AP CAPSTONE
AP Capstone™ is an innovative diploma program from the College Board that equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges. AP Capstone is built on the foundation of two AP® courses — AP Seminar and AP Research — and is designed to complement and enhance the in-depth, discipline-specific study experienced in other AP courses. Courses designated as “Capstone Core” are an integral part of the AP Capstone experience at Juan Diego. Courses designated as “Capstone Suggested” prepare students for the rigors of the Juan Diego AP Capstone program.
To receive the designation of an AP Capstone Graduate or AP Capstone Candidate at commencement, students must successfully complete the national exams for AP Seminar, AP Research, along with 4 additional AP courses of the student’s choosing.
In AP Seminar, students investigate real-world issues from multiple perspectives, gathering and analyzing information from various sources in order to develop credible and valid evidence-based arguments. In AP Research students cultivate the skills and discipline necessary to conduct independent research in order to produce and defend a scholarly academic thesis. AP Seminar is a prerequisite for AP Research. Students may not take AP Research without completing AP Seminar and all the required assessment components as they will not have developed the skills necessary to be successful in AP Research.
AP Capstone Courses
3720AP AP Seminar (Capstone Core)
(Advanced Placement) $$
Initial course in the AP Capstone diploma program. Prerequisite: Application process. AP Seminar is the first of two required courses in the AP Capstone sequence, and also serves as the sophomore English credit for eligible students.
In AP Seminar students tackle a wide variety of literary, philosophical, historical and current events readings, and write multiple essays analyzing the argumentation in these readings and synthesizing sources into original argumentative essays. Students also write three research papers and make three videotaped oral presentations; the last two of each are uploaded to the College Board and serve as part of the student’s AP score. Students are admitted to the course through an application process based on PreACT test scores, teacher recommendations, and fully submitted application. Students must be concurrently enrolled in AP World History. This demanding course requires students to complete long-term projects and meet multiple deadlines.
3730AP AP Research (Capstone Core)
(Advanced Placement) $$
Prerequisite: AP Seminar, departmental approval, and summer course work
AP Research is the second component in the AP Capstone sequence. To enroll, students must have successfully completed AP Seminar, have departmental approval, and develop a topic of inquiry over the summer. In AP Research students build on the reading, research, public speaking, and writing skills developed in AP Seminar, to develop an original line of inquiry on a topic of their choice. Students learn to formulate research questions, design a study to answer those research questions, and then carry out their study design. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning are exercised throughout the class. The course culminates with a 5,000-word individual research paper, and a 15-20 minute presentation and oral defense of the students' work. Students are encouraged, but not required, to seek summer internships at research institutions, government agencies, museums, or clinical settings to pursue a research project.
5320AP AP World History Modern (Capstone Core)
(Advanced Placement) $$
Course description located in Social Studies
1333 / 1334 Capstone Theology I/II (Capstone Suggested)
Course description located in Theology
571AP AP Art History (Capstone Suggested)
(Advanced Placement) $$
Course description located in Social Studies
4150H Global Literature (Honors) (Capstone Suggested)
Freshman students only
Course description located in English
AP COURSES
2350AP AP Statistics
2415AP AP Precalculus
242AP AP Calculus AB
2450AP AP Calculus BC
333AP AP Biology
332AP AP Chemistry
3550AP AP Environmental Science
3411AP AP Physics 1
3420AP AP Physics C
3421AP AP Physics 2
3720AP AP Seminar
3730AP AP Research
4430AP AP English Language and Composition
441AP AP English Literature and Composition
511AP AP Human Geography
571AP AP Art History
522AP AP European History
531AP AP US History
5320AP AP World History Modern
543AP AP Gov/Politics: US
545AP AP Comparative Government and Politics
583AP AP Psychology
642AP AP Spanish Language and Culture
643AP AP French Language and Culture
858AP AP Music Theory
897AP AP Ceramics
899AP AP Art and Design
9610AP AP Computer Science A
9611AP AP Computer Science Principles
AP COURSE REQUIREMENTS $$
Students and parents are required to sign an expectation contract, attend a one-time mandatory AP Parent meeting, and AP Orientation course on Canvas. There is a fee for the required end-of-year AP exam. College credit may be earned with an appropriate score on the exam.
2023-2024 AP Exam Fees (2024-2025 fees are not yet available):
AP Research or AP Seminar $150 per exam
All other AP Exams $100 per exam