FAQ – Minimum Courses – MDHSA Diploma Program

Minimum Courses are those courses outlined in the MDHSA Diploma Guide (and on the Annual Summary Form) as courses that must be studied sometime between 7^th and 12^th grade in order to help fulfill the graduation requirements. If those courses are not studied between 7^th and 8^th grade, then at least ½ credit must be studied between 9^th and 12^th grades.

What are the requirements for considering a subject “studied” in 7^th or 8^th grade? Is that subject required to have 60 logged entries / hours during 7^th or 8^th grade?

As long as that subject was studied (in 7^th or 8^th grade) to an extent that is judged to be acceptable and appropriate to the homeschool supervisor and Evaluator, the number of entries or hours is not necessarily relevant. There is no specified number that deems a subject “studied” in those grade levels.

Do the “Minimum Courses” need to be studied separately, or may they be part of a larger course?

Either option is acceptable. For example, if the student studied “Social Studies” in 7^th grade, and the course included “World History”, then in 8^th grade studied “American History”, which included lessons on US and PA History, then those subjects may be considered “studied” in the 7^th or 8^th grade, regardless of the number of entries / hours logged.

Likewise, if a course (civics, public speaking, geography, etc.) is taken in a Co-Op or other similar setting during 7^th and / or 8^th grade, then that course is considered “studied.”