Give Your Students a Head Start with Outlier STEM Dual Enrollment Courses
Careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are among the fastest growing and highest paying careers in the U.S. (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Prepare your students for a successful future with STEM college courses worth high school and college credit.
Browse the Course Catalog
Calculus I
The Mathematics of Change
Intro to Statistics
How Data Describes Our World
Precalculus
Master The Building Blocks of Calculus
Computer Science I
Code The Future
College Algebra
Math Rules Everything Around Us
Intro to Astronomy
Our universe, explored
Transform your high school classroom into a STEM college lecture hall
Real College Credit
Put your students on a STEM college track with accredited courses worth actual college credit from the University of Pittsburgh, a top 50 global school. (U.S. News and World Report, 2022 Rankings)
Quality + Support
Your students deserve the best: Top-rated instructors. Cinematic lectures. Mastery-based learning. Unlimited tutoring. All designed to maximize their success.
Ultimate Flexibility
It’s never been easier to set up your students and teachers for success with turn-key online courses that flex to fit your school schedule.
Essential STEM Concepts and Techniques Needed for College Credit (and then some!)
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Calculus I
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Intro to Statistics
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Precalculus
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Computer Science I
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College Algebra
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Intro to Astronomy
Calculus I
Key Concepts Covered-
Functions and Limits
- Representing, modeling, and transforming functions
- Exponential, inverse, and logarithmic functions
- Tangents and instantaneous velocity
- Limits and continuity of functions
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Differentiation
- Differentiating polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, hyperbolic, and trigonometric functions
- The product and quotient rules
- The chain rule
- Implicit differentiation
- Related rates
- Linearization and differentials
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Applying Differentiation
- Finding maximums and minimums
- Derivative tests
- Indeterminates and L'Hospital's Rule
- Sketching curves
- Using graphing tools
- Optimization
- Antiderivatives
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Integration
- Approximating area and distance
- Definite and indefinite integrals
- The fundamental theorem of calculus
- The substitution rule
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Applying Integration
- Finding areas between curves
- Volume by integration
- Calculating work
- The mean value theorem for integrals
Intro to Statistics
Key Concepts Covered-
Statistics and Data
- The statistical process
- Data and sampling
- Experimental design and ethics
- Frequency distributions, histograms, box plots, and scatter plots
- Measures of center and spread
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Probability
- Rules of probability
- Contingency tables
- Random variables and probability distributions
- Discrete random variables
- Binomial distributions
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Continuous Random Variables and Confidence Intervals
- Continuous random variables and the uniform distribution
- The normal distribution
- The law of large numbers
- The central limit theorem
- Estimating confidence intervals using the normal distribution, the student’s t-distribution, and population proportions
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Hypothesis Testing
- Type I and II errors
- Making decisions about hypotheses
- Matched samples, paired samples, and independent samples
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Other Statistical Analyses
- The chi-square distribution
- Correlation coefficients
- Finding significance
- Linear equations and linear regression
- ANOVA testing
- The f-distribution and the f-ratio
Precalculus
Key Concepts Covered-
Numbers, Functions, and Graphs
- Real numbers
- Exponents and scientific notation
- Roots and complex numbers
- The rectangular coordinate system
- Functions
- Rates of change
- Domain and range
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Equations, Inequality, and Manipulating Functions
- Linear, polynomial, and quadratic equations
- Other equations
- Inequalities
- Manipulation, transformation and composition of functions
- Inverse functions
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Graphing Functions
- Linear, polynomial, and rational functions
- Systems of linear functions
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Exponential Functions
- Exponential growth and decay
- Base e
- Exponential and logarithmic equations
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Circular Geometry and Trigonometry
- Angles
- The unit circle
- Graphing sine and cosine Functions
- Right triangle trigonometry
- Inverse trigonometric functions
- Trigonometric equations and identities
- Polar coordinates and conic sections
- Introduction to conics
Computer Science
Key Concepts Covered-
Basics of Computer Science
- The computer science problem-solving process
- Java and other programming languages
- Basic components of a computer
- Syntax and semantics
- Keywords, identifiers, literals, types, and variables
- Declaration and assignment
- Numerical and comparison operators
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Command Flow Structures
- if, else, else if, and nested if statements
- while, for, do-while, enhanced, and nested loops
- Variable scoping
- Defining and calling methods
- Method signatures and overloading
- Void and non-void methods
- Passing by value
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Data Structures
- Declaring, traversing, and editing arrays
