UTC upgrades College of Nursing
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist students work Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 on airway techniques in the Metro building.
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – UTC has now elevated their Nursing program in the university hierarchy.
They have officially launched the College of Nursing as of January 1st.
It becomes UTC’s fifth academic college with almost a thousand students enrolled.
Nursing training has long been a hallmark for the university.
“Elevating the nursing program to a college reflects the impact this program has had—and will continue to have—on our region and our state,” UTC Chancellor Lori Bruce said. “UTC nurses show up every day in hospitals, clinics and communities across Tennessee, and this designation recognizes the importance of that work.
The program started in 1973 and is now counted on by the local health care corridor.
It boasts a 100% employment rate for nursing graduates.
Dr. Chris Smith, who has led the nursing program since 2014, serves as the inaugural dean.
“The most important thing for us is that people in the general public will understand that UTC has an excellent nursing program—and the elevation to a college will give us more visibility,” Smith said. “We will continue to have the excellent programming that we have always had and we will continue to support the excellent faculty that we have always had.”
