Access to Technology

Tullahoma is home to Arnold Engineering Development Complex and the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) which is a graduate education and research institution located in Middle Tennessee adjacent to the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center. UTSI was established in 1964 as part of the University of Tennessee and has become an internationally recognized institution for graduate study and research in engineering, physics, mathematics, and aviation systems and has made remarkable contributions at the local, state, national, and global levels.

In accordance with its mission, UTSI supports the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) in maintaining "state of the art" expertise in both technical and managerial ranks. About 500 AEDC employees have earned graduate degrees at the Institute, including 40 doctorates. In addition, thousands have participated in the continuing education programs offered by UTSI. The faculty and students have worked on a variety of research and technology development projects with AEDC personnel. It has been acknowledged often by the leadership at AEDC that the educational support of UTSI is critical to AEDC in fulfilling its national mission for the Department of Defense, NASA, and the aerospace industry.

Over 2000 graduate degrees, including more than 250 doctorates, have been awarded through UTSI, a large number of them to Tennesseans. For years, UTSI has served Tennessee industry by offering an off campus Master of Science (MS) degree program in Engineering Management (Industrial Engineering) at industrial locations. In addition, UTSI serves the cause of national defense by offering an MS degree program in Aviation Systems at naval bases in Maryland and California, primarily to Navy test pilots.

Distinguished Alumni

We have many distinguished alumni, several of whom have achieved national fame as:

  • Astronauts
  • Chief scientists
  • Company presidents
  • Engineering managers
  • Renowned scholars and scientists

Many of our alumni occupy high-level positions in industry, government, and universities not only in the United States but in other countries as well.