Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.^[5] Tennessee State University offers 41 bachelor's degrees, 23 master's degrees, and eight doctoral degrees.^[6][7] It is classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".^[8]

The university was established as the Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes in 1912.^[9][10] Its dedication was held on January 16, 1913.^[9] It changed its name to Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College in 1925.^[9] Two years later, in 1927, it became known as Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College.^[9]

In 1941, the Tennessee General Assembly directed the Board of Education to upgrade the educational program of the college. Three years later the first master's degrees were awarded and by 1946 the college was fully accredited the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.^[11]

Significant expansion occurred during the presidency of Walter S. Davis between 1943 and 1968, including the construction of "70 percent of the school's facilities" and the establishment of the graduate school and four other schools.^[12]

In 1968, the college officially changed its name to Tennessee State University, and in 1979, the University of Tennessee at Nashville merged into Tennessee State due to a court mandate.^[11]

In 2022, Tennessee State University was awarded $250 million from the state legislature. The funds were intended to upgrade facilities and academic programs on campus.^[13] At the time of the award, the $250 million investment was the largest single investment into a historically black institution in the history of the country.^[14]

In 2023, Tennessee State's most well known graduate, Oprah Winfrey, served as the official commencement speaker for the first time.^[15]

Tennessee State University is divided into eight schools and colleges and has seen steady growth since its inception. It remains the only public university in Nashville and its health science program is the largest in the state and one of the largest in the nation.^[16]

On March 28, 2024, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation that removed all of the school's board of trustees and replaced them with new members, subject to legislative confirmation. Characterizing the school as a “remarkable institution” he said, “I’m pleased to appoint these highly qualified individuals who will work alongside administrators and students to further secure TSU’s place as a leading institution.” Legislation authorizing the governor to vacate the board of trustees was prompted by critics who cited numerous instances of financial and procedural mismanagement uncovered in recent school audits. Representative Ryan Williams specifically noted that the $250 million appropriation made by the legislature in 2022 was “completely blown through” and not used for infrastructure improvements as intended.^[17][18]

The 500 acres (2.0 km²) main campus has more than 65 buildings, and is located in a residential setting at 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee State's main campus has the most acres of any college campus in Nashville. The Avon Williams campus is located downtown, near the center of the Nashville business and government district. Tennessee State offers on-campus housing to students. There are on-campus dorms and two apartment complexes for upperclassmen. On-campus facilities include dormitories Wilson Hall, Watson Hall, Eppse Hall, Boyd Hall, Rudolph Hall, Hale Hall, as well as the Ford Complex and New Residence Complex, TSU's two on-campus apartment complexes.

The university is currently accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award 38 baccalaureate degrees, 24 master's degrees, and doctoral degrees in seven areas (Biological Sciences, Computer Information Systems Engineering, Psychology, Public Administration, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration and Supervision, and Physical Therapy), as well as two Associate of Science degree programs, one in nursing and one in dental hygiene.^[23]

Tennessee State is classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity."^[24]

The university is organized into the following colleges:

• College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Sciences^[25]
• College of Business^[26]
• College of Education^[27]
• College of Engineering^[28]
• College of Health Sciences^[29]
• College of Liberal Arts^[30]
• College of Life and Physical Sciences^[31]
• College of Public Service^[32]

The University Honors College (UHC) is an exclusive academic program founded in 1964 that caters to select academically talented and highly motivated undergraduate students.^[33]

The College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). It was the first institution in Nashville to earn the accreditation of both its undergraduate and graduate business programs in 1994. The Psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and the Teacher Education program by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The College of Engineering has developed corporate partnerships with NASA, Raytheon, and General Motors and is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT).

The College of Health Sciences (formerly the School of Allied Health) includes such programs as the Masters in Physical Therapy and the Bachelor of Health Sciences. The Master of Public Health program was accredited in 2015 by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).^[34]

• List of Tennessee State University presidents
• Southern Heritage Classic
• From the Rough