15 Summer Engineering Programs for High School Students in Houston, Texas
If you’re a high school student interested in engineering or related fields, exploring a summer program can help you understand what these disciplines look like in practice. These programs give you early exposure to practical skills, projects, and problem-solving. They’re often taught by university faculty, researchers, or industry professionals. Beyond technical learning, you’ll also gain valuable industry exposure and mentorship that can shape your academic and career decisions.
Why choose an engineering program in Houston, Texas?
Many summer engineering programs are hosted by top colleges, research institutions, and STEM organizations in and around Houston. You’ll find engineering programs that emphasize design thinking, teamwork, and applied learning aligned with engineering pathways. Below is our curated list of the top 15 summer engineering programs for high school students in Houston, Texas, selected for their academic value, accessibility, and industry relevance. To help you choose wisely, we’ve narrowed this list to programs that are rigorous, well-structured, and hosted by credible institutions.
15 Summer Engineering Programs for High School Students in Houston, Texas
1. Mohan Lab Summer Internship (MLSI) for High School Students
Location: Mohan Lab, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Program Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: March 26
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors with a strong academic record and an interest in biomedical engineering, bioengineering, computer science, or related fields
The Mohan Lab Summer Internship Program is an eight-week experience that places you in a biomedical research lab. After an initial training period covering core laboratory techniques, you conduct supervised bench research alongside scientists and graduate students. Project areas span biomedical sciences, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and data-driven research, including AI-based image analysis and big data workflows. You’ll develop skills in experimental design, data interpretation, and scientific communication while working on an ongoing research question. The program culminates in an oral research presentation, mirroring academic lab environments. Depending on the project, your work may extend beyond the summer into manuscript writing or continued data analysis, offering deeper exposure to research-driven engineering pathways.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort
Eligibility: High school students
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program designed for motivated high school students. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to work with high-growth start-ups in various industries, including tech, deep tech, engineering, AI/ML, health tech, consulting, and more. Ladder’s partner start-ups are typically high-growth companies, often raising over one million dollars. During the program, you will collaborate closely with your managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects, eventually presenting your work to the company. The virtual internship generally lasts for approximately 8 weeks. Apply now!
3. TC Energy Summer Scholars Academy
Location: University of Houston, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free; Up to $1,000 offered in scholarships
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: June 8 – August 7
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors planning to attend the University of Houston in the fall; must select a major in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics or the Cullen College of Engineering; completion of or enrollment in pre-calculus is required
The TC Energy Summer Scholars Academy is a nine-week academic bridge program designed to prepare you for engineering or STEM majors before your first semester of college. You’ll complete college-level coursework, including Calculus I, while previewing foundational chemistry and college success content in a structured environment. The program emphasizes disciplined problem-solving, daily homework, and academic self-management aligned with engineering coursework expectations. You’ll work closely with university faculty, staff, and peers while developing study strategies and technical readiness for engineering majors. Collaborative activities and cohort-based learning help you build early academic and professional networks within UH’s engineering community. Successful completion can also strengthen your evaluation for admission into your first-choice engineering major if automatic admission requirements were not initially met.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies; Full financial aid available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts in a year
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort
Eligibility: High school students
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a challenging research initiative designed for high school students. The program provides extensive one-on-one research opportunities across a wide range of subject areas. Topics available include engineering, physics, data science, computer science, chemistry, international relations, and more. As a participant, you will be paired with Ph.D. mentors to collaborate on independent research projects. Upon completing the 12-week program, you will have developed a comprehensive independent research paper. For additional information about the application process, please visit here. You can also read reviews from past participants here and here.
5. Rice’s Sustainable Futures Academy
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX (in-person)
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Program Dates: July 7 – 11
Application Deadline: June 7
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10-11; Primarily targeted toward girls
The Sustainable Futures Academy is a one-week, hands-on engineering enrichment program centered on sustainability and applied systems thinking. You’ll work through structured engineering challenges such as designing landing capsules and roller coasters, while exploring core concepts in circuits, motion, and physics using tools like Micro:bits and TI-Nspire Rovers. Lab activities are paired with guided discussions led by Rice University faculty and graduate students, helping you connect scientific principles to real-world engineering problems. The curriculum emphasizes how interconnected components influence system performance, particularly in the context of green and sustainable design. You’ll collaborate in small groups to test ideas, analyze outcomes, and refine solutions. The program offers an academically grounded introduction to engineering thinking within a university lab environment.
