Engineering & Technology Pathway
Enjoy STEM?
Does your student enjoy science, math, and technology? Do they love creating complex constructions out of blocks, building and launching rockets, or programming code? They may be right for a career in engineering or technology!
Many Options
There are many different options to choose from in this field. Those who love building design may enjoy working as a drafter/CAD designer or an architect. Those who love to watch the hum of activity on a construction site are probably cut out for a career as a civil engineer or civil engineering technician. More intrigued by the mechanisms that power plants or elevators? They might prefer a career as a mechanical engineer or mechanical engineering technician. And if they love factory tours and finding out just how things are made, they might be a great industrial engineer or industrial engineering technician.
The Career Prep* Engineering & Technology Pathway provides a rigorous curriculum designed to give students a broad exposure to the engineering field and a solid foundation in engineering principles and design.
Gain real-world skills through project-based learning.
Career Prep has implemented project-based learning (PBL) to hone students’ problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, and team collaboration skills. Students who choose this pathway gain a broad understanding of engineering and are introduced to robotics or engineering drawing and design.
Our Engineering & Technology Curriculum in Detail
All students take the core courses required for high school graduation in their state. The chart below, however, shows the additional classes they’ll take as an Engineering & Technology Pathway student and the industry-recognized certification exams they can prepare to take. You can see the rest of the curriculum by viewing the full course list.
CAREER EXPLORATION COURSES
These courses provide an opportunity for students to gain insight into potential careers.
CAREER FOUNDATION COURSES
These courses are building blocks that prepare students for more specialized pathway courses.
CAREER PREPARATION COURSES
These courses prepare students for industry-recognized certification exams.
OPTIONAL CAREER LEARNING COURSES
While not required, these courses provide an opportunity for students to gain knowledge and skills that are useful in their chosen careers.
Engineering Explorations
Applied Engineering 1: Introduction†
Applied Engineering 2: Solving Problems†
Introduction to Robotics 1
Introduction to Robotics 2†
OR
Engineering Drawing and Design 1
Engineering Drawing and Design 2
Introduction to Mechanical Engineering
Green Design and Technology
Intro to Biotechnology
Biotechnology: Unlocking Nature’s Secrets
Note: Pathway courses are subject to change.
†New in fall 2022
Get credentialed.
In a world where competition for jobs, pay increases, and academic success continues to increase, certifications provide a credible, third-party assessment of a student’s skills and knowledge of a given subject. Students in this pathway can prepare to take these industry-recognized certification exams:**
CAREER SKILLS CERTIFICATIONS
These baseline certifications indicate students have mastered domain-specific, entry-level job skills.
NOCTI Pre-Engineering/Engineering Technology
Get ahead of the competition.
We encourage students to jumpstart the job search by helping them create a professional résumé, cover letter, and profile on Tallo, the leading professional networking platform for Gen Z. Plus, they connect virtually to working business professionals and entrepreneurs through Nepris.***
Find a school near you that offers the Engineering & Technology Pathway.
Career Prep programs** with the Engineering/Technology pathway are available at tuition-free K12-powered, public online schools in the following states:
- COLORADO – Destinations Career Academy of Colorado
- OHIO – Ohio Virtual Academy
- WYOMING – Wyoming Virtual Academy
Don’t see your state? Check out the tuition-based option here in the Engineering & Technology Pathway. There are also tuition-free options in a related field: the Heavy Machine Operations Pathway.
Choose a career. Prepare for the future.
Students in this pathway can prepare for a wide variety of careers in the field of engineering, including:
Drafters use computer-assisted design (CAD) software to convert rough sketches and specifications from engineers and architects into technical drawings. Most workers specialize in architectural, civil, electrical, or mechanical drafting and use technical drawings to help design everything from microchips to skyscrapers.
2021 Median Salary
$60,290
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Declining
Typical Entry-Level Education
Associate’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/drafters.htm.
Civil engineers conceive, design, build, supervise, operate, construct, and maintain infrastructure projects and systems in the public and private sectors, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and water supply and sewage treatment systems. Civil engineers must consider a wide range of factors when planning and implementing these projects, including community master plans, government regulations, potential environmental hazards, and construction costs. They must also conduct tests on soils and building materials to ensure the project will be structurally sound. They also oversee the surveying team and its work.
2021 Median Salary
$88,050
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/civil-engineers.htm.
Civil engineering technicians work under the supervision of licensed civil engineers to help plan, design, and build highways, bridges, and other infrastructure projects for commercial, industrial, residential, and land development projects. They spend significant amounts of time on construction sites, taking soil and other samples for analysis in a laboratory and supervising and evaluating the work of contractors to ensure the civil engineers’ plans are followed and work meets all design specifications and codes. They also assist with preparing cost estimates and documenting project activities and costs.
