There are two AP computer science courses currently offered. Computer Science Principles is considered to be a more "big picture" course than the programming-intensive Computer Science A.
AP Computer Science A AP Computer Science A is a programming-based course, equivalent to a first-semester–level college course. AP CSA emphasizes
object-oriented programming and is taught using the programming language of
Java. The course has an emphasis on problem-solving using
data structures and
algorithms.
AP Computer Science Principles AP Computer Science Principles is an introductory college-level course in computer science with an emphasis on
computational thinking and the impacts of computing. The course has no designated programming language, and teaches
algorithms and
programming, complementing Computer Science A.
AP Computer Science AB (discontinued) AP Computer Science AB included all the topics of AP Computer Science A, as well as a more formal and a more in-depth study of
algorithms,
data structures, and
data abstraction. For example,
binary trees were studied in AP Computer Science AB but not in AP Computer Science A. The use of
recursive data structures and
dynamically allocated structures were fundamental to AP Computer Science AB. AP Computer Science AB was equivalent to a full-year college course. Due to low numbers of students taking the exam, AP Computer Science AB was discontinued following the May 2009 exam administration. ==See also==