Academic Concentrations
The Upper School's academic concentrations allow students to meaningfully explore and dive deeper into an area of academic interest through specialized curricula, enhanced learning opportunities, and intentional experiences.
Inside and outside the traditional classroom, students pursuing a concentration develop critical skills necessary for their academic fields, cultivate personal agency, and engage more broadly with the local and global community, providing a valuable opportunity for students who are motivated to passionately pursue their areas of interest and reimagine authentic learning opportunities.
Entrepreneurial Leadership
The EL Program creates independent and creative thinkers while inculcating team-driven problem-solving skills in a learning environment wherein students feel encouraged to fall forward, learn to pivot, and build the resilience essential to launching a venture of their own and becoming the job creators of tomorrow.
Students are equipped with the ability to:
- Map out a business idea,
- Assay target markets,
- Validate product/service need,
- Create marketing plans,
- Construct high-fidelity prototypes,
- Chart economically sound paths to the marketplace, and
- Confidently communicate all of the above to an informed audience.
Concentration Requirements: 3.0 Academic Credits
Required Courses
- Speech (.5 credit, part of Freshman Year Seminar Class)
- Economics of Business (.5 credit)
- Applied Models of Economics Honors (1 credit)* - Offered in 12th grade
- Elective Courses (must choose 2)
- Business Communication (.5 credit)
- Fabrication and Design Methods (.5 credit)
- Leadership for Entrepreneurs (.5 credit)
- Marketing for Entrepreneurs (.5 credit)
- Managerial Finance (.5 credit)
- Social Entrepreneurship (.5 credit)
*2.0 credit hours must be achieved prior to enrollment in Applied Models of Economics in the 12th grade year.
Learn more about our EL Program.
For more information, contact Brad Dennis at brad.dennis@mybga.org.
Fine Arts
The Fine Arts concentration fosters a vibrant, supportive environment where students are encouraged to bravely engage in the creative process while pursuing excellence in their chosen discipline.
While in the Fine Arts concentration, students will develop creative, critical, and divergent thinking, empowering them to solve problems both independently and collaboratively. Students will hone their artistic skills through practice, discipline, and constructive critique, while learning to synthesize knowledge and personal experiences in their creative work. They will learn how to generate innovative ideas, communicate through artistic literacy, and appreciate diverse cultures and perspectives. Ultimately, students will discover and refine their artistic voice, deepening their ability to interpret and respond to the world.
Fine Arts Concentration students are equipped with the ability to:
- Exhibit artistic excellence through practice, discipline, and constructive critique
- Synthesize knowledge and personal experiences in creative work
- Generate innovative ideas and solutions to problems
- Communicate through artistic literacy
- Understand diverse cultures & perspectives
- Reflect on one’s emotions, strengths, and limitations
- Analyze, interpret, and evaluate artistic work
Concentration Requirements: 2.5 Academic Credits from a Fine Arts Focus Area (Visual Art, Vocal or Instrumental Music, or Theatre) before taking the Fine Arts Capstone (.5 credit) during the spring semester of senior year
Fine Arts Focus Area Courses:
- Visual Art:
- Digital Art I (.5 credit)
- Digital Art II (.5 credit)
- Intro to Photography (.5 credit)
- Adv. Photo Techniques (.5 credit)
- Drawing and Design I (.5 credit)
- Drawing and Design II (.5 credit)
- Painting I (.5 credit)
- Painting II (.5 credit)
- Sculpture and Ceramics I (.5 credit)
- Sculpture and Ceramics II (.5 credit)
- Sculpture and Ceramics III (.5 credit)
- Sculpture and Ceramics IV (.5 credit)
- Art and Design Honors (1 credit)
- AP Art and Design (1 credit)
- Music:
- Chamber Choir (1 credit)
- Concert Choir (.5 credit)
- Concert Band (1 credit)
- Commercial Music Ensemble (1 credit)
- Guitar/Ukulele I (.5 credit)
- Guitar/Ukulele II (.5 credit)
- Music Through Technology I (.5 credit)
- Music Through Technology II (.5 credit)
- Theatre:
- Acting I (.5 credit)
- Acting II (.5 credit)
- Costume Design (.5 credit)
- Playwriting (.5 credit)
- Theatre Ensemble (1 credit)
- Intro to Theatre Arts (.5 credit)
- Theatre Arts (.5 credit)
For more information, contact Andrea Howard at andrea.howard@mybga.org.
Global Studies
The Global Studies concentration fosters an ethos of global citizenship by examining the intersections between what a student is learning in the classroom and with the broader global society.
The program:
- Promotes “Glocal” thinking: the interconnection between global and local, empowering students to be agents of change in their local communities and in the broader world.
- Develops a cultural competency to nurture empathy and respect for cultural diversity.
- Encourages an expedition mentality where students approach the world with curiosity and a sense of adventure and apply it to their own lives.
Students will:
- Research and discuss global issues relating each topic to a local connection.
- Develop a journalistic approach to writing and research, including data collection, geographic understanding, and cultural analysis.
- Expand conversation skills through critical thinking, intellectual discourse, and civil discourse to foster a deeper understanding and meaning.
- Present research and write in-depth on a topic of global interest in the form of a research paper or assembly-style presentation.
Required Courses:
- Sophomore Year:
- Perspectives in Global Thinking (.5 credit)
- World Language (1.0 additional credit beyond graduation requirements)
- The additional credit can be in the same world language as previous credits OR in a a new world language.
