Business

620.1 Introduction to Business, Advanced College Prep, Grades 9-10, Semester, 2.50 credits    

Launch your business journey here! In this course, students will be introduced to five key instructional areas of business (marketing, finance, business administration, hospitality and entrepreneurship). Each instructional area will be explored to highlight potential careers in business and to provide students with the background knowledge necessary to participate in future business courses at SHS and/or participate in the Swampscott chapter of DECA. Students will leave this course with a basic understanding of how businesses work, job opportunities within the various fields of business and how each instructional area contributes to each other. This course is required for all students in the Business & Finance Innovation Pathway.

631.1 Investing: Personal Financial Literacy II, Advanced College Prep or Honors, Grades 11-12, Semester, 2.50 credits    
Build your long term wealth! This course is a continuation of Personal Finance I and is based on DECA financial category competencies.  Students will apply critical-thinking skills to analyze financial options based on current and projected economic factors. Students will develop knowledge and skills necessary to establish both short-term and long-term financial goals. Students will examine various methods of achieving short-term and long-term financial goals through various methods such as investing, tax planning, asset allocation, risk management, retirement planning, and estate planning. Students are expected to present information in front of their classmates throughout the course. Honors students will elevate their expertise by crafting a professional DECA competitive paper. Students opting for honors credit will be required to write this DECA paper, which they may also use to compete with at DECA.  Prerequisite: Students must complete Personal Financial Literacy I with a C or better. This course is required for the Finance concentration in the Business & Finance Innovation Pathway.

634.1/634.1H College Accounting I, Advanced College Prep or Honors, Grades 10-12, Full Year, 5.0 credits  
Master the essential language of business, the financials! Accounting knowledge is essential for every type of personal and business enterprise. Students will learn to analyze, organize, and interpret financial data. Students will examine the basic principles, theory, and practices of accounting for sole proprietorships and partnerships. The complete accounting cycle is taught using both automated and computerized accounting procedures. Banking, taxes, inventory and payroll are also exciting topics of discussion. All students will complete a comprehensive simulation project. This course is required for the Finance concentration in the Business & Finance Innovation Pathway.

650.1 Marketing II, Advanced College Prep, Grades 10-12, Semester, 2.50 credits
Execute high impact strategies in marketing! This course will expand on Marketing 1 by studying additional marketing principles, including promotional concepts, visual merchandising, advertising, pricing, product planning, market research and business plan development. Students will complete several DECA related assignments. Students will participate in a number of group project based assignments. A variety of assessments will be used. Students are expected to present information in front of their classmates throughout the course. Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in Marketing I. This course is required for the Marketing concentration in the Business & Finance Innovation Pathway.

658.1/658H.1 Business Management, Advanced College Prep or Honors, Grades 11-12, Semester, 2.50 credits

Lead with a vision and accountability. In the Business Management course students will explore such topics as: vision, mission and goals; centralizing and decentralizing power; macro and micro managing; accountability; leadership styles; management theories; organizational structures; time and stress management; ethics. 

Students will tackle management concepts through dynamic classroom discussion and a blend of rigorous individual and team-based projects designed for real-world impact. Students are expected to present information in front of their classmates throughout the course. Students will have the opportunity to learn their own leadership styles and to develop their management skills through practical use. The course is presented as an introduction to college level business and students will be asked to take notes, write multiple papers with citations and study for tests. Any student opting for the honors level course will have additional work over the ACP level. Prerequisite: A grade of B- or better in either Marketing I, Entrepreneurship, Law and Ethics, or Sports Marketing.

660.1 Hospitality and Tourism, Advanced College Prep, Grades 10-12, Semester, 2.50 credits

The Hospitality and Tourism class will explore the world of service industries in business. This course focuses primarily on major service areas such as hotel management and booking travel itineraries for clients as a service. Additionally, students will explore proper methodology for customer service to meet the needs of today’s consumers. Finally, students will learn to use current technologies to offer the best experiences to patrons and clients. Students taking this course will have the opportunity to participate in DECA as an option (not mandatory) and will be prepared to apply the knowledge learned in this course towards a number of specific DECA competition categories. This course or 633.1 is required for the Marketing concentration in the Business & Finance Innovation Pathway.