2021 Median Salary
$58,320
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Slower than average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Associate’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit . https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/civil-engineering-technicians.htm.
Industrial engineers focus on how to get the work done most efficiently, balancing many factors, such as time, number of workers needed, available technology, product quality requirements, workers’ safety, environmental concerns, and cost. They analyze cost and quality data, as well as business processes and workflows, to re-engineer manufacturing and other business processes. They develop new workflows, management control systems, and quality control systems to address any identified problems and enhance quality and output while controlling costs.
2021 Median Salary
$95,300
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Faster than average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/industrial-engineers.htm.
Industrial engineering technicians assist industrial engineers in creating systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. They prepare machinery and equipment layouts, plan workflows, conduct statistical production studies, and analyze production costs.
2021 Median Salary
$60,220
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Slower than average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Associate’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit . bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/industrial-engineering-technicians.htm.
Mechanical engineers are problem-solvers who create new products and devices to produce power, maintain climate control in buildings, move people, improve manufacturing processes, or solve other challenges. They analyze the challenge, develop a prototype of a product to solve it, test these prototypes, refine and finalize the design, and oversee the manufacturing of the final product.
2021 Median Salary
$95,300
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm.
Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians help mechanical engineers design, develop, test, and manufacture machines and other devices. The work primarily in factories or in research and development labs.
2021 Median Salary
$60,460
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Average
Typical Entry-Level Education
Associate’s degree
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineering-technicians.htm.
Surveying and mapping technicians assist surveyors and cartographers in making maps and carrying out site surveys to accurately record property and jurisdictional boundaries, bodies of water, elevation, and other geographical features.
Surveying technicians spend much of their day outside, searching for prior survey points such as boundary stones, operating surveying equipment, and marking boundaries. Either onsite or back at the office, they enter data into software so that the surveyor may prepare a site map.
Mapping technicians help cartographers (map makers) produce and update maps, using computers to combine data from different sources. Mapping technicians may use drones to take aerial photos that help inform the map-making process, and they may use software such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
2021 Median Salary
$46,910
Expected Job Growth Rate for 2020–2030
Slower than average
Typical Entry-Level Education
High school diploma or equivalent
This data reflects the information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook on June 29, 2022. To learn more about this occupation, visit bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/surveying-and-mapping-technicians.htm.
FAQs
The best way to prepare for a career in engineering while still in high school is to take courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). You can also participate in student clubs and competitions designed to hone your problem-solving and technology skills. Examples include the FIRST® LEGO® League, the National Rocketry Competition, and the NASA challenge to develop a space rover. It is also a great idea to “job shadow” engineering professionals in your field of interest and, if possible, to secure an internship at an engineering firm. In the Engineering & Technology Pathway, students receive guided career exploration through the full diversity of engineering fields, can connect with engineering professionals virtually to get questions answered, and get membership to SkillsUSA (which hosts numerous engineering competitions) as an included feature of this tuition-free program.*** Students will also take courses in engineering principles, engineering design, and mechanical engineering. Finally, we’ll prepare them to take the NOCTI Pre-Engineering/Engineering Technology certification exam!
Yes. You need a bachelor’s degree to become an engineer, and this degree will need to be specific to the engineering specialty you wish to pursue. (For example, mechanical engineers get degrees in mechanical engineering, civil engineers get degrees in civil engineering, etc.) However, it is important to note that many opportunities in engineering do not require a college degree. Nearly every engineering field employs engineering technicians who work under the supervision of licensed engineers and assist them in their work. This work can be every bit as rewarding and is particularly well-suited to someone who likes to be hands-on. For example, civil engineering technicians might take and analyze soil samples to determine a site’s suitability for building, mechanical engineering technicians might ensure that products meet the mechanical engineer’s specifications, and industrial engineering technicians might monitor manufacturing processes on the factory floor and bring deficiencies to the industrial engineer’s attention. The Engineering & Technology Pathway is designed to provide flexibility. If your student is not planning on going to college or just wants to work for a few years first, they can graduate ready to start a great job as an engineering technician. If they want to go right to college, they’ll be well prepared for bachelor’s-level engineering coursework!
Learn more about course offerings in other career fields.
Business Management & Administration
Criminal Justice & Community Services
Education & Training
Engineering & Manufacturing
Health Sciences
Hospitality & Tourism
Information Technology (IT)
Marketing
Visual Arts & Communications
*Career Prep is a program for grades 9–12. Some schools offer career exploration in middle school.
**Many Microsoft®️ Office certificates can be earned after completing one course. Other certificates require more classes to be better prepared, and students who participate in the program for at least two years will have further preparation for certification testing.
***Opportunities vary by school; please visit your school page or check with your school counselor.