Career & Technology FAQ

A Career and technology education (CTE) prepares both youth and adults for a wide range of careers. These careers require varying levels of education—from high school and postsecondary certificates, to apprenticeships, or two- and four-year college degrees. Students add value to their overall education by completing CTE programs of study that provide opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials and college credit while still in high school.

Career and technology education covers a variety of challenging fields in diverse subject areas that are constantly evolving due to the changing global economy. Maryland’s CTE programs of study are organized around 10 career clusters:
• Arts, Media, and Communication
• Business Management and Finance
• Construction and Development
• Consumer Services, Hospitality, and Tourism
• Environmental, Agriculture, and Natural Resources
• Health and Biosciences
• Human Resource Services
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology
• Transportation Technologies

Career and technology education students pursue exciting career options within Maryland’s 10 career clusters—for example, automotive technicians, construction supervisors, animal scientists, turf grass specialists, financial officers, arts and graphics designers, executive chefs, hotel managers, cosmetologists, network specialists, computer programmers, Web designers, homeland security specialists, nurses, physical therapists, biomedical scientists, engineers, and emergency management and response coordinators.