As a nationally-certified Project Lead the Way (PLTW) school, St. Mary's provides a four-year engineering curriculum that offers dual college credit opportunities through the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS) and other universities

Our students, through the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS), have the opportunity to earn up to 11 college engineering credits. They also have the opportunity to earn national credentials, such as the Autodesk Inventor Professional Certified User and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour General Industry certification.

St. Mary’s PLTW Engineering program began in 2013-14 and finished its four-year roll out during the 2017-2018 school year. PLTW classes are year-long electives for students interested in any technical career path; hands-on problem solving, critical and creative thinking, and strategies to solve “gray” problems highlight these electives. Discernment regarding technical career paths is another key benefit of the program - students who graduate from the PLTW track are entering college with clearer focus regarding the degrees and careers they want.

The PLTW elective classes offered at St. Mary’s are:

• Introduction to Engineering Design

• Principles of Engineering

• Aerospace Engineering

• AP Computer Science Principles - alternating years.

• Engineering Design and Development (a capstone course)