The Diploma Programme (DP) is a rigorous pre-university course of study designed for students in the 16 to 19 age range. It is a broad-based two-year course that aims to encourage students to be knowledgeable and inquiring, but also caring and compassionate. There is a strong emphasis on encouraging students to develop intercultural understanding, open-mindedness, and the attitudes necessary for them to respect and evaluate a range of points of view. The course is presented as six academic areas enclosing a central core. Students study two modern languages (or a modern language and a classical language), a humanities or social science subject, an experimental science, mathematics, and one of the creative arts. Instead of an arts subject, students can choose two subjects from another area. It is this comprehensive range of subjects that makes the Diploma Programme a demanding course of study designed to prepare students effectively for university entrance. In each of the academic areas, students have flexibility in making their choices, which means they can choose subjects that particularly interest them and that they may wish to study further at university. Normally, three subjects (and not more than four) are taken at higher level (HL), and the others are taken at standard level (SL). The IB recommends 240 teaching hours for HL subjects and 150 hours for SL. Subjects at HL are studied in greater depth and breadth than at SL. In addition, three core elements—the extended essay, theory of knowledge and creativity, activity, and service—are compulsory and central to the philosophy of the program.
Subject Briefs
DP Language and Literature Subject Group
- Language A: Literature HL
DP Language Acquisition Subject Group
- Language B SL and HL
DP Individuals and Societies Subject Group
DP Sciences Subject Group
- Biology SL
- Chemistry SL/HL (Grade 12)
- Chemistry (First teaching in Aug/Sept 2023) SL and HL (Grade 11)
- Computer Science HL
- Physics SL
DP Mathematics Subject Group
DP Arsts Subject Group
The DP Core
