Skip To Main Content

Advanced Studies

Go Beyond!

At Emma Willard School, we focus on what matters most in learning—relevance, enduring understanding, and connection across disciplines.

Today’s high school students face new challenges that require deep topic knowledge and critical thinking. Enduring learning and academically rigorous curricula go beyond simply loading up on AP™ courses. Emma is responding to our changing world by designing our own unique advanced curriculum. Faculty members develop Advanced Studies (AS) courses that challenge our students and fuel their love of learning. 

Advanced Studies courses are comparable to Advanced Placement™ courses in rigor and workload. Emma Willard School seeks to instill in each student a wide breadth of knowledge and the ability to demonstrate mastery of learning in a variety of ways. To ensure students engage with a range of rigorous offerings across the program, we cap the number of AS courses a student may take in each grade year. A grade 9 student may not enroll in AS courses. A grade 10 student may enroll in up to one AS course, a grade 11 student may enroll in up to two courses, and a grade 12 student may enroll in up to three AS courses.

The Advanced Studies curriculum we've developed frees us from the constraints of the AP. Instead of teaching to a test, we create learning experiences that are inventive, deeply rigorous, and tailored to our community's interests and strengths. - Caroline Boyajian, Director of Curriculum and Innovation

Each year, Emma Willard students participate in advanced study in the following subjects:

Art History
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus C
Chemistry
Chinese Language
Computer Science A
Computer Science Explorations
Economics
French Language
Latin
Literature
Physics 1
Physics 2
Psychology
Spanish Language
Statistics
Studio Art
United States Government and Politics
United States History
EW

Whether you’re interested in studying multivariable calculus, Shakespearean tragedy, theatre, or global climate change, Emma has a course to fit your interest. Download our course catalog for more details and graduation requirements.

Course Catalog