Authorized to offer the full International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme in November 2009, the IB Programme at Holy Cross is an optional two-year programme of rigorous learning during a student's junior and senior years. Examinations are taken at the end of the course, generally in May, and are externally assessed. Students draft a 4,000-word Extended Essay, a work of original research, and actively engage in service and learning outside the classroom through Creativity, Action and Service (CAS). Based on their examination scores, students may earn an IB Diploma. The IB Diploma is internationally recognized by prestigious universities for excellence in college preparation. Colleges award credit for examination scores and IB Diploma graduates may often enter university as second-year students. All students are encouraged to embrace the qualities reflected in the IB Learner Profile whether or not they are in the full IB Diploma Programme.
IB Diploma Programme students must study six subjects to ensure breadth of knowledge. Students study at least one subject from Groups 1 through 5:
Language A (Native Tongue)
Language B (second or Acquired Language)
Individuals and Societies
Sciences
Math
The sixth subject can be from Group 6, Arts, or an additional subject from Groups 2 through 5.
The Academy offers a wide variety of IB courses across our curriculum; click here to view our IB course offerings and full course descriptions. For IB course curriculum briefs and other information from IB, please click here.
IB Pinning Ceremony
We celebrate our IB Diploma Programme graduates at a Pinning Ceremony each spring.
About IB
Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate currently works with 3,510 schools in 144 countries to develop and offer three challenging programmes to over 1, 073,000 students aged 3 to 19 years.
There are 1,396 IB World Schools in the United States offering one or more of the three IB programmes. 348 schools offer the Primary Years Programme, 475 schools offer the Middle Years Programme and 777 schools offer the Diploma Programme (as of January, 2013).
To apply for the 2013-2014 IB Diploma Programme, please complete the application.
For more information about the IB Programme in general, please visit the IB website.
