Program

Teaching M.A.

Number of Pages

93

Year Approved

2025

First Advisor

Wickam, Molly

Second Reader

Eric Roesler

Abstract

The purpose of the literature review was to explore how business-focused Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) in secondary education contribute to preparing students for post-secondary education and career success. This review analyzes CTSO program components and activities, employability skills, business skills from the Minnesota Career Fields, Clusters, and Pathways (MN Career Wheel) model, the outlook for business-related majors and business-related employment opportunities, and the impact of CTSOs on post-secondary education and career readiness. CTSOs have been designed to enrich college and career readiness opportunities for secondary students. Through rigorous competitions, workshops, and conferences, each business-focused CTSO has a goal of developing the necessary employability and business skills for future student success. Backed by CTE programming, CTSOs have an abundance of research to support this narrative through improved graduation rates, foundational skill acquisition, and the outlook for business-related majors and careers. The research supports a need for increased funding for students so they can participate in CTSOs, and professional development and networking opportunities for CTSO advisors. This review suggests that it is beneficial for secondary students to participate in business-related CTSOs.

Degree Name

Teaching M.A.

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

Terms of Use and License Information

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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