General information

International Baccalaureate Organization Diploma Programme at GM
The Gymnasium am Münsterplatz (GM) is the first public school in the Basel region to be authorized as a pilot school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. After a two-year standardized selection process, the GM was accredited as an IB member school, making the GM part of a worldwide community of schools united by high educational ideals and standards. IB partner schools are subject to a rigorous international assessment system, which ensures a high level academically, yet still allows for cultural differences among individual schools. The IB Diploma is recognized internationally. IB graduates have easier access to institutions of higher learning all over the world.

International Baccalaureate Organization IBO
IBO is an international organization, which was founded in 1968 in Geneva under the aegis of UNESCO. The purpose of the IBO is to promote intercultural understanding and to increase awareness of global issues among the students of the programme. The IBO creates a link between achievement and core values (see “Educational philosophy of the Diploma Programme”) such as being open-minded and respectful towards others. Originally, the IB Programme was intended for the children of diplomats and other parents whose careers entailed international relocation. Now, however, the programme has grown to more than 942,000 students attending a total of 3,200 IB schools in 141 countries.

Further Development of the Previous Immersion Programme
The previous immersion programme at the GM will be completely replaced by the new IB Programme. Due to the fact that the Bilingual Immersion Diploma was not given any official recognition by universities or other institutes of higher learning, finding a new programme was essential. The IB Diploma has received an increasing amount of recognition from universities worldwide. The IB Programme stands for a high quality of education, which is generally comparable to the GM curriculum. For the students of the GM who are interested being educated bilingually, this new development will not present any problems: the new IB Programme will be largely identical to the previous immersion programme. The curriculum, teaching staff and 5 subjects currently taught in English will be practically identical.