High School

Last updated on Jun 10, 2024

LSU Pathways for high school is a robust curriculum designed for in-depth study of one of four available STEM pathways. Students can choose to study computing, digital design, pre-engineering, or pre-healthcare sciences.

Who Does LSU STEM Pathways for High School in 2023-24?

This image shows that in 2023-24, LSU STEM Pathways enrolled 166 teachers, 76 schools, 39 districts, and offered 26 courses for this program. There were over 7800 students enrolled.

This image shows a map of Louisiana with the participating parishes highlighted in shades of yellow. The data shows that we are serving 70 schools this year. For more detailed information, please email stempathways@lsu.edu.

2022-2023 high school STEM Pathways enrollment data graphic

Basic Career Readiness Course (All Pathways)

Introduction to STEM Pathways and Careers is a Jumpstart 2.0 Basic Career Readiness course that can be taken in either high school or in middle school for high school credit. It can be applied toward any of the four STEM Pathways or any of the Jumpstart 2.0 pathways.

Introduction to STEM Pathways and Careers

Introduction to STEM Pathways and Careers was developed for the Louisiana Department of Education through a partnership between Louisiana State University and the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, with partial funding from the National Science Foundation. This course is a high school credit basic career readiness course that counts on all STEM Pathways as well as towards traditional Jumpstart diplomas. While the course is designed to be taken in high school, it is available to students as early as seventh grade.

This year long project-based course explores four main pathways of STEM education and possible careers in the fields of 1) Computing and Computer Science, 2) Pre-Engineering, 3) Digital Design and Emergent Media, and 4) Biomedical Sciences. This course is meant to expose students to these overarching concepts:

To expand awareness of various careers and occupational pathways related to STEM
To stimulate the understanding of higher order thinking processes such as the engineering design process, the scientific method, and computational thinking
To develop foundational knowledge and skills in the JumpStart pathways and careers as related to STEM, and utilize the knowledge and skills in their current educational setting.
To increase interest in the four core areas of STEM related to this class through project-based activities that are also standards based.

Course Objectives:

Identify career opportunities in various STEM fields.
Use computing technology for creative expression.
Explain the Software Development Process through projects and activities where students design and code.
Explain the Engineering Design Process and utilize the process in various engineering projects.
Describe the role of visual communication and its cultural implications in society.
Use various forms of digital and emergent media to design their own products.
Explore and analyze medical scenarios in the areas of forensics, comparative anatomy, ecology studies, biochemistry, microbiology, and bioinformatics.

Intro to STEM Pathways course materials list
Complete list of LDOE Jump Start universal courses