11 Internships for High School Students in Michigan
If you're a high school student from Michigan interested in enhancing your academic profile, you should consider participating in an internship!
An internship will allow you to explore your interests in a real-world setting, hone your practical skills, and cultivate a strong network. With the exposure internships offer, you stand to gain a solid head start in your education and career. Gaining early practical experience can also enhance your college applications by highlighting your commitment to learning and your ability to work in challenging environments, setting you apart from your peers.
These early practical experiences will not only boost your profile but will also help you explore potential career paths, allowing you to make informed decisions about your future.
In this blog, we’ve covered 11 internships for high school students in Michigan spanning various fields such as medicine, agricultural engineering, business, nuclear engineering, food sciences, and more!
Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost/Stipend: Free for all accepted participants including housing, a meal plan, lab materials, etc. Interns will receive a stipend to participate in the program, which will be divided into three payments throughout the program.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Dates: June 17–July 26, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility: Michigan high school rising seniors, at least 16 years old by the program start date, can apply.
The Aspirnaut Summer Research Internship Program at the University of Michigan aims to cultivate an interest in basic science research by offering immersive hands-on science laboratory experiences to high school students from under-resourced areas. As an intern, you will spend six weeks on U-M's Ann Arbor campus working with a team of researchers in the life sciences. You will get to conduct your research project and gather results that contribute to recent research. At the end of the program, you will present your findings to peers and mentors. Only around 8-10 interns are accepted into the program each year.
Throughout the summer, you will have opportunities to interact in social and professional activities with participants in other summer high school programs while exploring the U-M campus. You will also have access to university resources such as campus recreation facilities and student health services. This program will allow you to benefit from professional development and enrichment opportunities including individualized meetings with mentors, preparation for standardized tests, college advising, networking opportunities with scientists in a research environment, as well as cultural and social activities.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Cost: Starts at $2,490. Financial aid is available.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. The upcoming fall cohort deadline is August 25, 2024.
Dates: 8-week programs with multiple cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter. The upcoming fall cohort begins on September 16, 2024.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships, a fairly selective program founded by Harvard alumni, pairs high school students with startups and nonprofits around the world for virtual internships. You can choose the field you wish to work in, from a wide range of industries, including technology, machine learning, AI, computer science, finance, environmental science, sustainability, business, marketing, healthcare, medicine, media, journalism, and more.
As an intern, you will work on meaningful projects that contribute to the startup or nonprofit’s larger mission, and present your work at the end of the program. This internship program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, among other skills, and group training sessions with fellow interns. You will be paired with a manager at the startup and with a Ladder coach, who serves as a second mentor. The internship opportunities in this program span the globe, with a concentration in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the UK. You can explore all the options here on their application form.
Location: Multiple locations
Cost/Stipend: Free for all accepted participants but they will be responsible for making their transportation arrangements to and from their training site. This is an unpaid opportunity.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: Vary depending on the opportunity.
Eligibility: High school seniors can apply.
The Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency Internship Program is a 6-10 hour per week independent study course related to a high school senior student’s career pathway. The MARESA Internship Coordinator works to find a host site best aligned with the student’s interests and educational development plan. During the program, you will be placed with a local business/agency where you’ll be trained and supervised by one or more business site employees.
As an intern, you will be expected to follow both the internship and your allocated business site attendance rules and policies. Your internship grades will be assigned by the internship coordinator and based on a site supervisor evaluation, your work maturity, learning progress, and a daily written journal. Individual site supervisors may assign additional projects and papers. Before the start of an internship, the business, parent, school, and student must all approve the training schedule and task expectations.
This internship experience will allow you to gain career awareness, explore a professional work environment, make career decisions, receive constructive criticism on soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace and learn technical skills required for a certain career or trade.
Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Cost/Stipend: Free for all accepted participants but they will be responsible for their transportation to and from the MSU campus. A weekly stipend is provided to the participants.
Application Deadline: April 12, 2024; TBA for 2025
Dates: July 7–August 2, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility: High school students currently in 10th and 11th grades can apply.
The Multicultural Apprenticeship Program (MAP) is a four-week summer program designed to allow high school students to experience college life and explore exciting educational and career opportunities in the agricultural and food sciences, natural resources, and related fields. Through MAP, you’ll get to work in many different areas including food science, agricultural engineering, forestry, animal sciences, horticulture, crop and soil sciences, environmental and natural resource management, veterinary medicine, and more.
During the program, you’ll be matched with a College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) faculty member to work on a research project. You will be expected to engage in some sort of research or program daily. During the four weeks, you will also participate in field trips, leadership seminars, and several other educational, social, and cultural activities. This program will allow you to gain hands-on experience in laboratory and field research and work with computers and other highly technical equipment. Additionally, you will gain experience interacting with other students, faculty members, and professionals.
Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Cost: Free for all accepted participants.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Dates: July 21–July 26, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility: Current high school students who are U.S. citizens can apply.
PAN introduces participants to the fundamentals of the extremely small domain of atomic nuclei and its connection to the extremely large domain of astrophysics and cosmology. This program is sponsored by the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), which is a National User Facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.
During the program, you will learn about research in one of the top rare-isotope laboratories in the world, explore the fields of astrophysics, cosmology, and nuclear science, and have an opportunity to perform your nuclear physics experiments. You’ll also get to meet researchers who are exploring diverse questions, discover career opportunities in science, and experience college life. Only 24 students were accepted into the 2023 PAN program.
Location: Multiple organizations across Detroit, MI
Stipend: Interns will be paid by CultureSource for the 8-week program. Interns will also be provided with funds to cover all work-related expenses (transport, meals, etc.).
