Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University appears in our ranking of the 10 Most Affordable Doctorates in Reading & Literacy Online.

Tennessee State University was opened on June 19, 1912, by William Jasper Hale as the State Agricultural & Industrial Normal School for an inaugural class of 247 African Americans. Ten years later, the General Assembly passed its charter for four-year teachers bachelor's degrees. By 1946, the Master of Education originated and initial SACS accreditation was granted. In 1951, Tennessee State received university status and started the first Black Air Force ROTC unit ever. Adopting its current name in 1968, TSU merged with the University of Tennessee at Nashville in 1979 for desegregation. Budgeting $133.9 million, Tennessee State University now serves 9,027 Tigers, including Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction majors, at the 65-building Avon Williams campus in "Music City" and online. Linked to 31,283 LinkedIn alumni, TSU has trained Oprah Winfrey, Moses Gunn, Wilma Rudolph, Lloyd Newton, and others.

The U.S. News & World Report ranked Tennessee State the 34th best national HBCU, 301st top university, and 213th best speech-language pathology school. On Niche, TSU boasts America's 103rd best Greek life, 220th most liberal academics, and 565th most classroom diversity. Times Higher Education included Tennessee State University within its top 800 overall. Given the 2017 Tennessee Innovation in Preparation Award, TSU was named the 208th best teachers' school by College Factual. Money magazine lauded Tennessee State the 413rd best value with 41 percent graduation. PayScale pinpointed a median mid-career salary of $69,100 at Tennessee State University. Washington Monthly honored TSU 156th for faculty academies and 213th for research expenditures. College Choice also crowned Tennessee State the 16th best in-state online option.

Tennessee State University Accreditation Details

In 2020, Tennessee State University will appoint a three-person leadership team under its eighth president Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover, a W.E.B. DuBois Award recipient, to manage reaffirmation of the Level VI accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Headquartered 254 miles southeast on Interstate 75 in Decatur, this legitimate 11-state Southern Appalachian accreditor is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to conduct fair evaluations of TSU's 38 baccalaureate, 27 master's, and seven doctoral degrees. In October 2017, the College of Education specifically received full approval from the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Tennessee State also belongs to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).

Tennessee State University Application Requirements

Logging into Tennessee State University is labeled "minimally difficult" on Peterson's despite the Fall 2017 acceptance rate of 53 percent when 4,710 of the 8,857 applicants were triumphant. Post-grad Tigers preying on the Online Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction must already hold an accredited master's degree. If received, 30 credits are transferrable from Education Specialist (Ed.S.) programs. Academic backgrounds in classroom teaching are greatly preferred. Entrants should be eligible for Tennessee or out-of-state licensure in grades PreK-12. At minimum, candidates need a 3.25 graduate GPA. Lower grades are only permitted with extensive education experience of more than 10 years. Sitting for graduate entrance exams in the last five years is mandatory. The eCampus requests 900 GRE and 402 MAT composite scores or higher. Foreign students prove English competency with a 525 TOEFL score or ESL Level 112 completion too.

Tennessee State University's Graduate School has three yearly deadlines: July 1st for Fall, November 1st for Spring, and April 1st for summer starts. Non-U.S. residents are the exception needing to apply before April 1st, September 1st, and February 1st respectively. Interested Doctor of Education cohorts venture into Big Blue Land by starting a TSU Profile online. Use the application system to submit required materials, including four recommendations, one writing sample, a work experience record, and teaching certificates, before the interview. Have each official college transcript mailed to 330 Tenth Avenue North in Nashville, TN 37203. Request that testing agencies submit scores with codes 1803 (GRE) or 1753 (MAT). International learners shouldn't forget the extra passport, I-20 form, and financial statement either. Please contact (615) 963-7371 or [email protected] for more instruction.

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2018-19, Tennessee State University is charging traditional in-state graduate tuition of $5,162 per term full-time. Non-resident graduates pay $11,214 by semester. The College of Education has some additional course fees of $25 per credit. Living at the Davidson County campus' graduate housing like Ford Complex costs $3,146 each term. Unlimited meal plans for Floyd Payne Food Court are $2,000. Annual post-grad attendance in Nashville ranges from $21,276 to $34,632. However, the TN eCampus bills different, cheaper eRates. The Online Doctor of Education is priced at $274 for Tennesseans and $443 for non-residents per credit. Please note there's still a maintenance fee of $110 per credit digitally though.

According to the NCES College Navigator, the Office of Financial Aid on Merritt Blvd. presents $43.98 million total for 77 percent of full-time TSU Tigers to claw offers averaging $8,555 each. College of Education funds include the Don Sahli Scholarship, Kathy Woodall Scholarship, Ned McWherter Scholarship, Christie McAuliffe Scholarship, TEA Graduate Scholarship, STARS Scholarship, and Future Teachers of America Scholarship. The Minority Teaching Fellows Program helps underrepresented students meeting the 2.5 GPA mark. Submitting the FAFSA application coded 003522 would determine Federal Direct and Graduate Plus loan amounts. Qualified educators at low-income schools might earn up to $17,500 from the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. Reading specialist is one of the $4,000 Federal TEACH Grant's high-need fields too. Hybrid full-time students can land 20-hour graduate assistantships with monthly stipends. External awards like the Ruth Crymes Fellowship, Pi Lambda Theta Scholarship, and Jeanne Chall Fellowship are suggested.

Online Degree(s) Available

The Office of Distance Education's eCampus utilizes D2L Brightspace to connect Tennessee State University students to seven bachelor's and 16 graduate options online. Virtual courses, including TELC 5005 and TEAE 5020, have seven- or 15-week asynchronous sessions with an engaging 15:1 student-faculty ratio. Other online benefits are the eLearn Orientation, SmarterMeasure Assessment, Zoom web-conferencing, Avon Williams Library access, Center for Teaching Learning & Technology resources, Multimedia Services department, and Dissertation Writing Workshop. Tomorrow's literacy specialists might pursue the following:

Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction: Reading Concentration

Directed by Dr. Clara Young-White from Clay Hall, TSU's Online Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction: Reading Concentration develops the advanced evidence-based methods school leaders need to maximize childhood language development. The 60-credit, CAEP-accredited doctorate places emphasis on teaching English in diverse classrooms with courses like Multicultural Education, Educational Change, and Writing Methods. Graduation in 36-60 months requires finishing dissertation research, a qualifying exam, and brief Nashville residencies.