History of the College

On July 1, 2009, Chattahoochee Technical College came into being from the merger of three previously independent units of the Technical College System of Georgia – Appalachian Technical College, Chattahoochee Technical College, and North Metro Technical College.

Appalachian Technical College, established in 1967 as Pickens Area Vocational Technical School in Jasper, Ga., served Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens counties. In 1988, the school changed its name to Pickens Technical Institute as Georgia established the Department of Technical and Adult Education, which gathered all the vocational-technical schools under one governing board for the state.

North Metro Technical College was established in 1989 as one of the first institutions created under the direction of the new Department of Technical and Adult Education. Originally named North Metro Technical Institute, the college was located in Acworth, Ga., and officially served Bartow and north Cobb counties, but was also positioned to serve the populations in Cherokee and Paulding counties.

Chattahoochee Technical College, established in 1961 as Marietta/Cobb Area Vocational Technical School, served Cobb and Paulding counties with its main campus in Marietta, Ga. In 1988, with the formation of the Department of Technical and Adult Education, the school adopted the name of Chattahoochee Technical Institute, and through legislation in 2000, all technical institutes were renamed to technical colleges.

In 2008, the Department of Technical and Adult Education officially adopted a new name — the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) — to reflect a coordinated system, integrating the educational efforts of the public technical colleges throughout the state. At this same time, the TCSG analyzed the feasibility and advantages of merging a number of its then 33 technical colleges as an organizational and economic decision. The proximity of the three colleges in northern central Georgia led to a decision to merge. Thus, representatives from the Boards of Directors of the three colleges decided to adopt Chattahoochee Technical College as the name for the new entity. Through the naming of campuses, the former college names are also retained as a reminder of the robust history and melding of these three established institutions.

Now, with a combined service area of six counties (Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Gilmer, Paulding, and Pickens) and with eight campuses and online offerings, Chattahoochee Technical College serves approximately 14,000 credit students annually.

Today, Chattahoochee Technical College offers outstanding education and training services as part of the Technical College System of Georgia’s mission of “providing technical, academic and adult education and training focused on building a well-educated, globally competitive workforce for Georgia.” The College offers 70+ degrees, diplomas, and certificates in 45 programs of study in five broad program areas: Business Sciences, Computer Sciences and Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Personal and Public Services, Technical Studies.


The College offers degrees, diplomas, and certificates in more than 50 programs of study in three broad program areas: Arts and Sciences, Business and Technical Studies, and Health Sciences.

Courses are available during the day and evening, or online. Many are offered as a hybrid (partially online).  Numerous courses are accepted for transfer by the University System of Georgia. Additionally, the College’s broad spectrum of educational offerings includes custom-designed Community and Economic Development training courses, and, Adult Education classes.