If you’ve ever looked at a building and wondered how it came to be, how someone decided where the windows go, or why a structure feels the way it does, you’re already thinking like an architect. Architecture internships in NYC for high school students can help you explore that curiosity in a practical setting, where art, science, and problem-solving come together.

These internships give you a closer look at how professionals approach design challenges in studios, on-site visits, and live projects. Depending on the programme, you could pick up skills like AutoCAD and 3D modelling, learn about materials science, explore urban planning concepts, and understand how design decisions are shaped by budget, zoning laws, and community needs.

Some programmes also give you a real feel for university life, studio culture, critique sessions, and working alongside architecture students and faculty, which can be useful if you’re figuring out whether this is the right path for you.

Why New York City?

There’s a reason NYC is one of the most studied cities in the world from an architectural standpoint. The city is essentially a living textbook; you’ve got everything from pre-war brownstones and cast-iron SoHo buildings to Midtown skyscrapers and cutting-edge projects reshaping the waterfront. 

Institutions like Columbia GSAPP, Pratt Institute, and the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at the Cooper Union are headquartered here, meaning the academic ecosystem around architecture is unusually dense. Beyond that, New York is home to some of the most recognized architecture and urban planning firms globally, and the city’s ongoing projects around housing, public infrastructure, and sustainability make it an active, relevant place to learn. 

This list focuses specifically on programs with a real work-learn component: mentorship, live projects, studio immersion, or field experience. Below are 15 architecture internships in NYC for high school students.

For related options, consider the online architecture program.

Key Takeaways

• Stipends vary widely, from unpaid positions at the Cooper Union Saturday Program to $17 per hour at the NYC School Construction Authority’s Summer Internship Program.
• Most internships on this list are restricted to NYC residents, including the NYC Industry Scholars Program, DOB Next Gen, and ACE Mentor Program.
• Program length ranges from two days, as with AIA Brooklyn Architecture Week’s Reading the Block studio, to a full school year, as with ACE Mentor Program and the Cooper Union Saturday Program.
• Several programs offer transferable college credit, including College Now’s Architecture and Urban Design Immersion Program and CUNY College Now’s Explorations in Architecture course.
• Some internships place students directly inside working architecture firms, including Discover Architecture, which embeds students at firms like Gensler, SOM, and Architecture Research Office.
• Most free programs are restricted to NYC public school students, while paid placements like the NYC School Construction Authority’s program require US work authorization.
• Immerse Education’s Architecture & Design Summer Internship is one of the few options open to students worldwide aged 15 to 18, combining studio sessions and site visits with hands-on design projects and bursary support.

15 Architecture Internships in NYC for High School Students

1. NYC School Construction Authority Summer Internship Program

Location: SCA departments and partner firm offices across New York City
Stipend: $17/hour
Dates: July 6th – August 14th
Application Deadline: March 6th
Eligibility: NYC public high school students in good academic standing, legally authorised to work in the U.S.; open to international students having legal U.S. work authorisation

The SCA Summer Internship Program is one of the few paid architecture and construction internships in New York City designed specifically for public high school students. You’ll be placed with an SCA department or one of its partner firms, including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Ivan Brice Architecture & Urbanism, CTA Architects, and Langan, among others, and spend four days a week working in the office alongside professionals in architecture, engineering, or construction management.

The fifth day is dedicated to SCA-run workshops, panel discussions, and design challenges. If your placement is construction-adjacent, you’ll complete a free 10-hour OSHA safety training before the program starts, and some roles include supervised site visits.

Why it stands out: You get placed inside real architecture and construction firms, including major industry names, and you’re paid for your time.

2. Immerse Education’s New York Architecture & Design Summer School

Location: Barnard College, Columbia University, New York
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students around the world aged 15-18

As one of the few architecture internships in NYC for high school students open to students worldwide, Immerse Education’s New York Architecture & Design Summer School can help you learn the skills and techniques needed to turn your design ideas into reality. The program will introduce you to fundamental concepts in architecture, including spatial design, structural engineering, and sustainability.

Apart from the theoretical part, this summer school will also engage you in hands-on design projects, studio sessions, and site visits. By having you participate in different activities, this program aims to enhance certain aspects of you, like creativity, technical skills, and visual thinking, that are highly valued in the world of architecture. 

