AP Economics is one of Concordia’s new AP offerings this year, a college-level class that covers both Macro and Microeconomics. Students delve into various aspects of business, from a broad look at the whole macroeconomic system to how businesses are structured and function. 

In the first half of the year, the class is studying the US economy on a macro level, learning about GDP and how to tell whether the economy is in a recession or an inflationary cycle. Students also look at monetary and fiscal policy and how governments use those to get the economy where it needs to be. The class will learn how to make simplified models of the economic cycle, how to graph data and different indicators, giving the course a STEM component. 

“It’s a lot of real-world stuff,” said Alan (G12). “I like how when I look in the news now, especially in the business section, I can understand what’s going on much more, and I can speak more intelligently in conversations.”

The second half of the year will cover microeconomics. Students will learn about individual businesses and business practices, entrepreneurship, how businesses work in different environments, how to build a business plan and how to incorporate personal finances. If students perform well, they can test out of 6 hours of university courses by passing AP exams in both Macro and Microeconomics.

“It’s quite an interesting course because it’s closely related to real life and helps you understand how the economy works, and so you understand how the real world works and what is going on in the news,” said Jun (G12).

Advanced Placement (AP) is a United States program created by the College Board which offers university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. The program is widely recognized by US universities as well as universities throughout the world. Most US universities grant placement and course credit to students who score a three to five on the examinations.