15 Engineering Courses for High School Students

As a high school student interested in engineering, you may be drawn to the field because you like mathematics, physics, technology, or simply figuring out how things work. The tricky part is that engineering is not one subject. Taking an engineering course can help you explore different branches of the field and see what kind of problems you actually enjoy solving.

Imagine working with a team to design a machine, programming a robot, modelling an aircraft, or developing a solution to an environmental problem. You might learn how to turn an idea into a design, test it, work with data, and change your approach when the first version doesn’t work. That process gives you a taste of engineering that is difficult to get from simply reading about different majors.

How do you choose the right engineering courses for high school students?

The first thing to check is what you’ll actually study. Some courses focus on mechanical or aerospace engineering, while others introduce electrical engineering, robotics, computer science, biomedical engineering, or several areas together. Think about the subjects you already enjoy and choose a course that connects with them, but don’t be afraid to try something completely new if you’re still figuring things out.

You should also look closely at the way the course is taught. A strong course should give you opportunities to design, build, test, calculate, code, or analyse something, with instructors who can explain why your solution works or where it needs improvement. It’s also useful to check whether the course ends with a project, prototype, presentation, or research piece that shows what you actually worked on.

To help you choose, we’ve drawn up a list of 15 engineering courses worth considering.

For adjacent options, consider the online engineering program.

Key Takeaways

• Free programs include MIT’s MITES, the Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP), the University of Maryland’s ESTEEM/SER-Quest, Lincoln Laboratory’s LLRISE, NYU Tandon’s ARISE, Princeton’s Laboratory Learning Program, and the University of Maryland’s ESTEEM/SER-Quest.
• Stipended programs include SEAP at up to $4,500, NYU Tandon’s ARISE at $2,000, and Fermilab’s PRISM program at $500 per week.
• Several programs are restricted to U.S. citizens or specific regions, including LLRISE, ESTEEM/SER-Quest, Princeton’s Laboratory Learning Program, and Fermilab’s PRISM.
• Stanford University offers multiple engineering-adjacent summer courses, including Introduction to Engineering Analysis, Understand Energy Essentials, and Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers, with costs ranging from $4,515 to $7,525.
• Program lengths range from a few days for PLTW’s school-based curriculum structure to a full academic year for the same program, and up to ten months for Princeton’s Laboratory Learning Program combined with research follow-through.
• Research-based programs like ARISE, SEAP, and the Laboratory Learning Program place students directly into ongoing lab projects with faculty or professional mentorship.
• Costs for non-free programs range from $3,200 annually for PLTW Engineering to $9,250 for the University of Pennsylvania’s Engineering Summer Academy.
• Application deadlines vary from November for SEAP to March for several Stanford-affiliated and Fermilab programs.

15 Engineering Courses for High School Students

1. MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science (MITES)

Location: Cambridge, MA, USA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Saturday courses; six-month and six-week summer courses available
Deadline: December 5
Eligibility: 7th–12th grade students

MITES lets you spend time with technology, engineering, and science without treating them as three completely separate subjects. You’ll work through STEM lessons, hands-on activities, and technical problems with other students, putting ideas from class to use as you go.

Depending on the MITES option, you might follow the programme over several months or take part in a more intensive summer experience. You’ll also work with instructors and peers on projects that require you to explain your thinking, test ideas, and figure out what to do when your first solution doesn’t quite work.

Why it stands out: MITES is free and brings together engineering, technology, and science in one programme, with hands-on work and support built into the experience.

2. Immerse Education’s Engineering Summer School

Location: London, Singapore, Toronto, Tokyo, Boston, Sydney, Oxford, and Cambridge
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through their bursary programme.
Application Deadline: Multiple cohorts with rolling admissions.
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students around the world aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school

The Academic Insights Engineering Summer School offers a structured introduction to university-level engineering, taught by expert academics from institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge. Delivered in small classes with an average of just 7 students per class, the programme blends theory with applied learning.

