Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement courses are an important part of the college-preparatory program at Ursuline Academy. We are pleased to offer a robust catalog of Advanced Placement courses in so many disciplines and rightly take pride in the high exam scores earned by our students. Many of our students demonstrate an ability to navigate these College-Board approved courses during their secondary school years, following a passion for the subject and achieving personal growth through the rigorous demands of the curriculum. We want to challenge our students appropriately as they develop their academic skills and content knowledge. "Appropriately" is the operative word in the previous sentence! All of our courses are rigorous and prepare students for the work they will be doing in college classrooms, laboratories, and seminars. Many alumnae are capably working at competitive colleges without having had an AP course on their transcript. We care deeply about the whole Ursuline student, and course placement reflects our desire to ensure that a girl will not only survive but flourish while a student at the Academy.

AP English Language and Composition

In this class, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn about the elements of argument and composition as they develop critical reading and writing skills. The class reads and analyzes nonfiction works from various periods. Students write essays with different aims: for example, to explain an idea, argue a point, or persuade your reader of something. This course develops analytical close reading skills such as interpreting a piece of writing, evaluating a source of information, gathering information from different sources, writing an evidence-based argument, and revising a piece of writing.

AP English Literature

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn how to understand and evaluate works of fiction, poetry, and drama from various periods and cultures. Students read literary works and write essays to explain and support their literary analysis. This course develops skills including close reading, figurative language, interpreting texts, and forming an argument with evidence.

Arts

AP Art and Design
AP Music Theory

AP Art and Design

In this class, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the submission of an Advanced Placement (AP) portfolio in the spring. Students develop their 2-D skills through materials and processes such as graphic design, photography, collage, printmaking, fashion illustration, and others. This course guides students to create artwork that reflects their own ideas and skills learned through the course. Students learn to investigate the materials, processes, and ideas that artists and designers use, practice the experimentation and revision process, and communicate ideas about works of art and design.

AP Music Theory

In this class, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music. This course encourages students to develop skills by listening to, reading, writing, and performing a wide variety of music. Coursework includes musical concepts including pitch, interval, scales, keys, chords, meter, and rhythm. This course develops skills including singing a notated melody on sight, notating music by ear, and completing music based on cues, following common-practice style.

Mathematics & Computer Science

AP Calculus AB

In this class, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring.

AP Calculus AB is equal to one semester of college calculus. Students in this course explore the concepts, methods, and applications of differential and integral calculus. Coursework helps students understand the theoretical basis of calculus and solve problems by applying their previous knowledge and skills. Students gain skills such as determining expressions and values, justifying reasoning and solutions with evidence, and using correct notation, language, and mathematical conventions to communicate results or solutions.

AP Calculus BC

In this class, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. AP Calculus AB is equal to two semesters of college calculus. Students in this course explore the concepts, methods, and applications of differential and integral calculus, including topics such as parametric, polar, and vector functions, and series. Coursework helps students experiment, investigate, and solve problems by applying their knowledge and skills. Students gain skills such as determining expressions and values, justifying reasoning and solutions with evidence, and using correct notation, language, and mathematical conventions to communicate results or solutions.

AP Computer Science A

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn the concepts and tools of computer science as they learn a subset of the Java programming language. Coursework includes hands-on work to design, write, and test computer programs that solve problems or accomplish tasks. Students design a program, develop the algorithms it needs, and write code to implement them. Expectations include correcting errors, neatly documenting the development process, and explaining how program code works.

AP Computer Science Principles

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn the principles that underlie the science of computers and develop the thinking skills that computer scientists use. Students will work independently and collaboratively to creatively address real-world issues using the tools and processes of computation. The class encourages students to make connections between computing concepts, analyze computational work, and work collaboratively to solve problems. Coursework includes designing a program to solve a problem or complete a task, applying abstractions in computation and modeling, and communicating ideas about technology and computation.

Science

AP Biology

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students study the core scientific principles, theories, and processes that govern living organisms and biological systems. This course includes hands-on laboratory work to investigate natural phenomena. Students learn to design experiments and procedures, test predictions and theories, collect and analyze data, interpret data to draw conclusions, and support a scientific claim with evidence.

AP Chemistry

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn about the fundamental concepts of chemistry including structure and states of matter, intermolecular forces, and reactions. This course includes hands-on lab investigations and chemical calculations to solve problems. Students design experiments and procedures to test predictions. Students learn to create graphs, diagrams, and models that represent chemical phenomena, explain how the microscopic structure of a substance determines its chemical properties, balance a chemical equation, and support a scientific claim with evidence.

AP Environmental Science

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students explore and investigate the interrelationships of the natural world and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human-made. This course includes laboratory investigations and fieldwork. Lessons utilize data, visual representations, and text. Students learn to explain environmental concepts and processes, apply quantitative methods in solving problems, propose solutions for environmental problems, and support ideas with evidence.

AP Physics 1

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn about the foundational principles of physics as they explore Newtonian mechanics; work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. This class includes hands-on laboratory work to investigate phenomena. The coursework emphasizes interpreting and describing representations and models, using mathematics to solve science problems. Students formulate scientific questions, design experiments to answer scientific questions, analyze data, and evaluate evidence.

Social Studies

AP Art History

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students explore the history of art across the globe from prehistory to the present. The class analyzes artwork through observation, discussion, reading, and research. Students evaluate works from different cultures, make connections about artistic traditions and styles, and provide evidence to support theories about the meaning of a work of art.

AP European History

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students study the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped Europe from c. 1450 to the present. Coursework includes analyzing texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence. Students learn to write essays expressing historical arguments. Students evaluate primary and secondary sources, contextualize historical developments, and develop a thesis with evidence.

AP United States History

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students study the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the United States from c. 1491 to the present. Coursework includes analyzing texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence. Students learn to write essays expressing historical arguments. Students evaluate primary and secondary sources, contextualize historical developments, and develop a thesis with evidence.

AP Human Geography

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students explore how humans have understood, used, and changed the surface of the Earth. The class uses tools and thinking processes of geographers to examine patterns of human population, migration, and land use. Visual aids in this course include maps, tables, charts, graphics, infographics, images, and landscapes. Students connect geographic concepts to real-life scenarios, find patterns and trends in visual aids, and understand spatial relationships using geographic scales.

AP Psychology

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students explore the ideas, theories, and methods of the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The class examines the concepts of psychology through reading, discussion, and data analysis. The coursework exposes students to the disciplines of cognitive, social, developmental, and clinical psychology. Students gain skills in data analysis, research, and practical application of classroom concepts.

World Language

AP French

In this class, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students develop their French language skills and learn about the cultures in French-speaking parts of the world. The class practices communicating in French and studies real-life materials such as newspaper articles, films, music, and books. Students hold conversations in real-life situations, and write stories, letters, emails, essays, and other texts in French.

AP Latin

In this course, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students learn to read and analyze Latin literature as they explore ancient Roman history and culture. The class translates passages from the writings of Vergil and Caesar and examines them through discussions, debates, and presentations. Students read Latin poetry and prose, understand the history, culture, and literary movements of ancient Rome, and develop an argument analyzing Latin literature. The course explores the connections between Latin and English through linguistic analysis and translation.

AP Spanish Language and Culture

In this class, students follow the curriculum as set by the College Board and may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) exam taken in the spring. Students develop their Spanish language skills and learn about the culture in Spanish-speaking parts of the world. The class practices communicating in Spanish and studies real-life materials such as newspaper articles, films, music, and books. Students hold conversations in real-life situations, and write stories, letters, emails, essays, and other texts in Spanish.

Note: Courses offered each year may vary depending on interest.