World-Class Curriculum

The First Year: A Multidisciplinary Core Curriculum

The first year of studies at African Leadership Academy includes a multidisciplinary academic curriculum that is designed to help each student develop the intellectual curiosity and core academic skills required to be a lifelong learner and leader in Africa.

Our multidisciplinary approach enables students to see connections across different subjects. In their first year on campus, all ALA students take a mathematics course and at least one science course. They also study at least one foreign language that is spoken widely on the continent – such as French, Portuguese, or Arabic. And all students are enrolled in our multidisciplinary “African studies” course, which includes economics, geography, history, and other disciplines.

Finally, all ALA students take an intensive, year-long English writing course to build strong written communication skills for a wide variety of contexts. This course prepares students to effectively compose formal letters and memos and also develops strong creative writing skills.

The Second Year: Academic Focus Subjects

In the second year, students are given the freedom to pursue deep knowledge in subjects of interest by completing at least 3 A-Level subjects. A-Levels are recognized as a rigorous preparatory curriculum by universities around the world.

During the second year, students have more freedom to design their academic schedule according to their own interests. African Leadership Academy offers A-Level courses in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, several languages, and some social science subjects. Students may also complete some A-Level courses as “independent study” under the guidance of an ALA faculty member.