Next school year, TAS will be implementing a new diploma program known as the AP Capstone Diploma. This new diploma, developed by College Board, will be offered alongside the current IB Diploma.
TAS is one of the first 100 schools in the world to introduce the program.
To qualify for the diploma, students are required to take four AP courses, along with an AP Seminar course. Additionally, diploma candidates must write a research paper that is similar to the IB’s Extended Essay.
According to Mr Maguire, Upper School IB/AP Coordinator, the AP Seminar course is like IB’s TOK class since it is thematically based and involves trying to look at what’s known about knowledge, and why.
Next year, TAS will be offering AP Seminar options in both European History and Political Science. AP Seminar in European History will focus on understanding the world as it is now through a European history-based perspective.
The AP Seminar in European History can be taken instead of AP European History; nevertheless, the two courses are very distinct.
While AP European History takes a chronological  approach, AP Seminar in History is more thematic, covering topics such as revolution, sustainability, and migration. AP Seminar in Political Science can  be taken as a public speaking credit.
The research paper component will be similar to the IB Extended Essay. Students will work on the essay outside of class, supervised by an advisor.
In addition to presenting the written paper, a unique feature of the AP Capstone diploma is that students will be expected to give a presentation on their research topic at the end of the year.
A candidate must receive a score of 3 or above in the two required AP Capstone courses, as well as on four other AP courses, in order to receive the diploma.
If the pilot program is successful, Mr Maguire says that more AP Seminar courses may be offered. “Maybe someone in the science department would want to have a course like this, and [maybe] they will decide to do one. But, for now, it’s only a maybe.”