Blog

By now, you’ve probably heard about “career clusters” and majors. But what exactly are they?

Career clusters are courses of study organized around specific professional fields. They help a student plan out a path to get the knowledge and skills needed to reach specific career goals. Choosing your career cluster is really the first step to mapping out your future success.

Health Science is one of 16 career clusters recognized by South Carolina offered at various schools across the state.  It happens to be one of the most popular choices because of the many reasons we mapped out here. 

Each cluster consists of different majors, which are based on groups of professions that require similar talents, knowledge, and skills. For instance, students interested in becoming doctors or nurses can choose a career major in the Health Science cluster and replace some general high school elective courses with courses specifically geared toward health care.

In addition, schools partner with businesses and other local institutions to give students real-world experience in the field of their choice. This connects essential academic learning with hands-on experience in the healthcare industry that improves students' odds for career success.

Each major usually has a “career major map” that may include sample high school schedules. The maps also include information about extracurricular activities, options after high school, and jobs for which each major might prepare you.

The Health Science Career Cluster, the largest and fastest-growing industry in South Carolina and the U.S., orients students to careers that promote health, wellness and diagnosis as well as treat injuries and diseases.

Think you might be interested in Health Science? Let’s go over your options. Five majors fall within the Health Science cluster.

Therapeutic Services:

Health professionals in the Therapeutic Services major work directly with patients providing care, treatment, counseling and health education. These workers include physicians, veterinarians, dentists, psychologists, and the various people who assist them.

Diagnostic Services:

Careers in the Diagnostic Services major use tests and evaluations that aid in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, injuries or other physical conditions.

Health Informatics:

Health Informatics workers manage and document system information to support patient care. These employees manage all of the patient data and information, financial information and computer applications related to health care processes and procedures.

Biotechnology Research and Development:

Biotechnology Research and Development workers pursue advances in science and technology to support and improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Support Services:

Support Services workers create and maintain a healthcare delivery environment that supports diagnosis and therapy. They help ensure the safe and efficient delivery of care.

We’ll dig deeper into the specifics for each of these majors in a later blog post. But don’t worry.  A decision about a cluster and major is not permanent. As you move along through your high school career, you will have plenty of opportunities to review and change your choices.