Application Deadline: April 15, 2024; TBA for 2025
Dates: 8-week internship between June and August but the exact dates vary depending on the organization’s schedule. The 2024 program kicked off on June 17.
Eligibility: Rising seniors who attend public or charter schools in the city of Detroit can apply.
The BAI program in partnership with CultureSource places rising Detroit high school seniors in paid internships at their arts and culture member organizations. The 8-week summer program provides students with creative career-path exposure and college-prep experiences.
In addition to work placement, you will get to participate in cultural site visits and curriculum days focusing on writing, leadership, financial literacy, public communication, college readiness, and more. During the program, you will work on-site three days per week. The remaining two days will be dedicated to cultural site visits and curriculum days that are coordinated by CultureSource. The program typically accepts around 25 interns for the summer internship. This program is a solid opportunity for you to work with people from diverse backgrounds and explore various art careers along with developing your skills.
Location: C. S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Detroit, MI
Cost: Free for all accepted participants but the program does not provide housing or transportation.
Application Deadline: April 5, 2024; TBA for 2025
Dates: June 24–August 16, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility:
Rising high school seniors at least 16 years of age can apply.
The program is also open to undergraduate students from Wayne State University and any other college/university.
The Discovery To Cure Program is designed to provide high school and undergraduate students with research experience in laboratories of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Wayne State University School of Medicine. During the program, you will be assigned a mentor and an individual research project that will allow you to formulate hypotheses, design and perform experiments and analyze data.
You will get to participate in the latest research, receiving training in areas such as reproductive biology, immunology, oncology, toxicology, prenatal, and precision medicine. You will spend eight weeks working in a Wayne State laboratory under the mentorship of a PI, postdoctoral student, or research assistant. You will conduct research in the laboratory of one faculty member approximately 40 hours per week and will attend weekly research seminars. Research Presentation Day, typically held on the last day of the program, is scheduled ahead of time and you will be expected to give a 10-minute oral presentation on this day.
Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost/Stipend: Free for all accepted participants; A stipend of $2,800 is provided to the participants.
Application Deadline: Dates TBA for 2025.
Dates: 6 weeks during the summer; Dates TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students who are Michigan residents can apply.
U-M’s Summer High School Apprentice Researchers Program (SHARP) is a 6-week program for current high school juniors to give them a glimpse into the college application process and life as a Michigan Engineering student. During the program, you will get to conduct research under the guidance of U-M faculty and graduate students. You will be paired with participating labs based on interest and availability and the placement will take place after admission into the program.
Past research topics included “Making Chemicals, Polymers, and Ceramics”, “Autonomous Drone as an Educational Tool”, “How to make and see a crystal of less than 1nm thick”, “Freezing Water Droplets on Micro/Nanostructured Oil-impregnated Surfaces”, and “Optical Components and Materials”. You will spend half a day in the lab with your research teams, and the other half with student life advisors visiting labs, touring the campus, and exploring the University of Michigan’s campus! You’ll also participate in panel discussions with current undergraduate students, and attend lectures by Faculty about their research and presentations by Michigan Engineering Alumni about their careers in their field.
Location: University of Michigan North Campus, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost/Stipend: Free for all accepted participants; Participants will receive a stipend.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Dates: July 7–August 3, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors from Michigan-designated schools within a 500-mile radius of the Ann Arbor campus can apply.
The Harper Academy 4 Future Nuclear Engineers program is a four-week residential program that exposes rising high school seniors to nuclear engineering careers and prepares them to successfully matriculate a nuclear engineering program. It is run in partnership with the Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences (NERS) academic department and Detroit Second Chance/Charles Harper Charities, LLC.
During the program, you’ll be taught important nuclear engineering concepts by faculty members from the partner institutions. You will learn about nuclear fusion and fission and understand how neutrons interact with nuclei through a mix of activities and lectures. You’ll also participate in panel discussions with current undergraduate students, and attend lectures by Faculty about their research and presentations by Michigan Engineering Alumni about their careers in their field.
Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost/Stipend: Free for all accepted participants; A $300 stipend is provided to the participants upon completion of the summer camp.
Application Deadline: April 19, 2024; TBA for 2025
Dates: July 21–August 3, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility: Current rising 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students who are Michigan residents can apply.
NAF Future Ready Scholars is a STEM-focused career and college readiness program offered to high school students within Southeast Michigan. As a participant, you will spend two weeks in an immersive summer camp at the University of Michigan engaging in the engineering design process to solve problems of your choice. With guidance from MEZ (Michigan Engineering Zone) instructors and U-M students, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about various STEM tools such as robotics, app development, CAD, and entrepreneurship and will work in teams to create and test new ideas for a healthier future.
Additionally, you will participate in college and career readiness sessions including SAT prep, career exploration, and job shadowing opportunities. Programming continues during the school year through monthly Saturday Sessions, providing local and ongoing opportunities for career awareness, exploration, and preparation throughout your high school years.
Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Cost: Free for all accepted participants but students will be responsible for their transportation to and from the MSU campus.
Application Deadline: April 15, 2024; TBA for 2025
Dates: July 21–July 26, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11 can participate in AIMS.
The ANR Institute for Multicultural Students (AIMS) is a one-week program designed to give high school students exposure to the food and agricultural sciences, natural resources, and related fields. The program is supported by the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and several other public and private agencies and corporations.
You’ll get to explore various educational and career opportunities in the food and agricultural sciences, agricultural engineering, environmental and natural resources management, as well as other areas including environmental science, agribusiness, and agriculture education. During the program, you will participate in demonstrations, tours, and other hands-on activities designed to give a sampling of what agriculture and natural resources have to offer. You will also have the opportunity to participate in several other educational, cultural, and social activities.
One other option - the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, you could also consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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