Electives

High School Seminar (required for all ninth-grade students)

9th Grade

0.5 credit,  semester course

Welcome to Freshman Seminar, a course designed to assimilate all high school freshmen into the MSA high school. This course will help support students be successful in high school by providing them with foundational skills necessary for other high school classes. Students will learn skills such as touch typing and operation of Google Workspace apps. Students will also explore future planning that includes education and career goals.

Entrepreneurship 

9th-12th Grade

0.5 Credit, semester course

Welcome to Entrepreneurship, a dynamic course designed to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit within students and provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to embark on their own business ventures. This course is designed for students who are interested in starting their own business, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and resilience in the face of challenges. Students combine all aspects of the class to create a business plan.

Accounting 1 

9th-12th Grade

0.5 Credit, semester course

Welcome to Accounting 1, a foundational business course designed to introduce students to the principles and practices of accounting. Students will gain an introductory understanding of the language of business through completing an accounting cycle for a service business organized as a proprietorship. Students will learn how to journalize, post, manage cash, and prepare financial reports.

Personal Finance

10th-12th Grade

Graduation requirement for class of 2028 and beyond

0.5 Credit, semester course

Welcome to Personal Finance, a comprehensive course designed to equip students with the essential knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complex world of personal finance and achieve financial independence. In this course, students will gain a practical understanding of financial concepts including banking, credit & debt, investing, and more.

Intro to Marketing 

9th-12th Grade

0.5 Credit, semester course

Welcome to Introduction to Marketing, an engaging course designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles and strategies that drive successful marketing initiatives. This course explores the dynamic world of marketing, covering essential concepts that form the foundation of effective communication, brand management, and consumer behavior analysis. Students will focus on the 4 Ps of marketing and how they impact business operations.

Engineering

9th -12th Grade

1.0 credit, year long course

This course will focus on basic principles of engineering including drafting, CAD, programming, and the engineering design process. The class will be project intensive as students work their way through the engineering process from beginning to end to find creative solutions to problems. Topics include: mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering with continual themes of environmental responsibility, engineering in the workplace, cost analysis, and testing of designed solutions. 

Coding 

9th-12th Grade

1.0 credit, year long course

This introduction to coding course teaches the foundations of computer science and basic programming, with an emphasis on helping students develop logical thinking and problem solving skills. Students need no prior coding experience. Students learn the fundamentals of computer programming as well as some advanced features of the Python language. 

Public Forum(PF) and Lincoln-Douglas Debate

9th-12th Grade

0.5 credit, semester long course

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to two popular debate formats: Public Forum (PF) and Lincoln-Douglas (LD). Students will learn the rules, procedures, argumentation strategies, and research skills necessary to effectively participate and excel in both formats. The course will explore the distinct characteristics of each style while emphasizing transferable skills applicable to all forms of argumentation. This course focuses exclusively on Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas and does not cover other debate formats.

MSA Yearbook

10th-12th Grade

1.0 credit, year long course 

This course will produce the Math and Science Academy school yearbook. Students in this course are tasked with producing a timeless, creative, all-encompassing, and innovative publication which will record our school’s community, memories, and events. In this course, students will gain skills in the following areas: cover design, page design, publishing techniques, copywriting, editing, photography, record keeping, time management, teamwork, marketing, and leadership skills. Students will use various computer programs to complete the various yearbook creation tasks as well as Lifetouch’s yearbook design program. 

Strength and Conditioning

9th-12th Grade

0.5 credit,  semester course

Strength and Conditioning is a physical education class with the primary focus to develop one's athletic abilities by increasing their muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance. This class  revolves primarily around weight lifting, running, and exercise circuits. By the end of the semester, students will be able to craft their workout sessions to match their personal fitness goals. 

Team Sports

9th-12th Grade

0.5 credit, semester course

Team Sports focuses on developing fundamental skills, strategies, and tactics in a variety of team-based athletic activities. Students will have the opportunity to participate in team sports such as basketball, soccer, volleyball, and more. Emphasis will be placed on teamwork, sportsmanship, and physical fitness.