- Junior Year: Global Seminar Class (.5 credit)
- Senior Year: Capstone Class (.5 credit)
Elective Courses (.5 credit):
Students would choose at least .5 credit from several international/global electives. Examples include: AP Human Geography, Borders & People: Immigration History in the United States, Micro/Macroeconomics, Modern Middle East History, French Culture and Film, Modern Chinese History.
The .5 credit can be taken at any point in the student’s high school experience; it does not need to be completed prior to senior year.
Other Global Concentration Requirements:
- Immersive Travel
- Sophomore Year Travel: 10-day Global/Local Experience
For more information, contact Leigh Roberts at leigh.roberts@mybga.org.
STEM
The STEM concentration helps students solidify observation and analytical thinking skills through an interdisciplinary approach centered on real-world experience and applications.
Students are equipped with the ability to:
- Generate answerable questions,
- Analyze and visualize data sets,
- Approach problem solving from diverse perspectives,
- Understand the complexity and interconnectedness of STEM fields,
- Connect with individuals working in STEM careers,
- Communicate in various modalities,
- Work independently on a capstone project/ experience.
Concentration Requirements: 2.5 Academic Credits*
Required Courses
- Physics (1 credit) - Students choose between Conceptual Physics, Physics Honors or AP Physics to meet this requirement.
- Senior STEM Capstone (.5 credit) - Offered in spring semester of 12th grade
- Capstone Project Options
- Internship
- Research Opportunities
- Independent study of advanced coursework not offered at BGA
- Students may complete the bulk of their Capstone project prior to enrolling in the Capstone course, but they are still required to enroll in this class to earn the STEM distinction.
- Capstone Project Options
Elective Courses (Must complete 2.0 credits from at least 3 STEM areas)
- Science:
- Anatomy & Physiology I (.5 credit)
- Anatomy & Physiology II (.5 credit)
- Forensics (.5 credit)
- Marine Biology (.5 credit)
- Molecular Biology of Disease I (.5 credit)
- Molecular Biology of Disease II (.5 credit)
- Scientific Data (.5 credit)
- AP Chemistry (1 credit)
- AP Biology (1 credit)
- AP Physics - if 2nd Physics class (1 credit)
- Technology:
- Programming I (.5 credit)
- Intro to Computer Science (.5 credit)
- AP Computer Science Principles (1 credit)
- AP Computer Science A (1 credit)
- Engineering:
- Conceptual Engineering (.5 credit)
- Fabrication & Design Methods (.5 credit)
- Robotics (.5 credit)
- Mathematics:
- Managerial Finance (.5 credit)
- Problem Solving (.5 credit)
- Statistics - in addition to Calculus/ AP Calculus (1 credit)
- AP Statistics - in addition to Calculus/ AP Calculus (1 credit)
*These credits are beyond the math and science credits required for graduation.
Students must complete 2.0 credits from a minimum of 3 STEM areas prior to the spring semester, Senior STEM Capstone.
For more information, contact Jenn Demers at jennifer.demers@mybga.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Curriculum
Is public speaking part of the curriculum/syllabus?
BGA has an excellent tradition preparing all students to speak publicly with opportunities embedded throughout a student’s experience. The new Freshman Seminar aims to continue and strengthen that tradition, thus providing all students with the skills and confidence to speak in front of an audience.
Is it possible to be on multiple concentration tracks?
No, we are placing a premium on depth of study rather than the breadth that typically defines a high school experience.
Is it possible to do one of these concentrations AND continue an arts elective (i.e., Choir) through each year of high school?
Yes, with intentional planning, students can be involved with a concentration and continue arts electives throughout their high school experience. However, there may be difficult choices that students will have to make from year to year depending on their interests. It won’t be abnormal for highly driven students to have a semester without a study hall depending on the rest of their courses and what graduation requirements they have fulfilled.
Concentrations & College Process
What’s better for college admission – taking Advanced Placement classes or pursuing a concentration? If a student can’t fit everything they want in their schedule, what is the best approach?
The answer to these questions varies depending on the student and their individual academic goals. It is possible to take AP classes AND pursue an academic concentration. Students are advised to have discussions with their academic adviser, concentration directors, and The College Center to help them understand the pathway that may be the best fit for their interests. Either pathway will provide excellent preparation for college.
How do colleges know a student is in a concentration? Is there a designation on the transcript? Should students share it in their applications?
Each student’s individual college counselor will highlight a student’s involvement in a concentration through the counselor recommendation letter that is shared with colleges as part of the student’s application. Concentrations are also featured on an academic profile that accompanies every college application. This profile provides colleges with a brief overview and snapshot of BGA. In addition, students are also able to share this information on their admission applications through their responses to essays or short-answer questions.
How do the Academic Concentrations prepare students for their college experience?
A BGA education will provide every student with a strong academic foundation as they continue their education at a college or university. Students involved with any concentration will also gain added insight into their potential academic future and confidence in their interest in that area. When asked on college applications or in interviews, concentration students will be able to provide tangible examples of engagement with the subject area beyond the classroom and into the real world through the experiential components offered through both concentrations.
One benefit of the Academic Concentrations is the experiential component that will provide students with an experience outside of the classroom. For example, Entrepreneurial Leadership students will collaborate with local entrepreneurs and be mentored by Middle Tennessee industry leaders while STEM students will have opportunities to collaborate on research or participate in internships in a STEM-related field. Concentration faculty will help support students in creating these engagement opportunities.
Additionally, students in the concentrations will have access to professionals through their coursework and exposure with symposiums, lunch and learns, and other on- and off-campus activities. Some of these experiences will be offered to non-concentration students (as space allows).