For students aged 13–15, the course introduces foundational principles, including mechanics, forces, materials, and basic electronics. Guided workshops and design tasks help students understand how engineers approach problem-solving. For students aged 16–18, the curriculum advances into mechanical systems, electrical circuits, sustainability, and applied engineering design.

Students complete more independent projects and analyse real engineering challenges, developing reasoning expected at undergraduate level. Across all ages, learning includes university-style lectures, problem-solving sessions, weekly 1:1 tutorials, and a personal engineering project, ending with written feedback and a certificate.

Why it stands out: Age-specific syllabi tailored to students’ academic stages, expert tutors from leading universities, small-group teaching that encourages discussion, and personalised feedback that supports meaningful academic growth and university readiness.

3. Engineering for Good: Designing Devices that Make a Difference — Stanford University

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
Cost: $4,515
Program Dates: June 22–August 13
Deadline: Not specified; course is currently full
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and graduate students. No prior engineering experience is required; international student eligibility not specified

Engineering for Good starts with a real problem and asks you to build something that could help solve it. You’ll work with local organizations supporting unhoused people in the Bay Area and design devices related to safety, security, and connection. Along the way, you’ll use motion detectors, cameras, temperature sensors, Arduino microcontrollers, motors, and servos.

You’ll also learn C programming for controlling your devices and work through the engineering design process from an early idea to a working prototype. Your team will get feedback from community partners, make changes to the design, and present the finished device at the end of the course.

Why it stands out: You actually build a working device around a real community problem, using Arduino, sensors, programming, and mechanical components along the way.

4. Introduction to Engineering Analysis — Stanford University

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
Cost: $6,020
Program Dates: June 22–August 13
Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Prerequisites include AP Physics and AP Calculus or equivalent knowledge; international student eligibility not specified

Introduction to Engineering Analysis gets into the maths and physics that engineers use to understand how systems behave. You’ll work with conservation of mass, charge, momentum, energy, and entropy, then turn those ideas into equations that can be used to analyze engineering systems.

The course also brings in linear algebra, numerical methods, physical models, and laboratory work, so you’ll see what happens when those equations meet an actual system. You’ll practise setting up engineering problems, choosing the right assumptions, and working through both analytical and numerical solutions. It’s a fairly serious introduction to the kind of quantitative thinking you’ll encounter in university engineering courses.

Why it stands out: The course goes straight into core engineering analysis, combining calculus- and physics-based equations with numerical methods and laboratory work.

5. Understand Energy – Essentials — Stanford University

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
Cost: $4,515
Program Dates: June 22–August 13
Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students. Algebra is required; no prior energy knowledge is necessary; international student eligibility not specified

Understand Energy – Essentials takes a big question- where our energy comes from and what we do with it- and breaks it into the technology, economics, and policy behind the answer. You’ll compare energy sources such as oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal, and ocean energy. The course also gets into electricity, batteries and energy storage, hydrogen, transportation, green buildings, energy efficiency, climate change, and access to energy in developing countries.

You’ll use lectures, readings, videos, and assignments to look at the technical and economic trade-offs behind different energy systems. So if you’ve ever wondered why switching the world to one “clean” energy source is a lot harder than it sounds, this course gives you the machinery to understand why.

Why it stands out: You get to study the entire energy system, from power generation and storage to climate, transportation, economics, and energy policy, in one course.

6. Stanford University Summer Session: Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
Cost: $7,525
Program Dates: June 22 – August 13
Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: High school students; open to international students

Ordinary differential equations show up whenever engineers need to describe how something changes over time. In this Stanford course, you’ll learn how to set up and solve differential equations and see how they can be used to model engineering systems. Classes combine lectures with problem-solving, giving you plenty of time to work through equations and understand what each step is actually doing.

You’ll also apply mathematics to engineering problems, connecting things like rates of change and mathematical models to situations engineers deal with. It’s a demanding course, so expect to spend a good amount of time wrestling with equations.