6. High School Emerging Researcher Experience
Location: Houston Methodist, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Program Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: December 5 – January 30
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors (16+) with a minimum 3.5 GPA; U.S.-based students able to commit full-time
The High School Emerging Researcher Experience places you in a fast-paced translational research environment alongside undergraduate interns at Houston Methodist. You’ll work on a mentor-selected summer project aligned with the lab’s area of expertise, gaining exposure to laboratory techniques and research workflows used in biomedical engineering and clinical research. The program emphasizes data handling, experimental procedures, and research ethics within a real hospital-based research setting. You’ll receive close mentorship from faculty and research staff while learning how scientific findings translate into patient-facing solutions. Professional development sessions and academic seminars complement the lab work, providing context for college and research careers. The experience culminates in a formal research poster presentation at a summer symposium, mirroring expectations in academic engineering and research environments.
7. Brown Pre-College Online (Engineering & Technology Courses)
Location: Online
Cost: Paid; scholarships available for eligible U.S. students
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Program Dates: June 15 – July 24
Application Deadline: Rolling until May 22 or until courses fill
Eligibility: High school students (ages 14-18)
The Brown Pre-College Online program offers you the opportunity to take college-level engineering and technology courses taught by Brown-affiliated instructors in a structured online format. You can choose from Engineering & Technology offerings such as Introduction to Engineering and Design, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning. Courses run for 2 to 6 weeks in mostly asynchronous or blended formats, with required orientation, instructor office hours, and peer interaction built in. While the program is course-based rather than a single immersive cohort experience, it provides rigorous academic exposure and emphasizes independent research, design thinking, and applied problem-solving. Students who complete longer courses receive a Course Performance Report, making this a strong option if you’re seeking credible online engineering coursework when in-person programs aren’t feasible.
8. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Location: Online
Cost: Free (for qualifying students); $2,350
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Program Dates: July 6 – August 1/2 (final event held August 1–2)
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: High-achieving students entering 12th grade (some fall/spring courses open to younger high school students)
The MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is a highly selective, project-based engineering and applied STEM program designed for students ready to work at an advanced level. You’ll engage in intensive, workshop-style courses covering areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomy, embedded systems, radar, satellite systems, and data analysis, guided by MIT-affiliated instructors and industry mentors. The summer program emphasizes hands-on engineering work, team-based problem solving, and real-world technical challenges, rather than lectures alone. In addition to the flagship summer institute, BWSI offers online fall and spring preparatory courses that build core engineering and computational foundations and act as pathways into the summer program.
9. Rice ELITE Tech Camp
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost: Residential: $3,899; Commuter: $1,799
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: Multiple sessions in the summer (dates vary by format)
Application Deadline: Rolling until sessions are filled
Eligibility: High school students
Rice ELITE Tech Camp is a one-week engineering and technology program designed and led by faculty from Rice University’s School of Engineering and the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. You’ll work through structured, hands-on modules that apply the engineering design process to real-world problems, with technical tracks spanning areas such as robotics, bioengineering, AI, machine learning, data science, IoT, and 3D modeling. Instruction blends short lectures with small-group challenges, allowing you to practice analytical thinking, coding, and system design in guided settings. The program also integrates engineering leadership concepts, including project management and technical communication, alongside core STEM work. You’ll interact with engineering professors, researchers, and peers while gaining exposure to college-level expectations and workflows.
10. National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) – Engineering Program (Houston)
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost: $4,195; scholarships available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: June 11 – 19; June 23 – July 1
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until full
Eligibility: High school students
The NSLC Engineering program places you on Rice University’s campus for an introduction to engineering disciplines through classroom instruction, simulations, and activities. You’ll explore core engineering concepts while working through structured problem-solving exercises that mirror real-world engineering decision-making. The program emphasizes experiential learning, with sessions led by professionals and faculty who discuss how engineering principles are applied across industries. You also gain exposure to collaborative workflows by working alongside peers with similar academic interests. Outside the classroom, the residential format supports informal mentorship, peer discussions, and exposure to college life in a supervised setting. The experience concludes with reflective exercises and discussions that connect engineering skills to long-term academic and career pathways.