Why it stands out: In addition to preparing you for a college major in architecture, this program also gives you a chance to explore architectural research and design theory.

3. Accurise – SPARKS Summer Internship for High School Students in NYC 

Location: Accurise Consulting’s Park Avenue office, New York City
Stipend: None
Dates: Three-week program in July
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: New York City high-school-aged students; science, technology, engineering, or mathematics background; not open to international students

In this program, you will explore how buildings move from design to reality within construction consulting. Through an architecture and built-environment lens, you select one of Accurise’s current projects and a 3D model to print, turning design intent into a physical study.

You also develop scheduling, logistics, and cash flow forecasting for that project, learning how large, complex buildings are planned and brought to life. You join senior staff for meetings on nearby jobsites and tour the Museum of Modern Art’s architecture-focused “Down to Earth” installation. You build confidence by presenting your work to Accurise staff and gaining insight into running a business.

Why it stands out: It places you inside a working New York construction consulting firm where you turn a real building project into a 3D-printed model and a complete schedule, giving an unusually hands-on view of how design becomes the built environment.

4. Street Lab – Youth Leadership Council, Spring Central Harlem

Location: Central Harlem, New York City
Stipend: $300
Dates: Eight Saturday sessions between April and June
Application Deadline: March 15th
Eligibility: NYC high school students; priority to those who reside in or attend school in Harlem; demonstrated enthusiasm for civic involvement in the neighbourhood; not open to international students

Among the many architecture internships in NYC for high school students, Street Lab’s Youth Leadership Council gives you a community-focused way to help shape a vision for a pedestrian-centered greenway along Saint Nicholas Avenue, the corridor once known as Harlem Lane. Across eight Saturday sessions, you document existing neighbourhood conditions, study how streets and public space function, and translate those observations into design-minded recommendations.

You activate the St. Nicholas Avenue Open Street at 116th Street with hands-on pop-ups that test design ideas against immediate community needs. Guided by architectural and urban designer Jahlik Parkes of JAH-P Design, you practice site observation, community engagement, and placemaking that echo early architectural and urban-design workflows.

Why it stands out: It pairs hands-on public-space design work in Harlem with mentorship from a Columbia GSAPP–trained architectural and urban designer and the chance to present real neighborhood recommendations to elected officials.

5. NYC Industry Scholars Program – Architecture / Construction & Sustainability / Engineering Pathways

Location: New York City; at host company worksites across the five boroughs
Stipend: NYC minimum wage
Dates: Six weeks in the summer and the school year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort and is set each term through the NYC Career Pathways portal
Eligibility: New York City public high school students ages 16-18; enrolled in a Career & Technical Education (CTE) or Future Ready (FRNYC) pathway; completion of I-9 employment verification and eligibility to work in the United States; reside and attend school within New York City; not open to international students

In this program, you join a six-week paid internship matched to your architecture and design coursework, placed with a host firm or organization across New York City’s five boroughs. Before starting, you complete work-readiness training and orientation, then apply classroom skills such as architectural drafting and pre-engineering concepts to authentic tasks at the worksite.

You attend project meetings, complete assignments from your supervisor, submit regular timesheets, and learn directly from practicing professionals while meeting staff across the organization. Past architecture-pathway scholars worked alongside project management and field operations teams on active construction and renovation projects, building on carpentry, pre-engineering, and architectural drafting coursework with hands-on jobsite learning.

Why it stands out: It is a paid, NYC Public Schools–funded internship that places high school students directly inside working architecture, design, and construction firms across the city, pairing real jobsite experience with school credit toward a CTE-endorsed diploma.

6. Met High School Internship Program

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Stipend: $1,100
Dates: July 7th – August 7th
Application Deadline: March 13th
Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders who reside in and attend a high school or home school in either New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut and can provide working papers and either a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)

This summer internship opportunity offered by The Metropolitan Museum of Art creates a space for high school students to connect with and learn from professionals across art, museum and creative industries. The program aims to provide you with the work experience that ensures that you are equipped with the professional skills needed to perform well in the field.

