FAQs

A: The St. Louis Centers for Advanced Professional Studies (St. Louis CAPS) is a nationally recognized, innovative high school program. Students fast forward into their future and are fully immersed in a professional culture, solving real world problems, using industry standard tools and are mentored by actual employers, all while receiving high school credit. St. Louis CAPS is an example of how business, community, and public education can partner to produce personalized learning experiences that educate or validate the interests of the workforce of tomorrow, especially in college-bound high skill & high demand career paths.

Q: Is St. Louis CAPS a trade school or vocational program?
A: No. St. Louis CAPS provides students the opportunity to deeply explore professional areas of interest through a profession-based, inquiry learning method. St. Louis CAPS is driven by the changing workforce needs of industry, therefore instructors, professionals, and business partners collaborate to develop coursework. Our curriculum is dynamic, constantly evolving to follow industry trends and market changes using a copyrighted rapid prototyping curriculum development process.

Q: How do colleges/universities view St. Louis CAPS students?
A: While each institution has different admission standards, St. Louis CAPS students will be immersed in the world of profession-based learning – using a continuous improvement cycle to master key durable (soft) skills like: introductions, time/project management, professional communication (e.g. email, text, phone, videoconferencing), interviewing, and networking. Our students also complete real-world interdisciplinary projects that receive feedback from professionals knowledgeable of current practices. These examples and more are proving to differentiate St. Louis CAPS students on college, university, and scholarship applications.

Q: What type of credit can be received from a STL CAPS course?
A: St. Louis CAPS courses offer high school credit, elective and core credit.

Q: What is the schedule in the STL CAPS program?
A: St. Louis CAPS courses meet 5 days a week for an entire school year. Courses are 3 periods in length and are offered during two sessions (morning and afternoon) to better accommodate students’ home high school schedule needs.

• AM Session: 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM
• PM Session: 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM

Q: What are the requirements to enroll?
A: Students interested in the St. Louis CAPS program need to:

• attain junior or senior status
• desire to work in a profession-based, real-world environment with other high school students in the St. Louis area
• be open to new experiences and willing to work through the challenges those new experiences may present
• be willing to comply with business ethics (e.g. attendance) and dress codes determined by the type of St. Louis CAPS course they are involved in
• be willing to spend 3 periods a day away from their home high school
• be able to provide their own transportation to St. Louis CAPS classroom and business partner sites
• submit an application via our website