International Baccalaureate               Diploma Programme

 

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a rigorous and comprehensive pre-university course of studies designed to expose motivated high school students to a challenging, innovative, and well-balanced academic program. The IB program encourages academic and personal achievement and promotes international mindedness and intercultural understanding and respect. IB courses are open to all juniors and seniors and are meant to appeal to students who strive to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective.

IB Diploma students take IB courses in 6 subject areas: English, World Language, Social Studies (History, Psychology), Science, Math, and the Arts. IB Diploma students can choose to forgo the Arts class and take a second World Language, Social Studies, or Science course instead.  Students take three or four courses at the Higher Level (HL) and two or three courses at the Standard Level (SL) for a total of 6 courses. All IB Diploma students must complete three compulsory components as well over 2 years: an interdisciplinary Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, a Creativity-Activity-Service (CAS) piece, and a 4,000 word independent Extended Essay (EE) on a topic of their choice. Students who do not take all 6 IB courses and who do not participate in the 3 core components needed for the IB Diploma can earn an IB Certificate instead.

The benefits of being an IB Diploma student are numerous. Such benefits include improved time-management skills, increased experience with oral presentations, and opportunities to apply college-level research and writing skills. IB Diploma students also gain an edge for college admission and can potentially earn college credit for individual courses and/or for earning an IB Diploma.