AP and IB Courses Have Considerable Differences

By Christopher Sung ’17

For years, AP classes have been considered the go-to option for many talented high school students looking for a challenging and rigorous course. However, an increasing number of American high schools are beginning to offer a new, demanding program known as the International Baccalaureate (IB).

In Montgomery County, eight of the county’s 25 high schools offer the IB program along with AP courses. Although both programs offer students credits toward college, the International Baccalaureate utilizes a different approach towards preparing students for college.

Different Objectives

Whereas AP courses tend to focus intensively on a particular subject, the IB program aims to provide a more holistic education for students.

Take a subject like history, for example. In AP courses, students study the different historical perspectives and events of an issue and are assessed based on their knowledge of these facts. In comparison, the IB program expects students to understand the global and historical implications of an event and how the event relates to modern politics and economics.

A Rigorous Course

Another key difference between AP courses and the IB program is that IB offers students the opportunity to have their college credits recognized internationally. In a course called the “Diploma Programme,” high school juniors enter a rigorous, two-year curriculum in order to obtain an IB Diploma for international recognition of college level courses and credits.

In simpler terms, this means that a student in the United States could go to a foreign university and easily receive full credit for the IB courses received in an American high school.

Although this benefit may make the IB program seem better than the AP courses, obtaining an IB Diploma requires serious planning and hard work. For example, one of the requirements for obtaining an IB Diploma includes a 150 community service hour obligation.

College Credit

Both the IB program and AP courses provide students with opportunities to gain credits for college. In most cases, earning top scores on either programs’ exam will allow a student to obtain college credit for a particular subject.

However, it is important to note that because IB program classes are offered in two different levels—higher level and standard level—only certain level IB classes are accepted for credit. In contrast, colleges will not make large distinctions between different AP courses for credits.

Therefore, a student taking six IB level courses could actually receive less credits than another student taking six AP classes.

The Better Program

Taking either AP or IB courses will look great on any college application. Generally speaking, colleges do not have a strong preference for one program over the other and look favorably upon both courses for their rigor.

Although many educators debate which program offers stronger results or better benefits for students, the general consensus is that both programs have unique strengths and goals. While the IB program emphasizes strong writing skills and certain goals for college preparation, the AP courses have a stronger emphasis on students learning and memorizing college-level information on a particular subject.