Career Pathways

2025-2026 Academic Year

Program Area: Business, Finance, and Marketing Education

Career Pathways connect rigorous CTE coursework with real-world experiences preparing students for careers.

To view course information, hover over and click the course.

Work-based Learning (WBL) is an integral part of all Career and Technical Education courses in North Carolina to show curricular relevance to industry skills.

Public School Units (PSUs) are encouraged to strategically choose work-based learning strategies in alignment with unique needs, considering factors such as local employment demands, available program offerings, resources, and other pertinent considerations. Contact your local CTE administrator for more information.

WBL Courses with Academic Credit:

CTE Advanced Studies
CTE Cooperative Education
CTE Entrepreneurial Experience
CTE Internship
CTE Pre-apprenticeship
CTE Apprenticeship

WBL Activities without Academic Credit:

Guest speaker
Career fair
Job fair
Transition fair
Field trip (workplace tour)
Job shadowing
Mentoring
Service learning
School-based enterprise
Simulated workplace
Workplace challenge/Industry-sponsored project

Accounting (ACCT)

Middle Grades Exploration

BY10 Exploring Business and Entrepreneurship
BY11 Exploring Economic Systems
BY12 Exploring Business Activities
BY13 Exploring Business Procedures and Leadership
EY10 Exploring Personal Characteristics and Careers
EY11 Exploring Careers and Employment
EY12 Exploring Financial Literacy
EY30 Career Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

N/A

Prerequisite Option(s)

BA10 Accounting I

Concentrator Option(s)

BA20 Accounting II

Career Pathway Major Options

WA06 CTE Apprenticeship FINA
WE06 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience FINA
WI06 CTE Internship FINA
WO06 CTE Cooperative Education FINA
WP06 CTE Pre-apprenticeship FINA
WS06 CTE Advanced Studies FINA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

CC11 Microsoft Excel

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)

Business Ethics and Law (BSEL)

Middle Grades Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

N/A

Prerequisite Option(s)

BB30 Business Ethics and Law I

Concentrator Option(s)

BB32 Business Ethics and Law II

Career Pathway Major Options

WA04 CTE Apprenticeship BMA
WE04 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience BMA
WI04 CTE Internship BMA
WO04 CTE Cooperative Education BMA
WP04 CTE Pre-apprenticeship BMA
WS04 CTE Advanced Studies BMA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

BA10 Accounting I
CC11 Microsoft Excel

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

Economics (ECON)

Middle Grades Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

N/A

Prerequisite Option(s)

BF10 Business Essentials

Concentrator Option(s)

4A03 AP Macroeconomics
4A04 AP Microeconomics

Career Pathway Major Options

WA06 CTE Apprenticeship FINA
WE06 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience FINA
WI06 CTE Internship FINA
WO06 CTE Cooperative Education FINA
WP06 CTE Pre-apprenticeship FINA
WS06 CTE Advanced Studies FINA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

4I01 IB Economics SL
4I02 IB Economics HL
CC11 Microsoft Excel

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

Entrepreneurship (ENTRE)

Middle Grades Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

N/A

Prerequisite Option(s)

ME11 Entrepreneurship I

Concentrator Option(s)

ME12 Entrepreneurship II

Career Pathway Major Options

WA04 CTE Apprenticeship BMA
WE04 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience BMA
WI04 CTE Internship BMA
WO04 CTE Cooperative Education BMA
WP04 CTE Pre-apprenticeship BMA
WS04 CTE Advanced Studies BMA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

BF10 Business Essentials
CC11 Microsoft Excel
MM51 Marketing I

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

Financial Planning (FNPL)

Middle Grades Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

BF10 Business Essentials

Prerequisite Option(s)

BF21 Financial Planning I

Concentrator Option(s)

BF22 Financial Planning II

Career Pathway Major Options

WA06 CTE Apprenticeship FINA
WE06 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience FINA
WI06 CTE Internship FINA
WO06 CTE Cooperative Education FINA
WP06 CTE Pre-apprenticeship FINA
WS06 CTE Advanced Studies FINA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

CC11 Microsoft Excel

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)

General Management (GMGT)

Middle Grades Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

BF10 Business Essentials

Prerequisite Option(s)

BB40 Business Management I
BI50 IB Business Management

Concentrator Option(s)

BB42 Business Management II

Career Pathway Major Options

WA04 CTE Apprenticeship BMA
WE04 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience BMA
WI04 CTE Internship BMA
WO04 CTE Cooperative Education BMA
WP04 CTE Pre-apprenticeship BMA
WS04 CTE Advanced Studies BMA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

BA10 Accounting I
BB30 Business Ethics and Law I
CC11 Microsoft Excel

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

Marketing Management (MMGT)

Middle Grades Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

N/A

Prerequisite Option(s)

MM51 Marketing I

Concentrator Option(s)

MM52 Marketing II

Career Pathway Major Options

WA14 CTE Apprenticeship MRKT
WE14 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience MRKT
WI14 CTE Internship MRKT
WO14 CTE Cooperative Education MRKT
WP14 CTE Pre-apprenticeship MRKT
WS14 CTE Advanced Studies MRKT

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

BF10 Business Essentials
CD10 Adobe Visual Design I

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

Office Administration (OADM)

Middle Grades Exploration

BY10 Exploring Business and Entrepreneurship
BY11 Exploring Economic Systems
BY12 Exploring Business Activities
BY13 Exploring Business Procedures and Leadership
CY01 Keyboarding and Basic Word Processing
CY02 Introduction to Office Productivity
CY03 Office Productivity Applications
CY04 Digital Literacy

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

BF10 Business Essentials

Prerequisite Option(s)

CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint

Concentrator Option(s)

CC11 Microsoft Excel

Career Pathway Major Options

CD10 Adobe Visual Design I
GS11 Project Management I
WA04 CTE Apprenticeship BMA
WE04 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience BMA
WI04 CTE Internship BMA
WO04 CTE Cooperative Education BMA
WP04 CTE Pre-apprenticeship BMA
WS04 CTE Advanced Studies BMA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

BB30 Business Ethics and Law I

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
SkillsUSA
Technology Student Association (TSA)

Project Management (PMGT)

Middle Grades Exploration

Foundational Prerequisite Option(s)

N/A

Prerequisite Option(s)

GS11 Project Management I

Concentrator Option(s)

GS12 Project Management II

Career Pathway Major Options

WA04 CTE Apprenticeship BMA
WE04 CTE Entrepreneurial Experience BMA
WI04 CTE Internship BMA
WO04 CTE Cooperative Education BMA
WP04 CTE Pre-apprenticeship BMA
WS04 CTE Advanced Studies BMA

Supplemental Employability Skills

0I00 IB Personal and Professional Skills
CC10 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
ED45 Career Management

Supplemental Technical Courses

BF10 Business Essentials
CC11 Microsoft Excel

Career and College Promise

Approved Career and College Promise Career Technical Education Pathway

Career and Technical Student Organizations

An Association for Marketing Education Students (DECA)
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
HOSA - Future Health Professionals
North Carolina FFA Association
SkillsUSA
Technology Student Association (TSA)
The National FFA Organization