Advanced Placement
What Are Project Based AP Courses?
Project based AP® courses take you beyond the textbook and into a world of learning through hands-on exploration. The AP courses below use projects and performance tasks as part of your final AP Exam score. By investigating real-world problems, you’ll build skills in critical thinking, communication, and more.
AP Computer Science Principles
Bring your ideas to life in AP Computer Science Principles. In this course, you’ll learn how computing and technology shape the world around us. Working on your own and as part of a team, you’ll creatively address real-world issues using the tools and processes that artists, writers, computer scientists, and engineers use every day. No prior coding knowledge is needed.
The AP Computer Science Principles Exam has two parts: the Create Performance Task—which you’ll complete over the course of the year and submit online for scoring through the AP Digital Portfolio—and an end-of-course, multiple-choice exam.
Learn more about why to take this course.
AP Art and Design Courses
The AP Art and Design Program includes three different courses and portfolio exams: AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing. In these courses, you'll develop skills essential to careers in art and design while creating a portfolio to showcase your work.
All three AP Art and Design courses conclude with a portfolio submission of your artwork instead of a traditional exam with multiple-choice questions or essays. The work in your portfolio makes up the entirety of your AP score for each of these courses.
Check out the similarities and differences between all three AP Art and Design courses.
AP Seminar
In this course, you'll get to explore a variety of real-world topics, including ones you're interested in and are passionate about.
In AP Seminar, students investigate relevant issues and gather and analyze information from different sources to develop evidence-based arguments. You’ll also build transferable skills like collaboration, writing, and presentation.
The AP Seminar assessment has three parts: two performance tasks—which you’ll complete over the course of the year—and the end-of-course AP Exam. You’ll also build transferable skills like collaboration, writing, and presentation.
The AP Seminar assessment has three parts: two performance tasks—which you’ll complete over the course of the year—and the end-of-course AP Exam.
Find out more about what you’ll learn in AP Seminar.
AP Research
This course lets you choose your own topic to study while learning like college students.
You’ll build on what you learned in AP Seminar* in AP Research. Continue your exploration of an academic topic, problem, or issue. In this course, you’ll design, plan, and conduct a yearlong research-based investigation to address a research question you create and want to explore.
There’s no end-of-course written exam for AP Research. Instead, you’ll be assessed on performance tasks that are based on your yearlong research project: an academic paper, a presentation, and an oral defense of your research.
*AP Seminar is a prerequisite for this course.
These courses allow you to explore your passions and develop skills aligned to specific careers and majors. Speak with your school counselor to discover which courses are available at your school. Use this tool to explore all major and career pathways for AP courses.
