AP Capstone™ is a two-year diploma program that adds two additional courses to the standard AP courses a student may take: AP Seminar and AP Research. These two courses provide a systematic approach to learning the skills students will need to be successful in college: research, collaboration, time-management, presentation, and critical thinking.

Year One: AP Seminar

AP Seminar is the foundational course of AP Capstone™ that analyzes academic and real-world issues in a cross-curricular and interdisciplinary manner. The course’s goals are to equip students to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments by analyzing and evaluating information accurately, and with precision.

Year Two: AP Research

AP Research is the second course in AP Capstone™. During this course, students will explore an academic topic, issue, idea, or problem of personal interest. Over the course of a year, students will augment the skills they learned in AP Seminar by learning research methodology, accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information to prepare (1) an academic paper between 4000-5000 words plus a exhibit, performance, or product if applicable , (2) a process and reflection portfolio that documents the research process, and (3) a presentation with an oral defense.

Learn More

About AP Capstone™

To learn more about AP Capstone™, the colleges and universities that helped formulate the program, and see student testimonials about the program, visit College Board’s section about the AP Capstone Diploma™ Program here!

AP Capstone™ (external link)

About AP courses at XIS

To learn more about the AP courses XIS offers, visit the AP courses page under High School Curriculum or click here!

AP Capstone™,  and AP Capstone Diploma™ are trademarks of College Board®.