11. TryEngineering Summer Institute
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost: $4,195; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: June 11 – 19; June 23 – July 1
Application Deadline: Rolling until sessions are filled
Eligibility: High school students
The TryEngineering Summer Institute at Rice University is a camp that introduces you to multiple engineering disciplines through structured design challenges. You’ll rotate through practical skill modules covering areas such as soldering, programming, breadboarding, computer-aided design, and systems thinking. Team-based projects include building and testing drones, remotely operated underwater vehicles, wind turbines, and launch systems, with an emphasis on applying the full engineering design process. The curriculum blends mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineering concepts while reinforcing collaboration and iterative problem-solving. Guest speakers from industry and academia provide context on engineering careers and real-world applications.
12. Summer Design Experience (The Idea Factory)
Location: University of Houston, Houston, TX
Cost: $500
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly disclosed
Program Dates: Session I: June 8 – 12; Session II: June 15 – 19
Application Deadline: Registration-based; closes once sessions are full
Eligibility: High school students; no prior design or technical experience required
The Summer Design Experience at the University of Houston introduces you to engineering-oriented product design through studio work focused on how physical products are conceived, designed, and built. You’ll work on short design-build projects that emphasize form, function, materials, and fabrication methods commonly used in product and manufacturing engineering contexts. Daily activities combine brief lectures with iterative sketching, prototyping, and physical construction, mirroring real-world design workflows. Instruction is led by UH faculty, providing exposure to professional design and engineering standards. The program emphasizes collaborative problem-solving and creative constraint-based thinking. By the end of the week, you will have gained practical insight into how engineering design decisions translate into functional, manufacturable products.
13. Tapia STEM Camps
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost: $2,200 (early bird before Feb 1); $2,500 (regular before May 1); discounts available for groups/schools
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: Multiple sessions in the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling; early bird before February 1, regular before May 1
Eligibility: Rising 8th-12th graders; Some advanced sessions have prerequisites (e.g., math background for “Techniques of a Pro Mathematician”)
Tapia STEM Camps places you on Rice University’s campus, where you will work through STEM challenges with engineering applications. You’ll complete project-based activities such as carbon capture and storage simulations and heat-transfer design tasks (e.g., building a heatsink), applying core engineering concepts like systems thinking and energy flow. The curriculum emphasizes structured problem-solving and iterative design, with guidance from Rice students and faculty. Communication is a central component, as you collaborate in teams and present final projects to peers and professors. Additional exposure comes through a STEM Fair featuring demonstrations across engineering and physical sciences. A Houston-based field trip (such as to NASA Johnson Space Center) further contextualizes engineering work within real-world settings.
14. Rice University Aerospace Academy (Envision by WorldStrides)
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost: $6,999; scholarships, payment plans, and financial assistance available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: June 21 – July 2; July 5 – 16
Application Deadline: Rolling until sessions are filled
Eligibility: High school students; no prior engineering experience required
The Rice University Aerospace Academy is a 12-day residential program that introduces you to aerospace engineering through design, simulation, and prototyping projects. You’ll work in teams to plan, build, and launch rockets and high-altitude payload missions, applying concepts from aerodynamics, propulsion, satellite systems, and orbital mechanics. The curriculum includes structured workshops in areas such as CAD, 3D printing, robotics, and systems engineering, paired with simulations and real-world calculations. Faculty-led sessions and speaker series introduce you to industry practices and research pathways in aerospace engineering. Site visits to Houston-area aerospace institutions, including NASA-related facilities, contextualize classroom learning. The program concludes with technical presentations and reflections, mirroring the collaborative and iterative nature of real engineering teams.
15. Yale Summer Session (Pre-College Students)
Location: Online
Cost: $5,480 per 1-credit course; additional room & board fees apply; financial assistance is available
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Program Dates: Session A: May 25 – June 26; Session B: June 29 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 20 (priority); March 13 (regular)
Eligibility: High school rising seniors and current seniors (16+)
The Yale Summer Session allows academically strong high school students to enroll in Yale courses and complete college-level work held to the same standards as Yale students. You can choose engineering and technology courses, including applied STEM subjects, and participate fully online without the requirement to live on campus. You’ll study alongside college peers, complete graded coursework, and earn Yale Summer Session credit. The program is best suited for students who are confident in managing independent coursework and want early exposure to the expectations of elite university academics.
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