Why it stands out: The course takes differential equations out of pure mathematics and puts them into an engineering context, showing you how engineers use them to model changing systems.

7. Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Engineers (Stanford University)

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
Cost: Varies based on enrolled units ($1,505 per unit)
Program Dates: June 22 – August 13
Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: High school students; open to international students

Engineering involves a lot of data, and this course gets into the mathematics behind making sense of it. You’ll study probability and statistics with engineering applications in mind, learning how to work with uncertainty, analyze data, and use statistical methods to understand real-world problems. Lectures introduce the core ideas, while problem-solving and projects give you opportunities to actually use them.

You’ll work through questions where you have to decide what the data means and which mathematical tool makes sense. The course is a good fit if you enjoy mathematics but also want to see where it turns up in engineering and data-driven decision-making.

Why it stands out: Probability and statistics are taught specifically through an engineering lens, so you get to see how mathematical models and data analysis help engineers make decisions.

8. Principles of Engineering Design (Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth)

Location: Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost: Joining fee $55; In-Person registration fee $75; Online Registration Fee $20
Program Dates: Various sessions across the year
Deadline: Varies by the session
Eligibility: Grades 7–11; open to international students

This course lets you get your hands dirty with the actual engineering design process. You’ll design, build, and test models of projects such as vehicles and bridges, then figure out what needs fixing when your first design inevitably has some problems. You’ll use mathematics and scientific reasoning to make design decisions and work with other students as you develop and test your ideas.

The course also includes technical report writing, so you’ll have to explain how your design works and why you made certain choices. With classes typically limited to 18–20 students, there’s room for plenty of hands-on work and discussion.

Why it stands out: You’ll go through the full cycle of designing, building, testing, and explaining an engineering project, with small classes keeping the work fairly hands-on.

9. ESTEEM/SER-Quest Summer Program at the University of Maryland

Location: College Park, USA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: July 7 – July 31
Deadline: March 29
Eligibility: Rising 12th graders; minimum 3.2 GPA with no C’s in Math and Science Courses; must have completed Trigonometry, Chemistry, and Pre-Calc with a B or better; international student eligibility not specified

ESTEEM/SER-Quest puts you into the early stages of an engineering research project. You’ll learn how researchers turn an engineering question into a research proposal, then work with undergraduate and graduate mentors as you develop your own ideas. The four-week programme combines engineering activities, workshops, and research-focused sessions, giving you time to think about what you actually want to investigate and how you would go about investigating it.

You’ll also get guidance on the college application process while working alongside students and mentors already involved in engineering. The programme is particularly suited to students who want to understand what engineering research looks like before starting university.

Why it stands out: You develop your own engineering research proposal and work with undergraduate and graduate mentors throughout the process, making research a central part of the programme.

10. PLTW Engineering

Location: School-based
Cost: $3,200 annual participation fee for schools
Program Dates: Year-long
Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Grades 9–12; international student eligibility not specified

PLTW Engineering gives you a year to work through the kind of problems engineers face when they are designing, testing, and improving things. You’ll use hands-on projects to explore engineering concepts and apply mathematics, science, and technology to practical challenges. The programme covers the engineering design process and gives you opportunities to build ideas, test them, spot problems, and make changes.

You’ll also work in teams, which means explaining your design choices and figuring out how to combine different ideas into one solution. Because the programme runs throughout the school year, you have more time to develop projects than you would in a short summer course.

Why it stands out: PLTW Engineering gives you sustained project-based experience across an entire school year, with engineering concepts taught through designing, testing, and improving solutions.

11. Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP)

Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $9,250 program fee
Program Dates: Varies by the course
Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Must have completed freshman year in high school and be 15 years old; open to international students

ESAP gives you three weeks to test out different sides of engineering through projects and hands-on work. You can explore areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, and other engineering fields while working with technology used in university research. The programme is based at Penn, with access to facilities including the Singh Center for Nanotechnology and its cleanroom.

