Pre-Engineering, Digital Design & Emergent Media,
Computational Thinking & Computer Science, Biomedical Sciences

The LSU STEM Certification Pathways Program

  • provides high school students with the opportunity to enroll in a specialized progression of project-based courses (i.e., pathways) to attain industry-promulgated and valued credentials, university issued certificates of course completion, or dual enrollment credit in order to graduate with either a career-tech diploma or to enhance their university-prep diploma,
  • requires teachers who instruct the pathway courses to further their academic credentials by participating in intensive graduate-level LSU Pathway Training courses. If taken for credit, this program leads to a customized "Professional Graduate Certificate" issued by the LSU Colleges of Science or Engineering.
  • provides school districts with additional state funding to support the Pathway courses and required teacher training. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved the LSU Pre-Engineering Pathway in June 2017; the Digital Design & Emergent Media Certification Pathway is currently under consideration. Under provisions of the approved state education funding formula, a school district offering a BESE approved LSU Pathway course receives $480 per student per course in additional CTE base weight and Career Development Funds.

For more information, see PathwayDescriptionMay2018.pdf

Pathways Overview

Pre-Engineering Pathway
Pre-engineering

In pilot stage since 2017-18.

Digital Design and Emergent Media Pathway
Digital Design and Emergent Media

To be piloted 2018-19.

Computational Thinking & Computer Science Pathway
Computational Thinking & Computer Science

To be piloted 2019-20.

Biomedical Sciences Pathway
Biomedical Sciences

To be piloted 2020-21.

Pre-Engineering

Core Courses

LSU Electives

Other LSU Electives

  • Statistical Reasoning

Other Approved Electives

  • AP Calculus
  • AP Statistics
  • AP Computer Science Principles
  • AP Computer Science A
  • AP Biology
  • Biology II
  • Biology DE
  • AP Chemistry
  • Chemistry II
  • Chemistry DE
  • AP Physics
  • AP Environmental Science
  • Coastal Studies

Digital Design and Emergent Media

Register for the summer institute here


More information about DDEM summer content

Core Courses

LSU Electives

Other LSU Electives

Other Approved Electives

  • AP Calculus
  • AP Statistics
  • AP Computer Science Principles
  • AP Computer Science A
  • Video Game Design
  • Photography I
  • Photography II
  • AP Art 3D
  • Basic/Advanced Film
  • Film and TV
  • Basic Sound

Computational Thinking and Computer Science

First draft descriptions of pathway courses will be available in June 2018.

Biomedical Sciences

First draft descriptions of pathway courses will be available in June 2018.

2019 Summer Training Institute

5/28 - 6/13 and 6/17 - 7/03

Register Here

We are seeking motivated and engaged high school teachers1 who are interested in facilitating LSU STEM Certification Pathway courses in Pre-Engineering, Digital Design & Emergent Media, Computing, or Biomedical Sciences in the 2019-20 school year. Participants do not need to have any background knowledge or prior training in Engineering, Digital Design, Computer Science, or Biomedical Sciences.

For a school to be able to offer courses within the LSU Certification Pathway framework, teachers must become certified to teach a specific course at the LSU Pathways Summer Training Institute at Lee Magnet High School in Baton Rouge. Some courses require teachers to participate in a 3-week training institute (yellow and blue cells below, 12 days); some courses require a 6-week training institute (green cells below; 24 days). The three week training institutes are from 5/28 - 6/13 and from 6/17 to 7/03; the six week institute is from 5/28 to 7/03.

summer institute schedule 1

The registration fee for a three-week institute is $1,920 per teacher, for a six-week institute it is $3,840 per teacher. Should a participant want to receive graduate credit for the summer institute (most courses are eligible for graduate credit), the teacher must enroll in the LSU Graduate School and additional LSU fees apply ($434 for 3 hours of credit and $1086.20 for 6 hours of credit2; please contact Dr. Frank Neubrander at fneubr1@lsu.edu if you are interested). If a teacher needs a dorm room on the LSU campus, the additional charges will be about $700 for a three week institute and $1,400 for a six-week institute. Stipends for teachers will be determined and paid for by the school districts.

During the 2019-20 school year, participants also need to attend eight Saturday sessions (8am-noon) that are designed to assist with course implementation issues (participants who cannot travel to LSU will be able to participate virtually). There will be no charge for the Saturday sessions; stipends for teachers will be determined and paid for by the school districts.

Students taking LSU STEM Pathway courses with a trained teacher will be eligible to earn LSU STEM Pathway Certificates and the school district will receive $476 per student per course from the Louisiana Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education JumpStart funds. A school does not have to commit to implement all of the Pathway courses; as long as any one Pathway course is taught by a trained teacher, the school district will receive $476 in JumpStart funding for each participating student receiving a LSU Certification of Course Completion.

For a high school teacher to be able to participate, his/her high school must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LSU in which the school commits to 3

  • providing a dedicated computer lab or one-to-one technology usage with internet connectivity for students participating in the LSU STEM Certification Pathway program,
  • piloting each course that the participating teacher is being trained for during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, and
  • paying LSU a $96 administrative fee for each student for which LSU issues a STEM Pathway Certificate of Course Completion and for which the school system receives $476 in JumpStart funding.

To apply, please register fill out this form asap (seats are limited) and latest by April 15th, 2019. You will then receive an email confirming your registration and will be asked to send a resume and a cover letter with your name, email, cell phone, the course(s) you will be taking, request for accommodations, and whether or not you are interested in taking the courses for graduate credit.4 Also, you will be asked to return a brief letter of commitment from your school expressing its willingness to negotiate a MoU with LSU that specifies the terms under which the school can offer these Pathway courses and receive $476 in JumpStart funding per student per Pathway course.

If you have questions about the Pathway program in general, please send them to Dr. Frank Neubrander at neubrand@math.lsu.edu. He will answer within 24 hours.

Register Here

For more information about the DDEM summer content click here

1 Middle school teachers who are interested in participating in a middle school Pre-Engineering and Computational Thinking pilot program this summer are encouraged to send their inquiries to Frank Neubrander at neubrand@math.lsu.edu. Also, middle school teachers interested in bringing Computer Science to their schools may contact CSforAll@cct.lsu.edu.
2 A teacher can earn 3 hours of graduate credit for a three week session. Tuition and fees totaling $1,441 will be billed by LSU (either to the school district or to the participant) for the 3 hours of credit and $913 will be billed by the Cain Center for the content training and professional development associated with the Summer Institute (total of $2,354). A teacher can earn 6 hours of graduate credit for a six week session. Tuition and fees totaling $3,288 will be billed by LSU for the 6 hours of credit and $1,638 will be billed by the Cain Center for the content training and professional development associated with the Summer Institute (total of $4,926.20).
3 The MoU might cover other things but, basically, it is the required contract between LSU and your school that specifies the terms under which the school can offer these Pathway courses and qualify for $476 in JumpStart funding for each Pathway student receiving a Certificate of Course Completion from LSU.
4 Participants interested in receiving graduate credit will have to provide further information when applying to the LSU Graduate School. These issues will be discussed on an individual basis. For specific questions about graduate credit and additional financial support to help with tuition, please contact Dr. Frank Neubrander at neubrand@math.lsu.edu.

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