Massachusetts High Quality College and Career Pathways Initiative

In 2017, the Commonwealth launched a High Quality College and Career Pathways initiative to serve as an overarching strategy for significantly expanding student access to high-quality career pathways.

In addition to Chapter 74, there are two new types of pathways for this effort: Early College and Innovation. While more specific sets of characteristics define each pathway, both are anchored in the five guiding principles defined in the Massachusetts Early College Designation — Preliminary Outline of Key Elements: equitable access, guided academic pathways, enhanced student support, connection to career, and effective partnerships.

Early College

Early college programs are designed to blend elements of high school and college to provide students with the opportunity to experience and complete college level academic coursework on a clearly articulated pathway and simultaneously gain exposure to a variety of career opportunities. Early college programs also reduce the time and expense of earning a college credential while increasing the likelihood of completion.

Designated Early College programs in Massachusetts

To learn more about Early College, review the Designation Criteria .

Please check this page regularly for updates. If you are seeking additional information on the Early College designation process, please email massearlycollege@doe.mass.edu .

Innovation Career Pathways

Innovation Career Pathways are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

Innovation Career Pathways are designed to create strong partnerships with employers in order to expose students to career options and help them develop knowledge and skills related to their chosen field of study before they graduate high school.

Organizations that have received the Innovation Career Pathways designation

To learn more about Innovation Career Pathways, review the Innovation Career Pathway Criteria .

Presentation on Innovation Career Pathway Designation Process and Criteria

Please check this page regularly for updates. If you are seeking additional information on the designation process, please email pathways@doe.mass.edu .

Last Updated: October 21, 2020