The Met welcomes students of varying interests, such as curatorial, social media, education, imaging, design, and more. Ultimately, the program aims to prepare high school students like you with an interest in design and other related fields for a role in the museum. 

Why it stands out: The Met schedules one-hour biweekly sessions during which you would interact with other participants and exchange your experiences with each other while also meeting with your mentors and working on your job-readiness skills. 

7. The Cooper Union Saturday Program

Location: The Cooper Union, Manhattan, New York City
Stipend: None
Dates: Fall: October 3rd – December 13th | Spring: January 30th – April 10th
Application Deadline: Fall: September 13th | Spring: Early January
Eligibility: NYC public or charter high school students from low or moderate-income households, or students attending schools without a comprehensive visual arts program; not open to international students

This program offers free architecture and art classes every Saturday across both fall and spring semesters. You’ll take architecture classes alongside drawing, graphic design, painting, and sculpture, all taught by current Cooper Union undergraduates, giving you a near-peer mentoring experience inside one of the country’s most competitive design schools.

The program also includes field trips, studio visits, and presentations from working artists and professionals. If you’re in 11th or 12th grade and planning to apply to art or design programs, the Portfolio Foundations and Portfolio Studio tracks pair you with professional artist instructors and come with personalized mentorship and direct college application support.

Why it stands out: It gives NYC public high school students access to Cooper Union-level studio training for free, with a year-round structure that builds real depth in architecture over time.

8. College Now Architecture and Urban Design Immersion Program

Location: New York City College of Technology (City Tech), Brooklyn, New York
Stipend: None
Dates: July 6-30
Application Deadline: June 3rd
Eligibility: NYC DOE high school students who are rising 11th or 12th graders with a minimum 80% GPA, a strong attendance record, and no schedule conflicts during the program; not open to international students

The College Now Architecture and Urban Design Immersion Program stands out among the various architecture internships in NYC for high school students by treating New York City as a living classroom, helping you build visual literacy of the built environment through sketching, writing about buildings, and tracing how historical, cultural, and political forces have shaped urban spaces.

Over four weeks, you’ll develop skills in freehand drawing, basic drafting, 2D and 3D composition, and reading architectural drawings, and learn how to discuss and document what you observe in a building in a way that’s both verbal and graphic. What makes this program practically useful is that upon completion, you earn 2 college credits that transfer directly toward the Introduction to Architecture course at City Tech.

Why it stands out: It’s one of the few free programs in NYC where you leave with actual transferable college credits in architecture.

9. NYC Department of Buildings’ DOB Next Gen

Location: NYC Department of Buildings, 280 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City
Stipend: None
Dates: October – December
Application Deadline: Late September
Eligibility: NYC high school students; CTE high school students may also apply for separate internship placements through their school’s Work-Based Learning coordinator; not open to international students

DOB Next Gen takes you inside the NYC Department of Buildings, where you’ll attend seminars and hands-on activities led by the actual architects, engineers, inspectors, and sustainability professionals who regulate construction across the city. Sessions cover architecture, engineering, construction safety, the Building Code, and sustainability, and by the end of the program, you and your cohort develop and present group research on what you’ve studied.

It’s a different kind of exposure than a design studio where you’re learning how the built environment is governed, reviewed, and enforced at the city level, which is something most architecture programs don’t touch on.

Why it stands out: You get direct access to the professionals behind NYC’s building regulation, a side of architecture and construction that most studio programs never show you.

10. Center for Architecture / AIA New York – Discover Architecture

Location: Architecture firms across Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City, with a culminating event at the Center for Architecture
Stipend: None
Dates: February 17-20
Application Deadline: January 4th
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors; reside and attend school within the five boroughs of New York City; not open to international students

As one of the most practice-based architecture internships in NYC for high school students, Discover Architecture places you inside a working New York City architecture firm for a three-day externship, giving you a direct view of how design ideas become buildings. Over your days at firms such as Gensler, SOM, or Architecture Research Office, you tour the office, sit in on client and consultant meetings, complete software and drafting tutorials, and join site visits to active projects.

You see firsthand how architects use digital modeling tools and design workflows to develop drawings, study spatial concepts, and address sustainability in real projects. The program concludes at the Center for Architecture, where you present your experience and apply your new knowledge in a guided design charrette led by Center educators. You build practical exposure to the profession, professional communication skills, and a clearer sense of architecture as a career.

