Ready to Work

MTSU offers programs focused on industry needs.

Ready to Work

The Value of a Broad-Based Education

We at MTSU celebrate that the majority of our graduates remain in Tennessee and contribute to the growing economy of middle Tennessee. That we are a top choice for adult learners and transfer students. Many first-generation, veterans, and military-connected students turn first to us, knowing we can help them reach their goals.

We are proud of our many degree programs developed with industry partnerships or in response to workforce needs. We are equally proud of the broad-based education we provide our students in the arts, humanities, and sciences. While a technical and vocational education is indeed valuable, we at MTSU also value the worth and benefit in helping Tennesseans think critically, broaden their horizons, understand different cultures, and appreciate the beauty, elegance, and nuances of the world beyond a specific vocation.

Our goal is not only to prepare our students for their first job, but for careers that might not yet exist. The deeper dive afforded by a robust general-education curriculum is what distinguishes a university from a technical school. We at MTSU prepare ready-to-work graduates who also can reflect, analyze, compare, and understand much more and, in doing so, become engaged citizens of our state.

Ready to Work

  • One in five college graduates in greater Nashville holds an MTSU degree, making us the No. 1 provider to the region’s workforce.
  • In all, MTSU has more than 64,000 alumni working across greater Nashville.
  • Our alumni run companies. They win GRAMMYs. They teach our children. They cure diseases. They create, innovate, and succeed. They also give our current students the largest area alumni network to help locate jobs.
  • The University plays a crucial role in helping community college students, technology center graduates, and adults alike finish their degrees and join Tennessee’s workforce more quickly and prepared to lead.
  • MTSU is a top choice for transfer students, adult learners, and first-generation college students in the Volunteer State.
  • As such, MTSU serves as the capstone of Tennessee’s higher education program built on the Tennessee Promise and the Drive to 55.
  • Our grads are ready to work. MTSU prepares students to work in a variety of in-demand fields including aerospace, agriculture, finance, health care, entertainment, and concrete management.

Hands on Experience

MTSU believes in the value of applied knowledge—merging classroom knowledge with real-world work environments through Experiential Learning (EXL) initiatives. A classroom for our students may be behind a camera at Bonnaroo, adjusting a robot at the Nissan manufacturing facility, helping patients on an underwater treadmill, combing an archaeological dig, or helping veterans with equestrian therapy.

200+ EXL courses with real-world experiences

Internships, service learning, and study abroad

Research opportunities available to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Here are a few highlights of some of our programs that have a direct industry focus and strong experiential ties. True Blue!

Combat to Campus to Career

  • MTSU ranks among the nation’s best in helping veterans develop their unique talents and draw on their military careers to succeed in business and industry.
  • Veterans get special academic, employment, and other support services from the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center.
  • 3,200-square-foot veterans center among largest in U.S.
  • Partnerships with businesses to hire veteran graduates
  • Advisors, peer mentoring, benefits assistance, counseling, and prior learning credits for military experience

Accounting and Finance  

  • Among the top 1.5% business schools in the world with AACSB accreditation in both accounting and business.
  • Grads in senior positions at Deloitte, HCA, and Pinnacle.

Aerospace  

  • Top 3 program in the nation
  • Among the first 8 institutions selected for partnership supplying pilots to Delta Air Lines
  • Concentrations in aviation management, flight dispatch, maintenance management, professional pilot, technology, and unmanned aircraft systems (operations or technology)
  • Grads in senior positions at FedEx, Southwest, and Nashville International Airport

Agriculture  

  • 500-acre, hands-on agriculture laboratory produces milk (and honey) bottled by MTSU students and sold at campus and in the community
  • MTSU Creamery first awarded the state’s “Tennessee Milk” logo, along with another dairy
  • Grads in senior positions at Jack Daniel’s, Tennessee Farm Bureau, and Tennessee Farmers Coop

Apparel Design 

  • Partners for student experience in annual Nashville Fashion Week
  • Nashville is home to many fashion designers. Their industry activity keeps our region among the ranks of New York, Los Angeles, and Columbus, Ohio (corporate home of retail giants)
  • Only public university in Tennessee offering an Apparel Design program
  • Grads in senior positions at Genesco, Fruit of the Loom, and Belk

Business 

  • Innovative sales laboratory for students in new Professional Selling concentration to hone skills to become ready-to-hire graduates
  • Professional training for all grads through an exclusive arrangement in Tennessee with
    Dale Carnegie
  • University-owned real estate brokerage firm gives students real-world experience before graduation
  • Accreditation in top 1.5% of business schools nationwide
  • Customizable M.B.A. degree, now with Data Analytics and IT Project Management concentrations, that can be completed online or on campus in only 12 months—a ticket to greater opportunities for employment, promotions, and income
  • Grads in senior positions at Healthways, Caterpillar Financial, and Dollar General

Computer Science 

  • A large Computer Science program, helping fill the growing number of open tech positions in the Nashville area
  • Holds 36-hour annual Hack-MT for students to invent new web platforms, mobile apps, and electronic gadgets
  • Grads in senior positions at Dell, Google, Gibson Guitar, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Passport Health

Criminal Justice 

  • Academic Classroom Building equipped with emergency management simulation facilities
  • Partnership with TBI enabling State Academy graduates to earn 9 hours of college credits from MTSU
  • Grads in senior positions at U.S. Secret Service, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and U.S. Border Patrol

