Course Description:
AP Capstone is a two-year research cohort that hand-picked students apply for in January of their sophomore year. It included a seminar course and a research course.
- Seminar focuses on writing, researching, presenting, and team-building skills. 55% of the AP exam is comprised of two essays and two presentations (one team and one individual) completed in class; the other 45% comes from a two-hour, end-of-course exam administered in May. Students must be invited to apply to be in AP Seminar. Students must take AP English Language in conjunction with AP Seminar.
- Research focuses on independent researching and writing. Students design, plan, and conduct a year-long research-based investigation to address a research question. The exam is comprised of the paper itself (75%) and the oral defense (25%). We recommend students enrolled in AP Research take AP or on-level Statistics (previously or concurrently).
It was developed in response to feedback from higher education regarding preferred skills of students entering college. The Capstone program includes AP Seminar, which students take their junior year, and AP Research, which students take their senior year. AP Capstone is College Board’s only diploma program. If students pass both AP Exams in AP Seminar and AP Research AND pass four other AP exams over the course of their high school careers, they earn an AP Capstone Diploma. They also learn extremely valuable skills that help them in college and beyond!
Prerequisite:
Teacher recommendation from a Honors/Regular Algebra I, a Honors/AP Chemistry, or a Honors/Regular Geometry teacher is recommended. Students are identified by their Honors 10th Lit teachers by looking for students with strong writing ability, self-motivation, curiosity about the world, interest in independent research, ability to work with a team. Students must take both AP Seminar and AP Research. Students in the Capstone program are not able to dual enroll because of scheduling difficulties.
Relevant Careers:
Relevant careers include:
- Market research analyst.
- Forensic scientist.
- Archaeologist.
- Business analyst.
- Biologist.
- Historian.
- Scientist.
- Psychologist.