Why it stands out: It is a free, application-based program that embeds NYC high schoolers directly inside leading architecture firms for hands-on, daily exposure to real professional practice rather than a classroom simulation.

11. City College of New York / CUNY College Now – Explorations in Architecture – AES 19903 

Location: City College of New York, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: July 6-31
Application Deadline: March 6th
Eligibility: Completed at least three academic semesters of high school; minimum major course average of 80; Regents ELA score of 75, or PSAT/SAT EBRW score of 480, or ACT score of 20 (or a 75 English average where those scores are unavailable); enrolled at a New York City public high school, with rising 11th and 12th graders eligible for summer courses and graduating seniors not eligible for summer programming; not open to international students

As a high school student in Explorations in Architecture, you build visual literacy of the built environment while earning three college credits on the City College of New York campus. You open with a precedent study, researching and presenting a built architectural project and analyzing its spatial strategies, material qualities, and relationship to nature.

From there, you move through exercises that blend observation, analysis, and design using freehand drawing, physical modeling, and digital tools. Each week also sets aside time for freehand sketching across varied mediums and subjects as a collective studio exercise. 

Why it stands out: It allows New York City public high school students to earn three transferable college credits in architecture tuition-free, learning studio methods like precedent analysis, physical modeling, and freehand sketching directly from City College faculty.

12. ACE Mentor Program – Greater New York 

Location: Host firms and universities across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Riverdale, Long Island, and White Plains
Stipend: None
Dates: Late October – May
Application Deadline: Rolling registration
Eligibility: All high school students in grades 9-12; based in or near New York City, Long Island, or Westchester County; not open to international students

As one of the longer-running architecture internships in NYC for high school students, ACE Mentor Program – Greater New York places you in a mentor-led team guided by practicing architects, engineers, and construction managers who introduce you to careers in the design and construction industry. Through the architecture lens, you build foundational design knowledge and practise with the professional design software your mentors use in their everyday jobs. Your team then develops a mock design project of its own choosing, applying what you learn to a realistic building challenge.

Along the way, you gain behind-the-scenes access to construction sites, explore college programs and degree requirements, and sharpen your presentation and teamwork skills. In May, you present your completed design to an audience of family members, school representatives, mentors, and industry leaders.

Why it stands out: It pairs you for a full school year with professionals from over 145 architecture, engineering, and construction firms at no cost while opening access to scholarships and future internship opportunities.

13. Publicolor – Design Studio

Location: New York City; delivered in Publicolor partner public schools across the boroughs
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Six-week program delivered during the academic school year
Application Deadline: Application via participating Publicolor partner school
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-12 at Publicolor partner schools in New York City; not open to international students

In this program, you join a six-week, project-based design program delivered inside a partner classroom, where Publicolor introduces color theory alongside introductory graphic design, engineering, and architecture. You learn to use design software and the design-thinking process to redefine problems, generate solutions, and create work that addresses community issues such as climate change. With architecture as a lens, you translate ideas into visual language and built-environment concepts, then present and refine them through project critique.

Along the way, you build critical thinking, creative problem-solving, collaboration, and digital design skills while strengthening visual communication. The program emphasizes real-world relevance and academic re-engagement, helping underperforming students reconnect with learning through hands-on creative work.

Why it stands out: It embeds professional design disciplines, including architecture, directly into the school day for under-resourced students, pairing creative skill-building with academic re-engagement, evidenced by 100% of Design Studio principals inviting the program back.

14. AIA Brooklyn Architecture Week – Reading the Block: Two-Day Architecture Studio for Brooklyn High School Students 

Location: NYC College of Technology, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: April 18-19
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Brooklyn high school students curious about architecture, design, or how cities are shaped; high school enrolment required; not open to international students

In this program, you spend two days inside City Tech’s Architecture Department, working in a small studio group alongside practicing architects, college mentors, and design professionals. Centered on a real Brooklyn city block, you sketch and observe the urban streetscape, learn how architects analyze buildings, streets, and public spaces, and study how design decisions shape daily life.

