AP Business with Personal Finance

The key document for each AP course is the course and exam description. Start by reviewing it to understand the objectives and expectations of the course and exam. 

Download the AP Business with Personal Finance Course and Exam Description (.pdf).

AP Business with Personal Finance curricular requirements: 

• The teacher and students have access to a college-level Introduction to Business textbook and/or comparable resources in print or electronic format that support the required content of the AP Business with Personal Finance course. The teacher and students have access to resources in print or electronic format that support the required personal finance content of the course.
• The course provides opportunities to develop student understanding of the required content outlined in each unit described in the AP Business with Personal Finance Course and Exam Description (CED).
• The course provides opportunities for students to engage with business case studies to practice reading, discussing, and evaluating the kinds of problems and opportunities real businesses face, and to recommend courses of action with reasoning and evidence.
• The course provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate skills in the following skill categories, as outlined in the CED:
  • Skill Category 1: Concept Application
  • Skill Category 2: Entrepreneurship
  • Skill Category 3: Decision Making
  • Skill Category 4: Communication
  • Skill Category 5: Collaboration
• The course provides dedicated class time for students to engage in the Business Canvas Project, including completion of required deliverables in Units 1–4, as outlined in the CED.
• The course provides opportunities for students to develop and test hypotheses related to the 8 key elements of the Business Canvas Project, as outlined in the CED.
• The course provides class time for students to complete all components of the required Financial Advisor Project. 

AP Business with Personal Finance resource requirements: 

• The school ensures that each student has a college-level Introduction to Business textbook (in print or electronic format) for individual use inside and outside the classroom. The textbook is supplemented when necessary to meet the curricular requirements.
• The school ensures that each student has access to the required sources listed in the course and exam description for individual use inside and outside of the classroom.
• The school ensures that each student and teacher has access to appropriate instructional resources and technology (i.e., library and research databases, the internet, computers, and presentation software). 

The list below represents examples of textbooks that meet the resource requirements of AP Business with Personal Finance. The list is not exhaustive and the texts listed should not be regarded as endorsed, authorized, recommended, or approved by College Board. Not using a book from this list does not mean that a course will not receive authorization. Syllabi submitted as part of the AP Course Audit process will be evaluated holistically, with textbooks considered along with supplementary, supporting resources to confirm that the course as a whole provides students with the content delineated in the curricular requirements of the AP Course Audit.  

The specified editions of the following textbooks meet the AP Course Audit curricular requirements. Earlier editions of these textbooks or other textbooks not listed here may meet the AP Course Audit curricular requirements if published within the last 10 years. While every effort is made to keep this list current, it can take a few months for newly published titles and revised editions to be reviewed. 

• Anderson, Dave, Heidi M. Neck, Christopher P. Neck, and Emma L. Murray. Business with Personal Finance for the AP Course (High School). BFW.
• Boone, Louis E., and David L. Kurtz. Contemporary Business. Wiley.
• Collins, Karen. Exploring Business. FlatWorld.
• Dlabay, Les, and Brad Kleindl. Principles of Business. 10th edition. Cengage.
• Ebert, Robert J. Business Essentials. Pearson.
• Gaspar, Julian E., Leonard Bierman, James W. Kolari, Richard T. Hise, L. Murphy Smith, and Antonio Arreola-Risa. Introduction to Business. Academic Media Solutions.
• Gitman, Lawrence J., Carl McDaniel, Amit Shah, Monique Reece, Linda Koffel, Bethann Talsma, and James C. Hyatt. Introduction to Business. OpenStax.
• Kelly, Marcella, and Chuck Williams. BUSN. Cengage.
• McHugh, Jim, Susan McHugh, and William Nickels. Understanding Business. McGraw-Hill.
• Neck, Heidi M., Christopher P. Neck, and Emma L. Murray. Introduction to Business. Sage College Publishing.
• Poff, R. (Ed.). Fundamentals of Business. 4th edition. Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech Publishing.
• Pride, William, Robert Hughes, and Jack Kapoor. Foundations of Business. Cengage.
• Solomon, Michael R., Mary Anne Poatsy, and Kendall Martin. Better Business. Pearson.

These annotated sample AP Business with Personal Finance syllabi show how the curricular requirements can be demonstrated in a syllabus and what level of detail you’ll need to include. 

AP Business with Personal Finance Sample Syllabus 1 (.pdf)

AP Business with Personal Finance Sample Syllabus 2 (.pdf)

Review this document for help creating your syllabus. 

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Business with Personal Finance (.pdf)

This resource includes the guidelines reviewers use to evaluate syllabi along with three samples of evidence for each requirement. This guide also specifies the level of detail required in the syllabus to receive course authorization.