Minnetonka High School is proud to introduce its International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The IB Programme was originally developed in Europe to provide an international standard of excellence and intellectual rigor for college-bound students world-wide. IB is a deep, thought-provoking course or study during the junior and senior year. IB graduates are among the top-tier college recruits in the world.
Students in tenth grade are invited to apply for the IB program at the same time that they register for their junior year classes.
The vision of the IB program is that students share a well-rounded academic experience that emphasizes critical thinking, intercultural understanding and exposure to a variety of points of view.
IB is a demanding college-level course of study that leads to examinations and potentially college credit. IB is ideally suited for a highly motivated student who enjoys pondering the question, Why? Many advanced courses of study accelerate students through a curriculum. IB courses move at a different pace, encouraging in-depth research, inquiry, analysis, critical thinking and connections across the curriculum. The well-rounded curriculum requires students to deal with their weaknesses in subject areas as well as their strengths. Traditional accelerated programs allow students to avoid vulnerable areas. IB forces students to address them.
The IB Diploma Programme is a comprehensive two-year (13 courses) curriculum which provides a deep, thought-provoking program of study in six areas during the junior and senior year. The IB Programme is not for the faint of heart. The strengths of the program are its academic rigor and well-rounded traditional liberal arts curriculum enhanced with an extended essay, inquiry into the theory of knowledge, research, creativity, action and service.
The IB Diploma Programme also develops a smaller learning community of academically motivated students within traditionally larger high schools. IB students enroll in a core group of IB classes with other IB diploma candidates during their junior and senior years, yet have the opportunity to interact with students throughout the school during ninth and tenth grade classes, and in world language, fine arts and after school activities throughout their high school years.
The IB Diploma Programme has earned a reputation for rigorous assessment, giving IB Diploma-holders access to the leading American and international universities and college credit. For over 30 years, the IB Organization has shown that its students are well prepared for university work. The rigor of the IB Programme makes its diploma graduates among the top-tier college recruits in America and the world. It has become a symbol of academic integrity and intellectual promise.
Contact Dr. Ann Swanson, IB Coordinator, in the Guidance Office at MHS for more information or to register. She can also be reached by phone at 952-401-5897.