LISA Academy Programme

The LISA Academy Programme is offered in the last two years of the school career. It is a programme for students who cannot complete the Austrian Matura due to German language skills. To cover the costs of this programme, a higher school membership fee is imposed. It is a two-year programme, and therefore it is not possible to enter the programme after the first IB year has started.

Six IB subjects: The students will choose their 6 IB Diploma subjects. According to the IB Diploma regulations, three of these subjects have to be HL, and three have SL. Some of the subjects will be pre-determined by the school based on language ability. TOK, CAS, and Extended Essay are mandatory. LISA Academy students have to complete the full IB Diploma requirements (not individual certificates).

Sports: Physical education is a mandatory subject.

Languages: LISA Academy students are required to complete a minimum of two languages: The mother-tongue course (English or Self-Taught) and one foreign language. Regardless of chosen languages for the IB Diploma, all Academy students must attend a German as a foreign language course, which is offered by our school. Students can then choose German B SL/HL/Ab Initio as one of their IB Diploma subjects.

LISA Academy Fee: The annual fee of 2400 € in grades 11 and 12 will be charged if the student is accepted in the 9th to 11th grade of the LISA. If the student has already been admitted to LISA in the lower classes (grades 5 – 8), the basic membership fee will be charged in the upper classes. Additional services (e.g., Munich Project, IB Exam Fees) are charged separately.

The annual membership fee for the Academy Programme per school year:

  • 2400 € for the grade 11 (year 7) Academy Programme*
  • 2400 € for the grade 12 (year 8) Academy Programme*

The Academy Programme fee includes items such as the basic membership fee, subject IB and self-taught language exam fees, the costs for a study trip to Munich, tuition fee crash courses, deployment of assistant teachers, career guidance, etc.

The IB Diploma Programme is taught in the last two years (11th and 12th grade). The IBDP is internationally recognized for university admission, including Austria. The IB Diploma (IBDP) is offered at the LISA in addition to the Austrian Reifeprüfung (“Matura”). 

Find out more about the IB Diploma Programme: ibdp_en


IB Diploma Programme


 

Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS)

Creativity, Activity, and Service, better known as CAS is a pillar of the LISA experience. Completing the programme is a requirement of the International Baccalaureate, but here at the LISA, we want to move beyond checking the IB requirements boxes and create a programme that allows students to enrich their lives while better preparing them for life after they graduate.

What is CAS? CAS is a self-directed programme that requires students to conceive, plan, complete, and reflect on a number of activities over the course of their last two years at the LISA. Students are required to evenly divide their experiences between artistic interests (Creativity), sports pursuits (Activity), and bettering their school, local, or world community (Service). Our philosophy at the LISA is to give students as much latitude as possible in choosing how they fulfill these requirements, so they feel comfortable in going beyond themselves and explore a wide variety of experiences.

What is the CAS project? Additionally, students have to plan, manage and reflect on a month-long collaborative project in one or more of the CAS strands. This gives students the opportunity to be creative in focusing their energy on a lengthy project that suits their particular interests.

Organizing the IB Choices Fair as a CAS project!

What do our students gain from the CAS programme? First, CAS is designed to nudge students out of their comfort zones and inspire them to do things they might not have done on their own. In many cases, students discover a passion for an activity that continues to enrich their lives long after graduating from the LISA.

Secondly, the CAS programme helps students develop skills needed to manage long-term projects. Whether the student is destined to visit the university or trade school or go straight into the job market, completing this programme gives them organizational skills that will serve them well in life.

From a practical standpoint, CAS gives students an advantage when applying for admission to a university, trade school, or for a job. A well-conceived and managed CAS programme provides students with a set of experiences that set them apart from other applicants by virtue of the fact that they can clearly demonstrate a number of skills and abilities that admissions officials and personal directors are looking for.

How does CAS develop better citizens? Essential to the LISA philosophy is that the CAS experience in sum encourage students to develop depth to their personalities and serve as a conduit that allows them to unlock their own full potential. In combination with the international flair of the LISA, the CAS programme plays a vital role in developing LISA students into citizens who are well equipped to participate in the world community and embrace its great cultural diversity.

Please contact our CAS-Coordinator Mr. Greenway for further information about the CAS-Programme: gr@europagym.at


IB DP Subjects

LISA is one of only 10 schools in Austria and the only one in Upper
Austria, offering the IB. LISA prepares students for the IB diploma as
well as for the Austrian “Reifeprüfung”. LISA is an approved “IB World
School”.

To earn an IB diploma the following criteria must be fulfilled:

  • “External Assessment”: final exams in 6 subjects (see below)
  • “Extended Essay”: a depth study relying on independent research
  • “CAS Programme”: Creativity, Action, Service programme. Each student must work 150 hours outside of school.
  • “Internal Assessment”: a portfolio of work must be completed for each chosen subject
  • “Theory of Knowledge”: An essay examining how knowledge and meaning is constructed

The examination for the Diploma requires candidates to take six subjects, each normally studied over a period of two years. At least three and not more than four must be taken at Higher Level (HL) and the others at Standard Level (SL). The six subjects must be chosen by selecting from each of the following subjects:

IB Subject Choice

IB subjects are choosen in year 6 (6. Klasse) for the upcoming two school years. The IB Diploma Programme will take place during the last two school years (years 7 and 8). In order for students to be able to choose a wide range of IB Diploma Subjects, preparation for the IB Diploma Programme (and the Austrian Matura) will start in year 5.

Self-taught Languages

Download the Self-taught languages information sheet here.

The IB Core

Group 1: Studies of Language and Literature

Group 2: Language acquisition

Group 3: Individuals and Societies

Group 4: Experimental Sciences

Group 5: Mathematics

Group 6: The Arts

Examples:

  • HL: German A, English B, History – SL: Maths, Biology, Theatre Arts
  • HL: German A, English B, Maths  – SL: Physics, History, French B
  • HL: German A, English B, Geography – SL: Maths, Physics, Art/Design
  • HL: English A, German B, Biology – SL: Economics, Chemistry, Maths.
  • HL: English B History HL, Biiology HL – SL: Self-taught Language, Economics SL, Math SL
  • more combinations are of course possible

Additional Requirements:

  • Extended Essay: 4000 words; supervised by the teacher, assessed by an examiner.
  • Theory of Knowledge: critical reflection on what
    the student claims to know and what is professed as knowledge by others.
    Assessed by the TOK teacher and an examiner.
  • CAS – Programme: Creativity: e.g. arts, drama,
    musical instruments,…      Action: e.g. sports, outings, organising, …
    Service: e.g. social service, welfare, environment, …      Assessed by
    the CAS coordinator and monitored by the IB Regional Office.