What is IB Program? Should students study this program or not?
The International Baccalaureate Program (IB Program) has attracted a lot of attention from parents and students in recent years. The program gives students an edge when applying to college. So what is IB program? Who should study the IB program? Find out in the article below!
What is the IB program?
IB stands for International Baccalaureate. It is a comprehensive educational program present in more than 150 countries globally. IB is highly regarded by universities. To be able to teach IB, schools must meet very strict requirements in terms of course standards.
This program takes a holistic approach to education, nurturing intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills. IB aims to teach students how to “think critically and independently, ask questions carefully and logically”.
Currently, IB has a total of 4 different programs:
Primary Years Program (PYP) – Primary school: 3 to 12 years old
Middle Years Program (MYP) – High school: 11 to 16 years old
Diploma Program (DP) – Degree award: 16 to 19 years old
Careers-Related Program – Career-related program: 16 to 19 years old
Every program has its merits. Students do not need to complete PYP or MYP to study DP.
Subjects and structure of the IB program
There are 6 subject groups in the IB DP. Students must choose 1 subject from each group 1 to 5, and 1 subject from group 6 or other groups. At least 3 out of 6 subjects need to be studied at a higher level, the remaining 3 subjects are in the standard system. Here are the 6 groups and specific subjects:
- Language and Literature
- Language Acquisition
- Individuals and Societies – Personal Development and Sociology (Geography, Religion, History, Economics, Business Administration, Psychology, Philosophy, Information Technology)
- Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Systems, Physical Education, Computer Science, Design Engineering)
- Mathematics (Study of Mathematics, Mathematics and Higher Mathematics)
- The Arts (Dance, Music, Film, Drama, Visual Arts)
In addition to the 6 subjects chosen, students must also complete the following three core IB elements to gain experience and perfect skills:
- Theory of Knowledge (ToK): ToK is important in IB because it allows students to reflect on the nature of knowledge and how we can claim to know what is already known.
- The Extended Essay: Students need to write a 4,000-word in-depth study on a topic of their choice.
- Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): To complete this component, students need to engage in various individually challenging activities related to these three areas with excellent results.
Benefits of the IB program
Some of the important advantages of getting an IB degree that you need to consider are:
- Universities take IB degrees very seriously. So students with an IB degree can gain admission to the best colleges and universities in the world.
- Students who earn this degree demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of foreign languages, cultures and politics.
- The structure of the International Baccalaureate program emphasizes self-study and self-direction.
- The IB program is taught in 4,000 schools in 150 countries. This program is ideal for those who move abroad a lot.
- Research shows that students from IB courses are often highly regarded and have more opportunities to receive scholarships.
With the above information, hopefully parents and students know what the IB program is and why they need to study the International Baccalaureate program.
Comments