville’s Electrician Technology program is a full-time day program at the Portland campus. The current program page lists a Monday-through-Thursday schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., a typical length of 12 months, and 1,296 clock hours. The school says the program prepares students for industrial-electricity and residential or commercial electrician careers.
Curriculum Highlights
Students progress through three 432-hour credentials. The first stage leads to an Electrician Helper certificate and covers safety, technology foundations, Ohm’s law, circuits, alternating current, measuring instruments, and troubleshooting. The second leads to a Residential Apprentice certificate and includes conduit bending, blueprint reading, transformers, single-phase motors, load calculations, overcurrent protection, and electrical codes. The 1,296-hour sequence ends with a Residential Wiring diploma after wiring techniques, additional code work, and solar photovoltaic training.
Admission Requirements
TCAT’s general admissions page says enrollment is first come, first served based on the date an application becomes complete. Applicants generally must be at least 18 or hold a high-school diploma or equivalent. Full-time applicants declare an occupational objective and must show reasonable potential to meet it; Selective Service requirements apply where required by law. Apply through TCAT’s official process, then confirm the Portland program’s waitlist, next available start, required records, and whether a complete college application secures a seat.
Cost & Financial Aid
TCAT's 2026-2027 Electrician Technology cost sheet for the Portland campus estimates a total program cost of $5,761.98. Each of the three 432-hour terms carries $1,446 tuition plus a $10 student activity fee, $85 technology fee and $100 shop fee, due at registration; books and $275 in first-term tools come on top. The program page lists different figures, $4,461 tuition and fees and $1,138.98 for textbooks and supplies, so confirm the current amount with the school. TCAT asks students to complete the FAFSA to apply for the Pell Grant, TN Promise, TN Reconnect and the Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant; eligibility depends on the student.
Career Outcomes
TCAT describes preparation for residential, commercial, and industrial electrician careers. The helper and residential-apprentice certificates are stages in the school program, and the final listed award is a Residential Wiring diploma.