You’ll spend your time working through engineering problems, building things, testing ideas, and collaborating with other students. It’s a good chance to see how different engineering disciplines overlap when you’re actually working on a project.

Why it stands out: ESAP gives high school students access to university engineering facilities, including the Singh Center for Nanotechnology cleanroom, while they work on hands-on projects across several engineering fields.

12. Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers (LLRISE)

Location: Cambridge, MA and Lexington, MA, USA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: July 12 – July 25
Deadline: March 11
Eligibility: Be completing your junior year in high school; U.S. citizen (foreign citizens who are permanent residents are not eligible)

LLRISE is all about one thing: building radar systems. Over two weeks, you’ll learn how radar works and then put that knowledge into practice by designing and building small Doppler and range radar systems. Scientists and engineers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory guide you through the technical work, so you get to see how ideas from physics, electronics, programming, and engineering come together in one device.

You’ll also troubleshoot your system as you build it and work with other students to solve problems along the way. Participants stay in MIT dormitories during the programme, making the experience feel much closer to an engineering workshop than a typical summer class.

Why it stands out: You spend two weeks actually building radar systems with guidance from MIT Lincoln Laboratory scientists and engineers, including hands-on work with Doppler and range radar.

13. ARISE: Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Free; $2000 stipend
Program Dates: June 1 – August 14
Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Accepting rising juniors and seniors; open to international students

ARISE puts you inside an NYU Tandon research laboratory for a full summer of engineering and science research. You’ll complete more than 150 hours of hands-on lab work in one of around 50 research labs, depending on your placement.

Before getting into your project, you’ll receive training in laboratory safety, college-level writing, and research methods. You’ll then work with faculty and research mentors on a project connected to their ongoing work. At the end of the programme, you’ll present what you discovered at a research colloquium, giving you a chance to explain your project and results to an audience beyond your lab.

Why it stands out: ARISE gives you more than 150 hours of lab experience and places you in one of 50 NYU Tandon research labs, with a $2,000 stipend and a final research presentation.

14. Laboratory Learning Program at Princeton University

Location: Princeton, NJ, USA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: February 15 – March 15
Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Students must be 16 years of age or older by June 15; Enrolled in a local NJ high school; US citizens currently attending a local NJ high school

The Laboratory Learning Program gives you a full-time research placement in a Princeton science or engineering laboratory. You’ll work with faculty and research staff on an actual research project, spending your time conducting experiments, collecting information, and analyzing what you find.

Your project will depend on the laboratory where you are placed, so the experience can look quite different from one student to another. You’ll also have to turn your work into a two-page research summary, which means figuring out how to explain months of research without writing a 40-page monster. The programme gives you a close look at how research works inside a university laboratory.

Why it stands out: You spend the programme working full-time on a Princeton research project and finish by turning your findings into a formal two-page research summary.

15. Fermilab Program for Research, Innovation, and STEM Mentorship (PRISM)

Location: Batavia, Illinois, USA
Cost: $500 weekly stipend
Program Dates: July 13 – August 7
Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High School seniors for the 2026-2027 school year or 2026 high school graduate; Must be a U.S. citizen; Illinois high school enrollment

PRISM takes you into the world of particle physics, quantum science, engineering, and artificial intelligence through a four-week programme at Fermilab. Each week has its own scientific theme, so you might move from particle physics to quantum science, engineering design, and AI as the programme progresses.

You’ll take part in hands-on activities, attend lectures, tour Fermilab facilities, and work with mentors who can explain what research in these fields looks like beyond a textbook. The mix is useful because you get to see several areas of modern STEM in one place and how they overlap in actual research.

Why it stands out: PRISM changes its scientific focus each week, taking you through particle physics, quantum science, engineering design, and AI while giving you access to Fermilab researchers and facilities.

