Niskayuna Central School District > Academics > Niskayuna High School Program of Studies 2026-27 > NHS Program of Studies: 2026-27 Career & Technical Education

NHS Program of Studies: 2026-27 Career & Technical Education

Student using welding tools.

Skip to:

Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs are designed to provide students the ability to learn, build experiences, and explore a career before entering college, additional technical training, the military or the workforce. CTE courses have been developed based on the skills and training that are in demand by employers, as well as where there are job opportunities today.
These courses allow students to:

  • Enter a trade or career pathway and immerse themselves in a hands-on learning setting for a half-day or longer;
  • Earn early college credits;
  • Earn credit toward graduation from high school
  • Gain practical experience and industry connections while learning;
  • Prepare for further trade, technical and/or advanced training;

The Career & Tech programs listed below are primarily offered at the Albany campus located in Colonie on Watervliet-Shaker Road (Rt. 155), about 15 minutes from Niskayuna High School.

The Albany center has two sessions, spanning Niskayuna High School Mods 1-5 and 5-8. The session a student attends is based primarily on program availability. Transportation is arranged so the student can take up to four courses at Niskayuna and attend the CTE program. Students receive four credits for each year of successful study in a Career & Tech program.

Students who are interested in CTE programs should contact their school counselor. A decision to enter a Career & Tech program should be made carefully. Niskayuna is committed to paying tuition for students in grades 11 and 12 who take these courses. It is not always possible to provide other courses to replace a Career & Tech course dropped once the school year is underway.

The CTE centers offer tours and open houses for students and families, typically in January and February. The school district will be sharing information about these opportunities. Students are encouraged to visit the appropriate programs and campuses to become aware of the courses before deciding to attend.

The program descriptions on the following pages are based on recent information from the CTE schools, and the district cannot guarantee program availability in all cases. Students are encouraged to visit the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical School website.

Career & Technical Education Programs

Click on the link for course descriptions. Note the course listed after each CTE program is the integration for coursework.

MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAM: PROCTOR’S COLLABORATIVE

The Musical Theatre Program: Proctor’s Collaborative is a multidisciplinary performing arts program that is a partnership between the Collaborative School of the Arts at Proctors and the Niskayuna Central School District. Students attend a half day program at Proctors Theater that immerses students in a professional theater setting with access to the designers and department heads who teach the process of creating, touring and managing.
The mission of Musical Theatre Program: Proctor’s Collaborative is to advance the artistic and educational goals through a rigorous and multidisciplinary curriculum. Immersed in the unique Proctors environment, the goal is to prepare students for higher education in the field and foster a lifelong love of all performing arts.

The vision of the program is to provide performing arts opportunities with instruction and access to professionals in order to inspire and cultivate career paths in the creative fields.

TYPICAL COURSE PROGRESSIONS (offered grades 10-12)

These progressions are typical progressions, however, students work with their school counselor to finalize enrollment and discuss requirements.

77110 Performance Seminar (1/2 credit)

This course is an interdisciplinary and collaboratively taught exploration of performance as it applies to musical theater. Artistic performance in acting, dance and music is studied in a combined and comprehensive manner. Career readiness skills are covered through a curriculum focusing on improvisation, composition, technique, the history of musical theater, and audition etiquette. Company building activities including warm-ups and group reflections are included in each session.

77120 Dance for Musical Theatre (1 credit)

This course consists of daily technique classes to introduce students to proper dance terminology while building a strong technical base to successfully perform Musical Theatre choreography. Students will be introduced to various musical theatre dance styles and will focus on body awareness, alignment/placement, and dance technique.

77130 Music for Musical Theatre (1 credit)

In this course students engage in an in-depth study of music and music making as it applies to modern American musical theatre. Through performance, analysis, and project-based learning students work to improve their individual abilities to read, make, and understand music in a theater context. Students will be expected to sing alone and with others.

77140 Acting for Musical Theatre (1/2 credit)

This course focuses on developing acting skills in all styles and genres of theater, including musicals. From basic techniques of speaking, text analysis, character development and improvisation to performance skills, preparation and the ability to apply different approaches to acting in various settings, this class focuses on acting in the context of the program as a whole. Improvisation, company building activities, monologue work and scene study are all part of the curriculum, using a variety of texts and activities and developing observation and peer feedback skills. Individual and group performances are part of the work of the program, and acting is included in those performances.

77190 ELA: MediaWorks (1 credit)

This course takes a media-centric approach to the English curriculum. Students engage in both analysis and creation of media-based projects as a way to approach a wide range of texts and tasks. From storytelling to explorations of culture, social action and media literacy, students use analysis, writing and argument skills and apply them to stories, nonfiction and documentary work, today’s media landscape and texts of their own choosing. All units involve the development and creation of media pieces that may be used as part of their own repertoires, or shared with the school and broader community.

Back to top of page