AP Capstone™ is a College Board program that equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges. AP Capstone comprises two AP courses—AP Seminar and AP Research—and is designed to complement and enhance the discipline-specific study in other AP courses.  

 

Students typically take AP Seminar in grade 10 or 11, followed by AP Research.  Each course is yearlong, and AP Seminar is a prerequisite for AP Research.  In both courses, students investigate a variety of topics in multiple disciplines.  Students may choose to explore topics related to other AP courses they're taking.  Both courses guide students through completing a research project, writing an academic paper, and making a presentation on their project.

 

Over the course of the two-year program, students are required to:

 

-Analyze topics through multiple lenses to construct meaning or gain understanding

-Plan and conduct a study or investigation

-Propose solutions to real-world problems

-Plan and produce communication in various forms

-Collaborate to solve a problem

-Integrate, synthesize, and make cross-curricular connections

 

Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing receive the AP Capstone Diploma.  Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research but not on four additional AP Exams receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This award is also acknowledged on any AP score report that is sent to colleges after the award has been conferred.