10 Best Engineering Camps for High Schoolers

Teens who are particularly attracted to math and sciences might very well end up going for an engineering degree, whatever the specialty it is they choose, so we thought they might be interested in knowing which are the best engineering camps for high schoolers.

Being an engineer is no easy job, but there’s a lot of excitement that comes with it, as you get to invent new things, bring innovation to the lives of those around you, design and build cool new stuff, or perhaps work to maintain and improve the machines and projects others before you have thought of.

Not only are there loads of engineering branches to work in, depending on your passions, but they’re also quite well paid, with the median wage for such a job spinning around the $100,000 mark. In the end, however, it’s not even about how much money you make, but about doing something you love for the rest of your life.

While we’re now going to address the best engineering camps for high schoolers, which are perfect for those kids who want to make sure they enjoy this domain and want to pursue this path when applying for college, you might also want to read our article on the Best Nanotechnology Engineering Schools in the World, in case that’s something you might be interested in.

In order to create our list today, we took a look at the top universities in the world, as well as a separate ranking of universities that offer engineering courses across the United States. Bonus points were awarded to courses mentioned in an article published by ThoughtCo. In the end, all points were added to form the final score.

It should be mentioned that for the most part, this year’s summer courses have closed admissions and they usually start early in the year, so there’s plenty of time for planning, paying, and deciding on which of the programs you got admitted to you’ll actually go for. Without further ado, here are the best engineering camps for high schoolers.

10. John Hopkins University

Score: 6

Called Engineering Innovation (EI), the summer course for high school students with a passion for engineering is offered by the John Hopkins University in several of its locations, including Baltimore, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and Washington.

The course hopes to get high school students to put engineering concepts to test, to apply math and science to labs and hands-on projects. Basically, they’d be applying the knowledge they amassed in the classroom in the real-world. By the end of the program, students should be more confident in what they learned, both before attending and during the courses, learn to solve problems and test theories, acting like actual engineers.

The program lasts four or five weeks, depending upon the site and it covers lab activities in computer engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and materials science.

9. University of Pennsylvania

Score: 7

Penn Univesity is offering a wide range of engineering courses every summer. For instance, those who are perhaps hoping to get an idea about biotechnology, can do so, or choose another course such as that about Complex Networks, such as social networks, the Internet or energy networks, or Computer Science, Nanotechnology or Robotics. Not only will high schoolers get to enjoy some top-level courses, but they’ll also get to learn how to apply what they’ve learned.

The courses last for three weeks at Penn University, and there’s a rigorous selection process in place, so you’ll have to hope for the best when applying. This is a great type of project to be a part of, and it will give you an edge over other students in your class before you even consider going to college.

8. Harvard

Score: 7

As expected, Harvard offers a wide range of engineering courses, varying from genetics, to computer science, to biochemical engineering and nanotechnology. Most of them last for seven weeks and give advanced credits to attendants. The courses cost a pretty penny, but then again, this happens at most universities on our list. This year there are two sessions, one starting June 21st, and a second on July 12th, and there are still open spots for those hoping for late registration.

The courses will help students achieve loads of new knowledge, although some background in the desired topic should be had as the teaching doesn’t start from scratch. Participation in Harvard’s Secondary School Program will also be a bonus on your college application, as the experience will not only help you learn more about the university you’re hoping to attend in the future but also impress other Universities you may end up applying for.

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Score: 7

Georgia Tech is home is several interesting summer programs for high school students. One of these revolves around environmental engineering and sustainability, which would help attendees get a start in solving the learning how to make a difference, while another is mysteriously called “Mission Possible” and it involves industrial engineering. A separate program they have is for those interested in structural engineering. The courses last between four and eleven days.

6. Carnegie Mellon

Score: 8

Over at Carnegie Mellon, the number 6 on our list of best engineering camps for high schoolers, there’s a special program called “Summer Academy for Mathematics and Science” (SAMS). For six weeks, high school seniors with a strong interested in computer science, engineering, and natural sciences have the chance to learn more about the subjects they’re interested in and get excited about the life ahead of them if they plan to take this path. A rather lovely idea is that folks over at Carnegie Mellon University are looking to specifically encourage students from diverse backgrounds that are often underrepresented in science and engineering, such as African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native American students, as well as kids from low socioeconomic backgrounds, or would-be first-generation college students, whose parents haven’t received a bachelor’s degree.

5. University of Michigan

Score: 10

The University of Michigan that ranks 5th on our list of best engineering camps for high schoolers has set up a Summer Engineering Academy for those interested in this domain and prepared three levels of sessions throughout the summer. The Summer Enrichment Program is targeted to eighth and ninth graders, the Michigan Introduction to Technology and Engineering was created for tenth and eleventh graders, while the Summer College Engineering Exposure Program is for twelfth graders.

As the grade goes up, so does the level of the engineering courses the kids will go through. Those preparing to go to college, for instance, will dive into classes on technical communications, engineering math and much more.

4. Univesity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Score: 11

Over at the University of Illinois, there’s this week-long residential program that was created for high school juniors and seniors called Exploring Your Options. Those who choose to participate in this program will interact with engineering students, plan and build projects, while applying many notions they learn in the field.

There’s also another program that’s called Exploring Mechanical Engineering, whose name says it all, as it involves a lot of time spent constructing wind turbines, robots or prosthetics, to name a few.

The Discover Engineering program is for freshmen and sophomores who are invited to learn how to incorporate different aspects of engineering into day-to-day life.

3. Stanford

Score: 18

As one of the top Universities in the world, Stanford, the number three on our list of best engineering camps for high schoolers offers quite a few summer programs for high schoolers interested in engineering. For instance, high schoolers can learn about solving science and engineering problems, energy resources, water resources management, sustainable design thinking, smart cities and communities, environmental science and technology, and so on.

2. California Institute of Technology

Score: 18

Coming up second on our list of best engineering camps for high schoolers is the California Institute of Technology. The University has several courses prepared for the summer session, such as Engineer Shop – Coding and Wearable Tech, which was designed for girls interested in engineering, in an effort to get more girls to enter this particular field of science. In this particular course, kids will create wearable electronics, prototype cool and amazing gadgets.
There are also a lot of coding programs that would be great for those who are hoping to become computer engineers, but those depend on what you’re interested in, whether that’s how to build your own laptop and learn to code at the same time, mod with Minecraft and Forge or learn about encryption and cyber security.

1. MIT

Score: 23

Perhaps it’s not really a big surprise that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is at the top of the list of best engineering camps for high schoolers since it is one of the best-known universities in the field.

The MIT has a program called MITES, which is a six-week science and engineering program for high school seniors. One of the greatest things about this particular program, when compared to those offered by other universities is that it’s free, and students only pay for transportation to and from MIT.

Students will be able to attend numerous courses, including calculus, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, MITES humanities and more, as there are several electives kids can pick from, including electronics and engineering design. The strategy is for each kid to pick one calculus course, one life science course, one physics course, the humanities course and an elective course.

That being said, these have been the best engineering camps for high schoolers. While it may be too late to enroll in some of these right now, you’ll know ahead of time which one to pick for next year.