AP Capstone Diploma
“AP Capstone helps students develop key skills that they will use over and over in college: conducting research and communicating their results.”
—Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AP Capstone is a College Board program that equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges. AP Capstone comprises two AP courses—AP Seminar and AP Research—and is designed to complement and enhance the discipline-specific study in other AP courses.
—Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AP Capstone is a College Board program that equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges. AP Capstone comprises two AP courses—AP Seminar and AP Research—and is designed to complement and enhance the discipline-specific study in other AP courses.
Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing receive the AP Capstone Diploma. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research but not on four additional AP Exams receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate. Rather than teaching subject-specific content, these courses develop students’ skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting. Students who complete the two-year program can earn one of two different AP Capstone awards, which are valued by colleges across the United States and around the world.