AP Career Kickstart

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

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What Is AP Career Kickstart?

AP Career Kickstart expands the AP Program by offering high schools a new group of career courses and exams that can be easily tailored to fit into existing career and technical education (CTE) programs of study. We’re partnering with employers, college faculty, and high school educators to design courses that can lead to college credit and employer-endorsed credentials, and prepare students for high-demand jobs.

Career Kickstart director

Explore Our Career Courses

Learn about the new AP Career Kickstart courses that are launching in the 2026-27 school year or are in pilots.

AP Business with Personal Finance

This course offers students the opportunity to earn college credit and a credential, and aligns with the National Standards for Personal Financial Education. 

Learn More About AP Business with Personal Finance

AP Cybersecurity

This course offers students the opportunity to earn college credit and a credential, and aligns with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Workforce Framework. 

Learn More About AP Cybersecurity

Pilot Program for 2025-26

We’re piloting AP Cybersecurity and AP Networking in classrooms across the U.S. in the 2025-26 school year. 

Learn More About the Pilots

Employer-Endorsed Credentials

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

Learn More About Our Credentials
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Expand Your CTE Programs with AP Career Kickstart

AP Career Kickstart courses are designed to bring the nationally recognized college credit of AP to the applied learning of career and technical education (CTE).

Webinar: Uniting AP and CTE

Watch this webinar about how AP Career Kickstart courses build connections for students between college and career interests. 

Register to Watch the Webinar

AP Career Kickstart CTE Pathways

Find out how these new AP courses fit into existing CTE programs and help more students get a head start on their careers. 

Download the Flyer

AP Career Kickstart Timeline

  1. 2026

    FALL 2026

    AP Business with Personal Finance launches

    Learn About the Course

  2. 2026

    FALL 2026

    AP Cybersecurity launches

    Learn About the Course

  3. 2026

    FALL 2026

    AP Networking pilot for the 2026-27 school year begins

    Explore the Course Framework

  4. 2027

    MAY 2027

    AP Business with Personal Finance, AP Cybersecurity Exams administered

  5. 2027

    FALL 2027

    AP Networking launches

  6. 2028

    MAY 2028

    AP Networking Exam administered

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

Link

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

Link

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

“I have found as a CHRO and a person who oversees learning in companies that people learn best through cases and practical application with discussion with peers. I also appreciate College Board’s corporate partnership to train entry-level candidates with these core concepts.”

Marguerite Eastwood, Chief Human Resources Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Stay Informed

Complete the interest form to request information and stay updated on AP Career Kickstart courses.

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