Frequently asked questions: Engineering Courses for High School Students

What is the best free engineering course for high school students?

MIT’s MITES program stands out for combining engineering, technology, and science instruction without a program cost, and it accepts a broad range of grade levels from 7th through 12th. The Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) is another strong free option, since it places students directly into Department of the Navy laboratories with a stipend attached. Students wanting hands-on radar-specific engineering should also consider LLRISE, which is free and includes MIT Lincoln Laboratory mentorship.

Are there paid engineering programs or internships for high school students?

Yes. SEAP offers a stipend of $4,000 to $4,500, NYU Tandon’s ARISE program provides $2,000 alongside a research placement, and Fermilab’s PRISM program pays $500 weekly across its four-week schedule. These paid options generally require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, so international students should look toward tuition-based programs like Stanford’s engineering courses or Penn’s Engineering Summer Academy instead.

Can international students take engineering courses in the US?

Some programs welcome international applicants, including Penn’s Engineering Summer Academy (ESAP), Johns Hopkins’ Principles of Engineering Design, and Stanford’s Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers and Probability and Statistics for Engineers courses. Programs like SEAP, LLRISE, ESTEEM/SER-Quest, and Fermilab’s PRISM are restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. International students should verify eligibility carefully, since restrictions vary significantly even among similar research-based programs.

Which engineering courses focus on hands-on building rather than theory?

Lincoln Laboratory’s LLRISE has students build actual Doppler and range radar systems, while Johns Hopkins’ Principles of Engineering Design has students design, build, and test models like vehicles and bridges. Stanford University’s Engineering for Good course also takes a hands-on approach, having students build devices using Arduino, sensors, and motors to address real community problems. Students wanting a more mathematics- and physics-heavy approach should instead look at Stanford’s Introduction to Engineering Analysis or its differential equations course.

What engineering research opportunities are available for high school students?

NYU Tandon’s ARISE program places students in one of roughly 50 research labs for over 150 hours of hands-on work, while the University of Maryland’s ESTEEM/SER-Quest program has students develop their own research proposal with mentor guidance. Princeton’s Laboratory Learning Program offers a similar full-time research placement, culminating in a two-page research summary. These programs suit students who want direct exposure to how engineering research is actually conducted, rather than a structured course curriculum.

How much do engineering courses for high school students cost?

Costs vary enormously depending on funding source and format. Free programs like MITES, SEAP, and ARISE carry no tuition and sometimes include stipends, while university courses range from $3,200 annually for PLTW Engineering to $9,250 for Penn’s three-week Engineering Summer Academy. Stanford’s individual engineering courses, such as Introduction to Engineering Analysis and Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers, fall between $4,515 and $7,525 depending on the specific course.

The quiet advantage of engineering done early

Choosing among these engineering courses for high school students gives you real, hands-on experience designing, building, and testing actual prototypes.

Once the course ends, you can turn that technical experience into a clearer sense of your academic and career direction.

The design skills, project work, and analytical thinking you built become a strong foundation for stronger university applications ahead.

Keep building on what you started with this course by exploring our University Preparation blogs for guidance on your next steps.

‍

About the author

Amy Cross

BA/MA from the University of Leeds | Student Success Advisor, Immerse Education

Amy Cross is an admissions and student-support specialist with expertise in English Literature and global postcolonial writing. Prior to her work in education, Amy built a strong academic foundation at the University of Leeds, completing both a BA and an MA in English Literature. Her undergraduate research explored anthropomorphism in literature and the ways it can intersect with imperialism in children’s writing, while her master’s degree brought a sharper focus to postcolonial literature from across the globe.

Alongside her studies, Amy volunteered for an online creative writing publication, editing submissions and supporting emerging writers in refining their work. In her role as Student Success Advisor at Immerse Education, Amy helps students identify the programme best suited to their interests and ambitions, and supports them through the preparation process so they can arrive confident and ready to get the most from their academic experience.

‍