Louisiana State University (LSU) is home to a range of internationally respected departments, organizations, faculty, and staff. Within LSU, the Gordon A. Cain Center for STEM Literacy administers several programs promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across Louisiana. One of these programs, the LSU STEM Pathways initiative (Pathways), focuses on meeting the evolving needs of education in the state in the areas of Computing and Cybersecurity, Digital Design and Emergent Media, Environmental Protection and Sustainability, Pre-Engineering, as well as Pre-Healthcare and Pre-Veterinary studies. New for the 2025-25 academic year, LSU's STEM Pathway courses will algin with LDOE's 2024-25 STEM Renaissance Pathway Briefs, Industry-Based Credentials, and the new guidelines for the use of CDF Allocation.
The LSU STEM Pathways initiative serves students from kindergarten through high school, partnering with public, charter, and private schools. The program's curriculum aligns with project-based standards and offers students opportunities to earn Pathways certificates, industry-based credentials, and exclusive scholarships. Additionally, high school students can opt for dual enrollment options and the pathway courses enable middle school students to earn high school credit. Pathways also benefits teachers by providing access to LSU graduate tuition scholarships, support programs, opportunities for STEM education research, free community of practice sessions and specialized summer training institutes for educators.
Schools collaborating with LSU’s STEM Pathways initiative receive financial benefits such as supplemental course allocation (SCA) funding, career development funds (CDF), and/or career technical education (CTE) funding. They also benefit from a vertical alignment of STEM curricula from kindergarten through high school. They can accrue student performance score (SPS) points for industry-based credentials, dual enrollment opportunities, and Interest and Opportunities points for offering programming sponsored by the state's LASTEM initiative.
Registration is now open for the 2024-25 school year, and allows teachers and schools to sign up for the following programs offered by the LSU Gordon A. Cain Center:
- LSU STEM Pathways (high school and middle school)
- College Credit Opportunities (In the new Choice credit modality for MATH 1015/1029 and other courses to be announced shortly, students may opt to receive LSU credit if satisfied with their final grade.
- Companion Courses for LSUE’s BIO 1001/1002
- Professional Development for LSU STEM Modules for K-8 schools
- Professional Development in Computer Science with National Partner Code.org
All programs require that teachers be trained by the LSU Cain Center to teach the courses. For more information about each of the programs that we offer, please visit the website at https://lsupathways.org/ or contact stempathways@lsu.edu.
