Career and Academic Pathways (CAPs)

What are CAPs?

Career and Academic Pathways (CAPs) are broad groupings of related majors and certificates in ways that connect to their interests and personal profiles that help students explore, choose, and move forward. CAPs create a clearer starting place for students who are undecided or exploring—while still supporting students who already know their goal.

A simpler starting place for exploration

CAPs reduce choice overload by organizing majors and certificates into a small number of student-friendly entry points.

Early career exploration tied to programs

CAPs connect student interests to majors and certificates, career goals, and living-wage outcomes—supporting earlier direction and stronger motivation.

Built to support movement, not lock-in

CAPs do not limit students to one path. They help students explore options and shift direction more confidently as they learn what fits.

Why use CAPs?

By reducing decision overload and providing a method of guided exploration based on the student themselves, CAPs support earlier momentum. Earlier momentum strengthens motivation and student persistence and can improve time to completion.

Easier entry point

Reduces the overwhelm of choosing from many majors and certificates by starting with a few clear areas.

Guided exploration (early)

Helps students connect interests to majors and certificates, career goals, and living-wage outcomes early—without guessing or wandering.

Clearer onboarding and educational counseling

Supports clearer first-term choices and more consistent education planning conversations through educational counseling.

Stronger support networks

Creates a structure for aligning services and resources around how students think about goals and make decisions.

Efforts in 2025–2026

During the 2025–26 academic year, SRJC is developing CAPs as a foundational component of SRJC Forward, with a focus on clarity, student usability, and long-term scalability. This work supports a more intuitive student experience from onboarding through completion.

Current status

Completed: research scan of pathway grouping models and naming patterns.
Completed: draft CAP structure and draft descriptions.
Completed: student and faculty feedback sessions; counseling consultation.
Now: revising the recommended design based on feedback.
Next: participatory governance review and district consideration for implementation.

How we build CAPs

Creating CAPs is a deliberate, research-informed design process—grounded in student experience, evidence-based frameworks, and shared governance.

Start with design principles and learn through inquiry. We begin by clarifying the student experience we are designing for at entry and the principles that will guide decisions. Then we study where students experience choice overload, delays, or uncertainty as they consider majors and certificates.
Draft and test. We develop initial groupings and names, then validate them with students, counseling, and department voices.
Design for real use. We define how CAPs show up consistently across the student experience—including the website, onboarding, and education planning—so students engage consistently with this structure to explore their options.
Refine and recommend. We incorporate feedback and confirm clarity and long-term fit before moving the recommendation to the district to consider implementation.

What to expect in year one

Initial CAPs establish a usable structure

Year one focuses on creating a clear, student-friendly set of CAPs that can be used consistently across communications and student-facing tools.

Not an organizational redesign

This work does not change curriculum or department structures or the organizational structure of academic affairs or major or certificate requirements. It organizes how students discover and navigate choices.

A phased refinement process

CAPs can be improved over time as we learn what students need, and as Paths to Completion and supporting tools mature.

Foundation for future student experience improvements

Once established, CAPs become a foundation for clearer pathway pages, onboarding flows, and proactive guidance across the student journey.

Why this approach

This phased approach allows SRJC to move forward quickly with a student-centered structure while respecting governance, workload realities, and the need for real-world testing.

Launch a clear organizing structure without waiting for every downstream system to be perfect
Reduce decision overload for students at entry
Support consistent guidance across teams and touchpoints
Build a sustainable, collegewide framework that can evolve intentionally

Institutional alignment

CAPs strengthen SRJC Forward by aligning with the plans and standards we already use to guide decisions and support students.

Mission

Supports student progress toward certificates and degrees aligned with academic, career, and personal goals.

Strategic Plan

Advances priorities related to student completion, clarity of options, and reduced barriers to progress.

Student Equity Plan

Improves clarity and momentum supports in ways that can reduce equity gaps in persistence and completion.

Strategic Enrollment Management

Supports student persistence by strengthening entry, direction-setting, and coherent student pathways.

Accreditation Standards

Documents coherent programs, clear requirements, and intentional institutional practices that support learning and completion.

SRJC Forward