Precision Metal Working programs in Tennessee
30 schools in Tennessee teach this, at certificate or associate level. 15 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $39,927 at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hartsville.
What this work pays in Tennessee
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Tennessee earn a median of $48,040 a year across 12,510 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Machinists | $49,600 | 8,270 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $44,780 | 5,380 |
| Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $47,550 | 2,980 |
| Tool and Die Makers | $60,760 | 2,930 |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | $50,460 | 2,260 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hartsville Hartsville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $39,927 (15 grads) | 51 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton Elizabethton | Undergraduate certificate | — | $36,437 (36 grads) | 35 |
| TCAT Athens Athens | Undergraduate certificate | — | $35,772 (32 grads) | 24 |
| Nashville Auto-Diesel College Nashville | Undergraduate certificate | $8,866 | $34,315 (841 grads) | 178 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown Morristown | Undergraduate certificate | — | $33,993 (42 grads) | 91 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski Pulaski | Undergraduate certificate | — | $32,255 (36 grads) | 22 |
| Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga | Undergraduate certificate | $3,933 | $32,213 (52 grads) | — |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jackson Jackson | Undergraduate certificate | — | $30,119 (49 grads) | 69 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville Nashville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $29,685 (23 grads) | 73 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McMinnville McMinnville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $29,685 (15 grads) | 43 |
| Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga Chattanooga | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | $28,993 (536 grads) | — |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest Newbern | Undergraduate certificate | — | $28,960 (42 grads) | 44 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump Crump | Undergraduate certificate | — | $26,739 (18 grads) | 15 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Upper Cumberland Crossville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $26,585 (35 grads) | 42 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis Memphis | Undergraduate certificate | — | $14,935 (27 grads) | 36 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson Dickson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 74 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman Harriman | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Henry/Carroll Paris | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 21 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hohenwald Hohenwald | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro Jacksboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 28 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville Knoxville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 95 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville Shelbyville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 24 |
| William R Moore College of Technology Memphis | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 51 |
| Cleveland State Community College Cleveland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 14 |
| Northeast State Community College Blountville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 52 |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College Memphis | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Livingston Livingston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 30 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro Murfreesboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Oneida-Huntsville Huntsville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 16 |
| William R Moore College of Technology Memphis | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Precision Metal Working — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.