Course Overview
AP 2-D Art and Design is an introductory college-level two-dimensional design course. Students refine and apply 2-D skills to ideas they develop throughout the course.
About the AP Art and Design Program
Explore essential resources for AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing on the About the AP Art and Design Program page.
View the AP Art and Design Digital Submission: Timeline for Teachers.
Course and Exam Description
The course and exam description (CED) has been updated for the 2023-24 school year with revised Sustained Investigation and Selected Works scoring guidelines. This change only affects the scoring, with no change to the course or portfolio directions, course framework, or assessed skills.
Course Resources
Course Skills
The AP Art and Design framework included in the course and exam description outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them develop inquiry around the thinking and making of art. Skills 2 and 3 are specifically assessed in both portfolio sections (Sustained Investigation and Selected Works).
|
Skill |
Description |
|---|---|
|
1. Inquiry and Investigation |
Investigate materials, processes, and ideas. |
|
2. Making Through Practice, Experimentation, and Revision |
Make works of art and design by practicing, experimenting, and revising. |
|
3. Communication and Reflection |
Communicate ideas about art and design. |
Course Content
The AP Art and Design course framework is composed of course skills, big ideas, essential questions and enduring understandings, learning objectives, and essential knowledge. AP Art and Design skill categories delineate overarching understandings central to the study and practice of art and design. Each of the three skill categories consists of skills that encompass foundational to advanced learning over the span of the course. Students need to develop, practice, and apply these skills in a variety of contexts.
The framework for the AP Art and Design courses is made up of three big ideas. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like.
- Big Idea 1: Investigate materials, processes, and ideas.
- Big Idea 2: Make art and design.
- Big Idea 3: Present art and design.
AP and Higher Education
Higher education professionals play a key role in developing AP courses and exams, setting credit and placement policies, and scoring student work. The AP Higher Education section features information on recruitment and admission, advising and placement, and more.
This chart shows recommended scores for granting credit, and how much credit should be awarded, for each AP course. Your students can look up credit and placement policies for colleges and universities on the AP Credit Policy Search.
Meet the AP Art and Design Development Committee
The AP Program is unique in its reliance on Development Committees. These committees, made up of an equal number of college faculty and experienced secondary AP teachers from across the country, are essential to the preparation of AP course curricula and exams.