Scroll to the bottom of the page to view a video featuring a Stanford University admissions officer discussing how Stanford University and other universities view the IB Career-Related Program and how the program prepares students for university success.
IB CP: The IB Career-related Programme
Walnut High School is proud to offer the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IB CP). The IB CP allows students to participate in a career-related curriculum while at the same time providing them access to an IB education. The IB CP is a unique program that is tailored to students wishing to prepare for a career. The aim of the IB CP is to provide students with both an academic and practical foundation to support their future goals whether they decide to continue on to higher education or enter the workforce. Students participate in the IB Career-related Programme during their junior and senior year.
Requirements of the IB Career-related Programme
· Students will study at least two Diploma Programme courses of their choice. Upon completion of the course, students will take the IB exam which will be graded by IB examiners.
(Click here to learn more about the IB courses offered at WHS)
· Students will complete the IB CP Core which includes:
o Personal and Professional Skills (PPS): A course that emphasizes critical thinking, personal and interpersonal development, problem-solving and the acquisition of practical skills necessary for success in the workplace.
o Service Learning: Students will identify a need in their community and undertake unpaid and voluntary activities that help the community and that have a learning benefit to the student.
o Language development: Students must learn a foreign language.
o Reflective Project: Students will explore an ethical dilemma related to a topic in their career-related study. They will develop an in-depth body of work that will be produced over an extended period of time and submitted during the senior year.
Project Lead the Way
Students participating in the IB CP have two choices for their career-related studies:
PLTW - BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
While the IB CP begins with the junior year, students participating in the IB CP Biomedical Sciences will begin their career-related studies in the sophomore year. Students participating in the IB CP will complete a program designed by Project Lead the Way. The PLTW biomedical career pathway consists of four courses:
· Principles of the Biomedical Sciences (PBS) – 10th grade – students will study human body systems and health conditions.
· Human Body Systems (HBS) – 11th grade – students explore science in action by building organs and tissues on a skeletal manikin and play the role of biomedical professionals to solve medical mysteries.
· Medical Interventions (MI) – 12th grade – students investigate interventions involved in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.
· Biomedical Innovation (BI) – 12th grade – students design innovative solutions for the health challenges of the 21st century.
PLTW - COMPUTER SCIENCES
While the IB CP begins with the junior year, students participating in the IB CP Computer Sciences will begin their career-related studies in the freshman year. Students participating in the IB CP will complete a program designed by Project Lead the Way. The PLTW computer sciences career pathway consists of four courses:
Computer Science Essentials - 9th grade - students use visual, block-based programming and transition to text-based programming, to create apps and develop websites, and learn how to make computers work to put their design into practice.
AP Computer Science Principles - 10th grade - this course aims to develop computational thinking, generate excitement about career paths that utilize computing, and introduce professional tools that foster creativity and collaboration. Students develop programming expertise and explore the workings of the Internet.
AP Computer Science A - 11th grade - this course focuses on further development of computational-thinking skills. Students collaborate to create original solutions to problems of their own choosing by designing and implementing user interfaces and Web-based databases.
Cyber Security - 12th grade - this course introduces tools and concepts of cybersecurity and encourages students to create solutions that allow people to share computing resources while protecting privacy.
To learn more about the PLTW programs, please visit pltw.org and click on the PLTW Biomedical Sciences or Computer Sciences.