AP Networking is organized into four units that scale the network you manage — from a single device, to a small office/home office (SOHO) network, to many connections, to global infrastructure. Each unit develops the same four core skills.
Pilot note: This curriculum reflects Course Framework V.1 (for use beginning 2026–2027). Units 1 and 2 topics are confirmed from the framework's Course at a Glance. Units 3 and 4 show our projected best-guess topics (clearly labeled below) until the College Board publishes the full Course and Exam Description.
Unit 1: Managing My Connections
Introduces computer-based communication and the foundation the rest of the course rests on. You learn the fundamentals of cybersecurity, common threats to devices and data, and how to establish a baseline of security for a single device — including using the command line interface to navigate and modify files.
| Topic |
Title |
Focus |
| 1.1 |
Fixing What's Slowing Me Down |
Troubleshooting issues on your device |
| 1.2 |
Getting the Most Out of My Network |
Connecting and optimizing your device |
| 1.3 |
What Could Go Wrong |
Identifying the security needs of your device |
| 1.4 |
Locking It Down |
Securing your device |
Unit 2: Managing My Shared Connections
Scales from one device to a small office/home office (SOHO) network. You troubleshoot, document, upgrade, add advanced features to, and secure a shared network.
| Topic |
Title |
Focus |
| 2.1 |
Missed Connection |
Troubleshooting your SOHO network |
| 2.2 |
Identification Needed |
Documenting your network |
| 2.3 |
Smart Moves |
Upgrading your network |
| 2.4 |
Leveling Up |
Advanced features on your network |
| 2.5 |
Guarding My Network |
Identifying security needs |
| 2.6 |
Applying Defense |
Securing your network |
Unit 3: Managing Many Connections
Extends networking skills to larger, multi-segment networks with more devices, more users, and more complexity — the jump from a small office network to a building or campus scale.
Projected topics: The College Board has not yet published the final Unit 3 topic list in the public V.1 framework. The breakdown below is our best-guess structure based on the framework's scaling logic (one device → SOHO → many connections → global) and the repeating skill arc. It is updated to match the official topics the moment they are released.
| Topic |
Title |
Focus |
| 3.1 |
Connecting the Whole Building |
Configuring a larger, multi-device network (switches, VLANs) |
| 3.2 |
Finding the Bottleneck |
Troubleshooting performance across many connections |
| 3.3 |
Routing the Traffic |
Directing data between network segments |
| 3.4 |
Naming and Addressing at Scale |
Managing IP addressing, subnets, and DNS for many hosts |
| 3.5 |
Watching the Whole Network |
Monitoring and detecting threats across many connections |
| 3.6 |
Defending Many Connections |
Securing a multi-segment network with layered controls |
Unit 4: Managing Our Global Connections
Applies networking and security skills at global scale — connecting and protecting data as it travels across the internet and large-scale infrastructure.
Projected topics: As with Unit 3, the final Unit 4 topic list is not yet public. The breakdown below is our best-guess structure pending the full Course and Exam Description, and is updated when official topics are released.
| Topic |
Title |
Focus |
| 4.1 |
Reaching the Wider World |
Connecting a network to the internet and beyond |
| 4.2 |
How Data Travels Globally |
Protocols, routing, and transmission across global networks |
| 4.3 |
Keeping Global Connections Reliable |
Troubleshooting and ensuring resilience at scale |
| 4.4 |
Protecting Data in Transit |
Securing data as it moves across public networks |
| 4.5 |
Securing the Global Network |
Applying defense-in-depth to internet-scale infrastructure |