- Multidimensional arrays
- Defining, comparing, and manipulating strings
- Common String methods
- Declaring, traversing, and editing ArrayLists
- ArrayList methods
- Binary search
- Ethics of data collection and data privacy
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Objects, Classes, and Inheritance
- Defining and creating classes and objects
- Constructor, main, accessor, and mutator methods
- Data visibility
- Libraries and classes
- Class hierarchies
- Overriding methods
- Polymorphism
- The Object class
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Error Handling, Exceptions, and Recursion
- Error handling
- Defensive programming
- Enumerated types
- Libraries and classes
- Catching, throwing, and creating exceptions
- Recursive methods
- Selection sort, insertion sort, Quicksort, and merge sort
College Algebra
Key Concepts Covered-
Numbers, Functions, and Graphs
- Real numbers
- Exponents and scientific notation
- Roots and complex numbers
- The rectangular coordinate system
- Functions
- Rates of change
- Domain and range
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Equations, Inequality, and Manipulating Functions
- Linear, polynomial, and quadratic equations
- Other equations
- Inequalities
- Manipulation, transformation and composition of functions
- Inverse functions
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Graphing Functions
- Linear, polynomial, and rational functions
- Systems of linear functions
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Exponential Functions
- Exponential growth and decay
- Base e
- Exponential and logarithmic equations
Intro to Astronomy
Key Concepts Covered-
Introduction to Our Stellar Course
- A tour of the universe
- Astronomy in history
- Astronomy and astrology
- Gathering, detecting, and interpreting light
- What is light?
- Light and matter
- Telescopes and instruments
- Analyzing starlight and stellar properties
- Measuring stellar properties
- Classifying stars and their spectra
- The Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram
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The Origin of the Solar System
- Solar system formation
- Planetary motion and orbits
- Observing the Sun
- The solar cycle and space weather
- Earth as a planet
- Our amazing Moon
- Properties and origin of the Moon
- Moon phases and eclipses
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The Inner and Outer Solar System
- Mercury: A planet of extremes
- Venus: Earth's sister planet
- Mars: The Red Planet
- The Jovian planets
- Mysterious outer moons
- Exoplanets
- Planets beyond our solar system
- Astrobiology and life in the universe
- The life cycles of stars
- Our galaxy: the Milky Way
- Characteristics of the Milky Way
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Galaxies & The Expanding Universe
- Galaxy basics
- The Big Bang
- Universe expansion and the cosmic microwave background
- Large-scale structure and cosmology
- Galaxy formation and evolution
- Quasars and their relatives
- The cosmic web
- Dark matter and dark energy
- Dark energy and the fate of the universe
School Stories
“I was blown away with how successful our kids were with Outlier.” Jack Wallace, Principal of St. Augustine Prep High School
Read Case StudyBusiness Courses Frequently Asked Questions
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Are business courses completely online?Yes, Outlier business courses are 100% online and asynchronous. Your students can learn with any teacher, during any class period—anywhere in the universe with Wi-Fi and a laptop or desktop computer.
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What support is available for students and/or teachers?
Your students have access to robust support and unlimited tutoring in all math and writing courses (this includes Intro to Financial Accounting). Your teachers get complete visibility into student progress in our Partner Dashboard, including:
- Progress monitoring based on the course syllabus and schedule
- Grade pacing and forecasting based on students’ performance
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What is the minimum/maximum enrollment?Outlier business courses have unlimited enrollment. So you can mix and match courses to suit your school’s unique needs.
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What technology does my school need to take Outlier courses?Each student must have access to technology that meets the technical requirements noted in this Help Center article.
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Are there any student eligibility requirements?Students must be at least 13 years old. Students who enroll in an Outlier course should be ready for the academic rigor of college-level coursework and carefully consider their existing responsibilities and dedication.
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What is the time commitment for Outlier business courses?
Outlier courses are as academically rigorous as they are engaging. Students can expect to spend about 45 minutes a day (about 5 hours per week), including time at school and at home. We recommend students:
- Have at least one class period in their school schedule dedicated to their Outlier course
- Take only 1 Outlier course at a time
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Are there any course prerequisites?Outlier business courses are introductory level. So they do not require any prerequisites for enrollment.
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How are Outlier courses structured?Outlier courses are divided into a series of chapters and sections. Each section contains cinematic video lectures and active learning (interactive digital textbook) that help students learn the course content. Some courses also include sample problems or flashcard sets that reinforce their understanding of course concepts and prepare them for exams. Students demonstrate their knowledge on graded assessments like weekly writing assignments, quizzes, midterm exams, and final exams.