Working as a team, you redesign the block, create drawings and models, and refine your ideas through studio-style collaboration. The studio closes with a supportive “pin-up” review where you present your proposal, just like in architecture school. You leave with stronger design-thinking, model-making, and presentation skills.

Why it stands out: It pairs Brooklyn high school students directly with practicing architects and college mentors for a free, two-day studio that recreates a real architecture-school workflow, from reading an actual city block to a final pin-up review.

15. Brooklyn Museum – Museum Apprentice Program

Location: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: $16.50/hour; second-year apprentices earn $17.50/hour
Dates: November – August
Application Deadline: September
Eligibility: NYC high school students ages 14-19; not open to international students

Through the Museum Apprentice Program, you step into the role of a museum educator while exploring art, art history, and public engagement at the Brooklyn Museum. During the internship, you meet artists, curators, and education staff while learning how museums use artworks to teach audiences of different ages and backgrounds.

You also assist with family programs, develop tours, and teach summer camp groups through hands-on educational activities. Conversations around museum education, public schools, and social justice help you better understand how cultural institutions connect with communities. 

Why it stands out: You gain paid teaching and museum education experience while learning directly from curators and museum educators.

Frequently Asked Questions: Architecture Internships in NYC for High School Students

What is an architecture internship for high school students?

An architecture internship gives high school students hands-on exposure to how buildings are designed, planned, and constructed, often through placement at a firm, museum, or city agency. Programs typically include studio work, site visits, and mentorship from practicing architects or design professionals. Most run from a few days to a full school year. Many conclude with a final presentation, design pitch, or portfolio piece.

Do I need prior design experience to apply?

No, most architecture internships are designed to introduce students to the field regardless of background. The Cooper Union Saturday Program and AIA Brooklyn Architecture Week’s studio both welcome students with no prior architecture coursework. Immerse Education’s Architecture & Design Summer Internship is similarly built to introduce spatial design and structural engineering concepts from the ground up.

Are architecture internships in NYC paid?

Some are paid, though many are unpaid. The NYC School Construction Authority’s Summer Internship Program pays $17 per hour, while the Met High School Internship Program offers a $1,100 stipend. Programs like the Cooper Union Saturday Program and College Now’s Architecture and Urban Design Immersion Program are unpaid but free to attend.

Can international students apply to these internships?

Most internships on this list are restricted to NYC residents or US citizens, since many require legal US work authorization. Programs like the NYC Industry Scholars Program, DOB Next Gen, and ACE Mentor Program are not open to international students. Immerse Education’s Architecture & Design Summer Internship is a notable exception, open to students worldwide aged 15 to 18.

What age do I need to be to apply?

Age and grade requirements vary by program, generally falling between 14 and 18. The Brooklyn Museum’s Museum Apprentice Program accepts students as young as 14, while most NYC-specific internships target rising 11th and 12th graders. Immerse Education’s Architecture & Design Summer Internship accepts students aged 15 to 18 from anywhere in the world.

Will I get to work inside a real architecture firm?

Yes, several programs place students directly inside working firms. Discover Architecture embeds students at firms including Gensler, SOM, and Architecture Research Office for a three-day externship, and the NYC School Construction Authority’s program places students with partner firms like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Immerse Education’s Architecture & Design Summer Internship takes a similar hands-on approach through studio sessions and site visits rather than a single firm placement.

How do these internships help with college applications?

Completing an architecture internship demonstrates genuine interest in design and the ability to work in a professional studio or office environment. Programs like College Now’s Architecture and Urban Design Immersion Program offer transferable college credit, giving students an academic credential alongside hands-on experience. Immerse Education’s Architecture & Design Summer Internship provides exposure to architectural research and design theory, both useful talking points for personal statements and interviews.

From City Streets To Architecture Careers

Architecture starts with noticing how spaces work, from streets and studios to museums, offices, public buildings, and neighbourhood design.

The 15 architecture internships in NYC for high school students listed here show routes through design studios, construction, museums, urban planning, and mentorship.

By building portfolios, joining critiques, visiting sites, and completing design projects, you can start connecting creative strengths to possible career paths.

Ready to explore where those design skills could take you? Visit our Career Exploration blogs for role guides, pathway ideas, and next steps.