General Studies

First or second semester

Students explore fundamentals of computer science and learn to write programs in Python, a language used by many scientists and software professionals.  Individual and group projects include art, interactive quizzes, and games.  Students build computational thinking, problem solving, and collaboration skills in addition to learning programming language features including user input, text and graphical output, variables, control structures, functions, and lists.  After this course, students will be well-prepared for Computer Science II or an introductory college Computer Science course.  No prior coding experience necessary.

First semester
10th - 12th grades

Students build a solid understanding of computer science fundamentals and the software development process while learning to write programs in Java, a language used by many software professionals.  Individual and group projects include budgets, fraction math, and pattern analysis.  Students build object-oriented design, collaboration, and debugging skills while learning language features including input and output, variables and data types, control structures, methods, and classes.  After this course, students will be well-prepared for Computer Science III or a college Computer Science course.  Prerequisite: Computer Science I or equivalent experience.

Second semester
10th - 12th grades

Students explore additional topics in computer science, object-oriented design, and Java language features including multi-dimensional arrays, ArrayLists, interfaces, inheritance and polymorphism, and recursion.  Individual and group projects include cryptography, spreadsheets, and games.  Students analyze standard searching and sorting algorithms, and gain deeper experience in the software development process including unit testing.  After this course, students will be prepared for a college Computer Science course focused on data structures and algorithms.  Prerequisite: Computer Science II or equivalent experience.

First semester

This course empowers students to find, explore, transform, visualize, and interpret big data sets using some of the same programming tools of professional data scientists.  Students explore the use of data in public policy using public data sets and discuss issues of bias in data collection and analysis.  Students analyze data to ask and answer a variety of questions about real-world topics such as movie recommendations, medical testing, political campaigns, sports, and cloud service reliability.  This course involves programming in the Python language, however previous programming experience is not required.  Prerequisite: Introduction to Statistics or equivalent experience.

Full year

Students learn journalistic writing, photography, digital newspaper production skills, and advertising sales. They write news stories, editorials, feature stories, and headlines. They learn about photojournalism using a digital camera and about newspaper layout using desktop publishing software. With these skills, they produce the school newspaper. As students advance each year, they develop more journalism and leadership skills and fill more responsible positions on the newspaper staff. Lead photographers or graphic designers may receive fine arts credit for this course with instructor approval.

Grades 9-12
First and second semesters

Where did my teacher put that assignment on Schoology? How can I get in the habit of using my planner? Why do I keep forgetting to turn in my assignments?

Work together with other students to learn how to make student life easier for you. Investigate ways to improve organization and break large projects into manageable action steps, and learn how to ask for what you need and keep track of all the pieces of your life that will help you thrive. Receive direct coaching on particular study skills related to classwork, including note taking, reading comprehension strategies and test preparation. As you learn helpful strategies, share them out with the broader community over Twitter, Instagram, and at assemblies. A maximum of 10 students ensures individualized access to teacher support.

First intensive

This project-based learning course focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, and societal needs. Students learn how to take an idea and transform it into a business or a social venture. The course is highly interdisciplinary, integrating concepts and skill development in a range of areas including business, finance/accounting, law, engineering and design, intellectual property, marketing, government regulation, and sociology. The course taps into the tremendous resources found in the local community, both for subject matter expertise (guest lectures) and for real-world, on-site visits to witness entrepreneurship in action within one of the country’s most vibrant startup ecosystems. As a final project, students develop a business plan and investor pitch deck that is ready to present to investors for potential seed stage or angel investment. The class develops the business plan collaboratively and gives a presentation to actual angel investors and/or social venture capitalists in the Seattle community at the conclusion of the class.

9th - 12th grades
First intensive
Application to Global Link required

This interdisciplinary Intensive explores global connections in the Pacific Northwest and cross-cultural immersion through a combination of classroom learning and a local-based overnight travel experience. This course is built around the signature experiences of Global Link—a team of students and staff who learn how to navigate and connect with different cultures and new living environments. Students accepted into the course are placed into Global Link teams that will focus on a specific theme and participate in an expedition-style travel experience during the 2nd week of the January intensive. Themes for January 2022 include photography & culture, cooking & culture, and outdoor recreation & culture.

11th or 12th grades
First or second intensive

LaunchPad is a two-week, real world experience for students to step off-campus and work in an environment that speaks to their personal passions and/or their professional, vocational, or academic curiosities. As an evolution of UPrep's Senior Project, students may meet this graduation requirement in junior or senior year, independently or within a designated, LaunchPad-eligible course.

From shadowing software engineers to maintaining hiking trails to helping manage a Pilates studio to producing original music, LaunchPad gives students the chance to engage with the world beyond UPrep and practice the skills they’ll need after they graduate.

The LaunchPad graduation requirement may be met through Independent LaunchPad, Semester LaunchPad, Student Produced Works, or a number of subject-specific courses marked "LaunchPad eligible."

Second intensive
Grades 11, 12

This course is a three-week, outdoor education experience focused on student leadership, teamwork, and stewardship based partly in Seattle and partly in the greater North Cascades. The course emphasizes self-awareness, judgment, and decision making, as well as multidisciplinary skills such as wilderness first aid and risk management. The course provides myriad opportunities for students to embrace and refine their leadership skills, and increase their self-confidence, technical abilities, intuition, compassion, and common sense. Ultimately, Outdoor Leadership is grounded in experiential education, including many hands-on, real-world scenarios that develop problem solving, critical thinking, risk mitigation, and cooperative skills.