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AP® Networking

VHS Learning has been selected as a 2026-27 School Year AP Networking Pilot school!

AP Career Kickstart is a new set of career-focused AP courses that lead to industry-recognized credentials and college credit for all students who want to prepare for a career. CK focuses on high-demand fields like cybersecurity and business and the courses fit into articulated pathways to help scale quality career learning.

According to the College Board, “AP Networking parallels a standard first year collegiate introductory networking course. Students blend essential networking concepts with relevant, hands-on problem-solving activities to maximize their understanding of network hardware, logical and physical configuration, the use of protocols to enable reliable and accurate transmission of data between hosts, and relevant security practices that protect the transmission of data within and between computer networks. Students learn the value of configuring devices and networks with a “security-first” mindset to mitigate common vulnerabilities. Students work collaboratively to connect, configure, troubleshoot, and secure devices and networks while building critical thinking and communication skills. The course is designed to support student learning no matter a student’s prior content knowledge or academic skills.”

In this course, students will explore the following units:

Unit 1: Configuring and Securing Devices

Unit 2: Network Fundamentals

Unit 3: Network Operations and Services

Unit 4: Advanced Networking and Security

Unit 5: Cybersecurity Essentials

Unit 1 introduces students to the basics of computer-based communication and how hardware and software work together. It explores common security threats and teaches students to use command line interface for navigating operating systems. In Unit 2 students explore foundational networking concepts such as protocols, addressing, and data transmission through physical media. Students describe the networking layers with the Open System Interconnection model, and how switches and routers use addressing to direct traffic within a local area network (LAN). Unit 3 focuses on LAN security, where students will examine mitigation strategies such as switch configurations and virtual local area networks. Unit 4 introduces students to wide area network (WAN) design using IP addressing and routers, as well as on application layer protocols, wireless network integration and subnetting. Finally, in Unit 5, students will examine WAN security controls, exploring how organizations use a layered security approach incorporating physical, technical, and administrative measures to protect computer network systems.

Every week, students will use the Cisco Packet Tracer Network Simulation software by creating models and production animations that illustrate networking concepts. They will design networks for real-world, constraint-based scenarios that have more than one solution. Students will practice technical problem-solving by diagnosing, isolating, and fixing network issues in a variety of scenarios. Students will also use Oracle VM Virtual Box to install a sandbox Linux operating system to become familiar with a command line interface for diagnosing cybersecurity issues in computers and networks.

Students will be expected to enroll in AP Classroom through their VHS Learning AP course and will be guided to complete review work in AP Classroom throughout the year. AP Classroom resources include AP Daily Videos and unit-based Personal Progress Checks, which include AP-style multiple choice and free response questions.

Students enrolled in VHS Learning Advanced Placement courses with a passing grade are expected to take the AP Exam. Students register for AP exams through their local school or testing site as “Exam Only” students. AP exam scores will be reported to VHS Learning through AP Classroom; exam results will not affect the student’s VHS Learning grade or future enrollment in VHS Learning courses.

This AP course has a required summer assignment. The summer assignment is a review of prerequisite content and critical concepts students must be comfortable with before beginning the course. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1 will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3.

In this AP-level course, students are expected to invest approximately 10 hours per week on their coursework.

Acknowledgements

  • Students must have access to an AI tool to develop and demonstrate the skills required for this course, as required by College Board.
  • In addition to the enrollment fee, this course has an Additional Course Fee of $80.
  • The required summer assignment for AP Networking can be found in our AP Summer Work Directory .

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

  • How do we configure devices to be able to communicate securely on a network?
  • How does data travel from one device to another, and what are the protocols for that?
  • What are the key vulnerabilities in computer networks, and how can individuals and organizations protect against them?
  • How does a layered security philosophy protect devices and data on a computer network?

Course Learning Objectives:

  • Explain the basic components of computer systems and demonstrate how hardware, software, and command-line tools interact to perform computing tasks.
  • Describe the layers of the OSI model and analyze how data is transmitted across networks using protocols and addressing schemes.
  • Identify common vulnerabilities in local and wide area networks.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of physical, administrative and technical security controls when implementing a layered security plan.

Additional Requirements

Students must have access to an AI tool to develop and demonstrate the skills required for this course, as required by College Board.

In addition to the VHS Learning system requirements, students will need the following:

Due to the software, this course requires regular access to a computer running Microsoft Windows or Apple MacOS. This course cannot be completed on a Chromebook, iPad or mobile device. Students will be guided to download both Cisco’s Cybersecurity Virtual Machine (Ubuntu MATE Linux) and Windows 10 Professional image files into VirtualBox/UTM during Week 1 of their AP Networking course.

  • Students should complete these steps themselves as part of the course activities; this will not require admin level access as these are only image files of operating systems that will be opened inside the VirtualBox/UTM platform.
  • This will require at least 8GB of RAM and 64GB of free hard drive space to install, configure, and launch VirtualBox/UTM.

This AP course has a required summer assignment. The summer assignment is a review of prerequisite content and critical concepts students must be comfortable with before beginning the course. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1 will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3.