CTE Program of Study and Career Clusters

Each year, thousands of CTE students graduate from high school with career goals, job skills and leadership skills knowing exactly where they will go next to further their academic and hands-on education and training. Find your passion and become one of those students!

Program of Study

Under Perkins V, Local education agencies (LEA) and postsecondary institutions should offer more than one program of study that:

  • Incorporates challenging State academic standards;
  • Addresses both academic and technical knowledge and skills, including employability skills
  • Is aligned with the needs of industries in the economy of the State, region, Tribal community, or local area
  • Progresses in specificity (beginning with all aspects of an industry or career cluster and leading to more occupation-specific instruction)
  • Has multiple entries and exit points that incorporate credentialing; and
  • Culminates in the attainment of a recognized postsecondary credential.

Review the list of High-Quality CTE Programs for more information.

Programs of Study

The resources below are to support Program of Study and are not required for any OSPI submission.

Agriculture Sciences

Business & Marketing

Family & Consumer Sciences

Health Sciences

Skilled & Technical Sciences

STEM

Career Clusters & Pathways

CTE classes fall into one of 16 "career clusters." A career cluster is a group of jobs and industries that are related by skills or products. Within each cluster, there are career pathways that correspond to a collection of courses and training opportunities to prepare students for a chosen career. Each cluster contains information on their related career pathways, education and training options for high school graduates, and other related student resources.