AP Career Kickstart

AP Career Kickstart™ courses are designed to accelerate high school students on their paths to in-demand careers.

What Is AP Career Kickstart?

AP Career Kickstart expands the successful AP model by offering high schools a new set of career courses and exams. We’re partnering with employers, college faculty, and high school educators to design courses that can lead to college credit and prepare students for high-demand, high-growth jobs.

Career Kickstart director

Career Courses and Credentials

AP will launch new career and technical education (CTE) courses in cybersecurity, networking, and business/personal finance. We’re exploring additional courses in health sciences, information technology, and more.

Employer-Endorsed Credentials

AP Career Kickstart courses will offer high school students the opportunity to earn credentials that validate recognized professional skills and meet industry needs.

Learn More About Our Credentials
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Explore the Courses

AP Cybersecurity and AP Networking

These courses will offer students the opportunity to earn college credit and recognized credentials, and each aligns to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Workforce Framework. We’re currently piloting these courses in classrooms across the U.S. 

Learn More About the Courses

AP Business Principles/Personal Finance

This course will offer students the opportunity to earn college credit and recognized credentials, and aligns to the National Standards for Personal Financial Education. 

Learn More About the Course

“These courses offer me an opportunity to learn something that I can actually use in my future. I feel so much more prepared than my friends.” 

Jessica, 12th-grade AP Career Kickstart pilot student 

Every AP Career Kickstart course will:

Fit into an articulated career pathway

Align with career and technical education standards

Relate to workforce needs in high-growth sectors

Offer applied, hands-on learning that builds problem-solving skills

Include both technical and professional skills

Embed work-based learning opportunities

AP Career Kickstart in the News

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Education Week: The College Board Adds Two New AP Courses. Here’s What Makes Them Different

Learn about College Board’s new AP Career Kickstart courses that aim to make high school content more meaningful to students by connecting it to in-demand job skills.

  • Go to Education Week

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U.S. Chamber, College Board Partner to Equip Students with Career Skills

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and College Board are partnering to better equip high school students with essential business skills, fostering a career-ready workforce and strengthening tomorrow’s economy.

  • Go to U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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College Board AP Career Kickstart and CompTIA

College Board and CompTIA are collaborating to bring together the value of CompTIA’s industry-leading certifications and College Board’s AP Career Kickstart courses to provide students with tools and knowledge they need to succeed in technology careers.

  • Go to CompTIA

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Forbes: From Vocational Education to Career and Technical Education

Learn how AP Career Kickstart courses align with the new approach to CTE school-based programs and forge a path for more high school students to achieve academic and career success.

  • Go to Forbes

More Resources

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AP Career Kickstart Frequently Asked Questions 

Browse frequently asked questions about AP's Career Kickstart program.

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AP Career Kickstart Cybersecurity Pilots Overview

Learn about AP's Career Kickstart program and the cybersecurity pilots.

  • PDF
  • 605.16 KB

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AP Career Kickstart Cybersecurity Instructional Overview

Learn about the two cybersecurity pilot courses, the assessment, and teacher resources.

  • PDF
  • 1.57 MB