International Baccalaureate Coursework

Students have multiple options for participating in International Baccalaureate (IB) coursework in their junior and senior years. Students can either apply for one of our IB programs (Career Program or Diploma Program) or they can apply for individual IB courses.

DHS does not require students to complete a paper "application" to take IB classes or to participate in either IB program. Students who request to enroll in IB classes must meet placement criteria to be placed in the class. These placement criteria are specified for each applicable course in the Course Information catalog. Placement criteria include meeting or exceeding certain levels of academic performance and effort in prior classes; meeting or exceeding certain levels of performance on state-administered end-of-course tests; and/or enrollment in a co-requisite class.

No matter which IB participation option students choose, ALL IB courses are two-year courses, and students are expected to complete both years. Many colleges and universities award college credit for high levels of performance on IB assessments. Students submit IB assessment components throughout the course, and almost all have a written exam at the end of the second year of the course.

The following is designed to illuminate the differences across the three options:

Option 1: IB Diploma Program (DP)

Requirements:

  • Minimum 6 IB courses: 3 Standard Level (SL) and 3 Higher Level (HL)
  • Completion of 4,000-word Extended Essay on a topic of the student’s choosing
  • Completion of Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) hour requirement
  • Completion of Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course

You can learn more about the IB Diploma Program at http://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/.

Option 2: IB Career Program (CP)

Requirements:

  • Minimum 2 IB courses: either Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL)
  • Completion of Reflective Project in senior year
  • Completion of 50-hour service requirement
  • Completion of a world language requirement (beyond the 2 credits of the same world language need to graduate)
  • Completion of Approaches to Learning (ATL) Course

You can learn more about the IB Career Program at http://www.ibo.org/programmes/career-related-programme/.

Option 3: Individual IB Courses

Requirements:

  • Students can apply for as many individual courses as they wish
  • Some Standard Level (SL) courses (Language and Literature, World History) are not available outside a program.
  • Students must meet the criteria for placement into each individual course (see course guide for requirements)
  • Completion of Senior Project

If you had questions, see the Frequently Asked Questions page of this site or contact your school counselor.