Best Trade Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Knoxville. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in Tennessee.


How to Get Started in Knoxville

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: Tennessee
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Knoxville, Tennessee

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Knoxville, TN 1.3 miles away BOC Score 74.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 73.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 18
  • Annual completions: 934
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $67,631 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Pellissippi State Community College

Knoxville, TN 9.7 miles away BOC Score 54.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 29
  • Annual completions: 465
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $45,692 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Johnson University

Knoxville, TN 11.4 miles away BOC Score 46.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 59.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 1
  • Annual completions: 10
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $42,004 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc

Knoxville, TN 2.5 miles away BOC Score 39.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 74.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 494
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $28,056 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Ross Medical Education Center-Knoxville

Knoxville, TN 9.2 miles away BOC Score 38.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 73.0%
  • Programs offered: 2
  • Annual completions: 63
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $32,987 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Paul Mitchell the School-Knoxville

Powder Springs, TN 6.8 miles away
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 4644 Powder Springs Dallas Rd, Ste 547 Powder Springs, TN 30127
  • (865) 329-7901
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 45.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 4
  • Annual completions: 84
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $23,577 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in Tennessee.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
154.3Contact school for pricing$45,692Not reportedYes*10 mi
247.1Contact school for pricing$42,517Not reported1 mi
345.9Contact school for pricingNot reportedNot reportedYes*4 mi
439.8Contact school for pricing$28,05675%2 mi
538.7Contact school for pricing$32,98773%9 mi
6Not ratedContact school for pricing$23,57745%7 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in Tennessee are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in Tennessee is shown for reference. The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation, earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it. *Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is completed in person. Read the full methodology.

Median Annual Wage by Trade - Knoxville, TN's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Knoxville, TN, BLS OEWS May 2025Radiologic technologists $68890; Medical assistants $38880; Phlebotomy technicians $38090; Nursing assistants $38000; Patient care technicians $38000.Radiologic technologists$68,890Medical assistants$38,880Phlebotomy technicians$38,090Nursing assistants$38,000Patient care technicians$38,000
Trades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in Knoxville, TN
TradeMedian annual wage
Radiologic technologists$68,890
Medical assistants$38,880
Phlebotomy technicians$38,090
Nursing assistants$38,000
Patient care technicians$38,000
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee (College Scorecard)Pellissippi State Community College $45692; Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville $42517; Ross Medical Education Center-Knoxville $32987; Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc $28056; Paul Mitchell the School-Knoxville $23577.Pellissippi State Community ...$45,692Tennessee College of Applied...$42,517Ross Medical Education Cente...$32,987Tennessee School of Beauty o...$28,056Paul Mitchell the School-Kno...$23,577
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Pellissippi State Community College$45,692
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville$42,517
Ross Medical Education Center-Knoxville$32,987
Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc$28,056
Paul Mitchell the School-Knoxville$23,577

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Knoxville

Among the Knoxville, TN area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $38,000 to $68,890 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical medical assistant training runs 9-12 months (certificate or diploma) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

Tennessee Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Plumber4.5%
Carpenter4.5%
Flooring Installer9.5%
Welder2.2%
Construction Worker7.3%

Construction Management & Inspection

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Construction Manager8.7%
Home Inspector-0.8%

Electrical & Energy Systems

Mechanical, Automotive & Transportation

Healthcare: Administration & Office Support

Therapy, Rehab & Fitness

Animal Care & Training

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Veterinary Technician9.1%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%
Dog Trainer5.1%

Beauty & Personal Care

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Esthetician6.7%
Beauty Professional5.6%
Cosmetologist5.6%

Culinary & Hospitality Careers

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Culinary Chef7.1%
Pastry Chef7.1%

Business & Legal Support

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Digital Court Reporter-0.3%
Paralegal0.2%
Bookkeeper-5.8%

Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections (2024-2034). Projected U.S. change shown for each trade.


Next Steps


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)