Computer Science

Computer Science — Grade 12

American Curriculum · Ages 17-18

Twelfth grade computer science is usually a capstone: an advanced elective, a second AP course, dual-enrollment college credit, or an independent project year. Students design and deliver a substantial application from requirements through to deployment.

Content often includes software engineering practice, advanced algorithms, an introduction to machine learning and data science, and cyber security. For students heading to a computing degree, this year is largely about building a portfolio and the habits (testing, documentation, version control) that college courses assume.

Key topics covered

• Capstone ProjectRequirements, design, build, test and deployment of a real application.
• Software EngineeringVersion control, testing, documentation and working to a specification.
• Advanced AlgorithmsGraph algorithms, dynamic programming and complexity analysis.
• Data Science & Machine LearningWorking with datasets, visualization and introductory ML concepts.
• Cyber SecurityThreat modeling, secure coding practice, encryption and authentication.
• Portfolio & College ReadinessBuilding a portfolio and the practices computing degrees expect.