Students who will be entering the work force after high school require different courses than students who will be moving on to college. These are generally listed as the minimum requirements for graduation. All students typically need to complete at least three credits of English, three credits of math, two credits of science, two and a half credits of social studies and two credits of health or physical education. Any electives that are used are in addition to these credits, and they are not required for graduation.
A college-bound student has more rigorous graduation requirements over those entering the work force. Colleges have their own set of entrance requirements that prospective students need to complete before acceptance. In addition to the minimum courses required for a home-schooler to graduate high school, one who is moving on to college will need to complete an extra credit of English, at least one more credit of science, two credits of foreign language and at least one year of fine arts. Additional credits in all areas may be preferred, depending on the college and the area of study the student wishes to enter.
Though electives are not typically a requirement for graduation, they go a long way toward creating a well-rounded curriculum. Some states may require that students complete a specific number of total credits to be able to graduate from home schooling. This is where electives fill in those gaps and give a high school student the credits he needs to graduate. The electives can be based on the student's interests or his career goals after high school.
Each state runs home schooling differently and carries its own laws regarding learning at home. Many states will list both a minimum requirement for graduation, as well as a list of suggested credits for those moving on to college. A parent who is home-schooling her high schooler is responsible for checking her state's guidelines for graduation and follow those guidelines to ensure that her child will graduate at the proper time. These guidelines dictate whether the parent will be able to obtain a diploma for her child.