669.1 Introduction to Economics, Advanced College Prep, Grades 10-12 , Semester, 2.50 credits

This course demystifies economics, making principles accessible to all students and providing a perfect bridge to college-level study. This unique class goes beyond the graphs and scary stuff of economics in order to make the principles accessible and meaningful to everyone. Students will learn and be able to use economic thinking, problem solving, and logic in solving business problems and analyzing current topics. This class is a great introduction for students who think they want to take economics in college but who do not feel ready to embark on the full year of AP Economics.

670.1  Advanced Placement MACROeconomics, Grade 11-12, Full Year, 5.00 Credits

Excel at the college level with this intense college level course in Economics designed to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement test in May. AP Macroeconomics is a college-level course that introduces students to the principles that apply to an economic system as a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination. It also develops students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts. The curriculum is guided by the College Board® standards for advanced placement.  Students who are enrolled are expected to take the AP Exam in May. Prerequisites: Successful completion of Algebra II. 

673.1 Retail Marketing, Advanced College Preparatory, Grade 10-12, Semester, 2.50 Credits

An exciting new course where students will learn the ultimate customer experience. Students will learn about and gain practical experience within the retail industry. Main areas of study include: product design; creation of goods; the 4 P’s of marketing (product, price, place, promotion); customer service; operations; inventory management and refill; store layout and design; retail management and leadership. Students will gain experience working in a goal- focused team environment with station to station assignments. Students must have completed at least 1 Business Course and must be approved by the instructor.

600.1 Business Independent Study (School Store), Advanced College Preparatory, Grade 10-12, Semester or Full Year, 2.5/5.00 Credits

Students will be expected to run and manage the school store during their assigned class period. This includes getting the key and lockbox at the start of the period from the teacher and returning those items at the end of the period. There is an optional opportunity to compete in SBE (School Business Enterprise) for DECA for any students who wish to participate in that. Students will be interviewed and chosen based on their involvement with the Business Program and their demonstration of the necessary skills to independently run the school store. Students must have completed at least 1 Business Course and must be approved by the instructor.

601.1 Business Independent Study, (DECA), Advanced College Preparatory, Grade 10-12, First Semester, 2.50 Credits

Compete at the highest level with DECA. Students will have guided autonomy to prepare for their DECA competition project.  DECA’s mission is to “prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe” (DECA, 2025). Participating in the District DECA competition is a minimum requirement for this course. Students will meet with the teacher regularly to collaborate, create, and maintain a schedule towards their goal of DECA competition preparation for the year. Students will choose between a DECA written event and a DECA role play event for their category; that choice will determine which methods of preparation are required during the course. If written, students will work on researching and creating their paper and the accompanying slideshow presentation. If role play, students will be given targeted materials for use in preparing for their specific category including but not limited to: practice exams, informational packets, practice case studies and role plays, performance indicator research, and flashcard creation. Students must have completed Marketing II.

018.1/019.1 Business & Finance Internship/Capstone Project, Honors, Grade 12, Full Year and Semester, 5.00/2.50 credits

The Business and Finance Innovation Pathways Internship and capstone course provides students with 100 hours of supervised, real-world experience in a professional business environment. Through hands-on participation in workplace activities, students apply concepts from their chosen path of study in business.  Interns develop practical skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and professional responsibility while gaining insight into business operations and decision-making. The internship also encourages career exploration and helps students build connections with industry professionals while reflecting on workplace experiences and career goals. Students who participate in the internship option will work offsite with local business partners applying skills learned in their technical courses. Capstone students will complete an extensive 100 hour project that focuses on solving a problem for a business in the community. These students will have industry mentors that guide them through the design process as they work towards completing their project. 

Prerequisites: For Marketing: Introduction to Business, Marketing I/II, Entrepreneurship or Hospitality and tourism. For Finance: Introduction to Business, Accounting, Investing: PFLII