Endorsements & Majors

An endorsement is a series of courses related by the student's interests and/or skill set, focusing the student's high-school courses to gain in-depth knowledge of a subject area. Students must select an endorsement in eighth grade. Once in high school, students take elective classes aligned with their chosen endorsement.

House Bill 5 set up five endorsements from which high school students can choose. Not all school districts offer all five endorsements, but students can take a variety of career and technical-education courses to allow for exploration and a diverse education to support career decisions and post-secondary options.

The five endorsements are:

More than 80 percent of college students change their major in college, which can slow progress towards a degree, increase student-loan debt, and delay entry into a career. The intent of endorsements is to help a high school student:

AN IMPORTANT NOTE:
Your future is not determined by an endorsement or a major you select before you're 20 years old. Endorsements and majors do not lock you into a career or field of study. These are intended to enhance your college and career readiness.

Click on the links below for examples of occupations associated with each endorsement. Some careers are associated with more than one endorsement:

A major is the area of study in which a student concentrates at college. There are core courses everyone takes, but most of a student's college classes focus on their major.

Students can choose from hundreds of majors. The University of North Texas, for example, offers more than 150 undergraduate majors and more than 110 graduate-degree majors.