Concrete and Construction Management 

  • 54,000-square-foot School of Concrete and Construction Management Building
  • First-of-its-kind academic program in concrete industry management in the nation (launched in partnership with industry)
  • Blend of technical, business, and general education coursework providing entry into jobs such as quality control, estimating, technical sales, operations, project management, superintendent, purchasing, marketing, and BIM specialist
  • Required internship/co-op allowing every student to experience the industry from the inside before graduation
  • Multiple job offers per grad
  • Grads in senior positions at Beazer Homes, Turner Construction, and TVA

Education 

  • Top producer of Tennessee teaching license candidates each year, feeding a critical pipeline facing an ever-growing teacher shortage in the state and nation
  • Piloted the innovative Ready2Teach training program
  • Teacher candidates heavily recruited by ever-expanding Rutherford County Schools district, one of state’s largest
  • First-of-its-kind doctoral degree, Ed.D. in Assessment, Learning, and Student Success targeting Pre-K through 12th grade
  • Grads in senior positions throughout Tennessee and surrounding states

Industrial / Organizational Psychology 

  • Students working with real clients in MTSU’s Center for Organizational and Human Resources Effectiveness (COHRE), such as Tennessee Highway Patrol and Jack Daniel’s Distillery
  • Ranked best in the nation for master’s program by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the premier organization in the field
  • Grads in senior positions at U.S. Bank, SMS Holdings, and Rutherford County government

Journalism and Strategic Media 

  • Cross-trains new-age multimedia journalists in fast-changing industry, who chronicle the so-called “first rough draft of history”
  • Multiple Emmy Award- winning alumni and faculty
  • Boasts Center for Innovation in Media, along with two TV studios and two radio stations
  • Grads in senior positions at NBC News, Associated Press, The Tennessean, and DVL Seigenthaler

Master of Professional Studies 

  • Designed for working professionals who want to enhance their skills and advance their careers
  • Available completely online
  • Five concentrations: Strategic Leadership, Human Resources Leadership, Training and Development, Leadership in Nutrition, and Operations Research
  • Grads in senior positions at Kirkland’s, United Way, Tractor Supply, and the State of Tennessee

Mechatronics Engineering 

  • Launched in partnership with Bridgestone and Nissan in response to their needs
  • Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria with no applicable program criteria
  • Applied Engineering Building opened in 2025
  • Among the fastest-growing degree programs in Tennessee, now boasting more than 300 students
  • $65,000–$75,000 average yearly salary after graduation
  • Enhanced state-of-the-art computer-aided design software available to students from recent Siemens gift valued at $2.2 million
  • Grads in senior positions at Boeing, Insequence Corp., and CalsonicKansei

Media Arts 

  • Student experiential learning opportunities include working relationship with Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
  • Boasts $1.7 million mobile production lab for students to work live events
  • No. 33 best public animation school in the U.S. (and one of the first digital animation programs in the world)
  • Grads in senior positions at DreamWorks Animation, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), ESPN, National Public Television, and Disney

Nursing 

  • First-time NCLEX pass rate is consistently higher than 95%
  • Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) is an online program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • Grads in senior positions at Nashville General, Vanderbilt Medical Center, and LifePoint

Recording Industry 

  • No. 1 audio engineering program in U.S. (Audio Assemble)
  • Recognized for more than a decade by Billboard as one of the best music business schools in the world 
  • 48 GRAMMY-winning projects by MTSU alumni and faculty
  • Spotlighted by NBC News as a standout in educating the next generation of music industry pros
  • Grads in senior positions at CMT, BMI, and the Grand Ole Opry

Supply Chain Management 

  • Strong network of industry partners, including Schneider Electric, Schwan Cosmetics, Nissan North America, Yoplait/General Mills, and Ingram Content Group
  • The Center for Supply Chain and Sustainability hosts forums and summits to bring together representatives from industry, government and academia.
  • Grads in senior positions at PepsiCo, State Farm, Nissan North America, The Hershey Company, and Walter Meier Manufacturing

Innovative Employees and Entrepreneurs

All MTSU students, regardless of their chosen career path and major, receive a broad-based general education at MTSU. The acquisition of a comprehensive education, instead of only specializing in one skill that could become less important in a decade or two, actually prepares students to handle the serpentine twists of the job market over the course of a lifetime.

Employers seek employees who can think critically and creatively, work with other people in teams and solve problems, communicate well both verbally and in writing, and exercise good decision-making—skills fostered in general education courses and through College of Liberal Arts disciplines.

  • MTSU’s vast legislative internship program fosters future policymakers
  • Entrepreneurial and innovative ideas are commonly sparked by individuals with liberal arts backgrounds
  • MTSU leads all other universities in the state of Tennessee in higher education humanities projects highlighted by the National Humanities Alliance

People who are engaged in the world around them, who are intellectually curious and understand nuance, add a great deal to our Tennessee citizenry and have a much better chance of achieving innovation and solutions than people who lack those abilities. Said another way, in an age of constantly transforming and shifting work environments, the ability to keep one’s eyes open and to see the big picture—the picture that serves the community, the state, and the nation best—may be the most valuable workforce skill of all.