MYP Concepts

A reference for the IB Middle Years Programme conceptual framework

This site is a companion reference for the concepts that structure inquiry in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP).

• Glossary — all 16 generic Key Concepts (with subject-specific elaborations) and the Related Concepts for each of the 8 subject groups. Click any term to expand its definition. Filter by subject, sort, and switch between expanded, condensed, and compact views.
• Specified Concepts — pick a subject group from the dropdown to see its full list of specified concepts (the combined key + related concepts a unit in that subject draws from). Toggle between a list labeled by Key/Related concept, or a single flattened list. Click a term to see its definition, and follow the link through to its full entry in the Glossary.
• Concept Notes — the 6 Global Contexts, and notes on concepts that carry materially different definitions across subject groups (for example, Form, Function, Patterns, Perspective).

How key, related, and specified concepts fit together

Key concepts are the 16 broad, generic ideas (Aesthetics, Change, Communication, and so on) that every MYP subject group teaches through. Related concepts are narrower, subject-grounded ideas (for example, Composition in Arts, or Equivalence in Mathematics). Specified concepts are the per-subject lists that combine relevant key concepts and related concepts into the set a teacher draws from when framing a unit.