12 STEM Courses for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Jan 12, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 7
If you are a high schooler considering a career in STEM, taking a course in your field of interest can be a great way to learn more. A course can add to your existing knowledge about a subject while demonstrating your dedication to it—something college admissions officers look for! Courses offered by prestigious institutions known for their STEM curriculum can carry substantial weight. Nevertheless, regardless of the prestige it offers, highlighting the skills and knowledge you acquired through the course is important.
To choose a suitable course, check if the course instructors have relevant experience in the field and/or an advanced degree in the subject. You can review the course content and teaching methods to understand what it offers beyond your school curriculum. A course that utilizes multiple teaching methods, like group discussions, demonstrations, peer learning, and projects, can offer a comprehensive learning experience.
To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of 12 valuable STEM courses for high school students! Note that the following information is based on the most recent program, with dates subject to change but generally similar from year to year.
1. Veritas AI
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: High school students. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $5,550 | Financial aid is available—check whether you’re eligible.
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who have completed a pre-calculus/trigonometry course and are familiar with complex numbers and matrices can apply.
Application deadline: January 10 (early); February 14 (regular); April 10 (late)
Duration/dates: July 7–19
The Introduction to Quantum Mechanics course is part of Harvard University’s 2-week summer program for high school students. It covers the basic principles of quantum mechanics, emphasizing how its measurements differ from those of classical physics. The first part of this course covers superposition and the idea that states must be defined probabilistically. These concepts are explored further with the help of two-state systems, matrices and vectors, and spin-1/2 particles. The second part of the course covers systems of two particles, specifically the concept of entanglement. Additionally, the idea of a quantum computer is discussed by understanding how it works in a basic toy model. You can look at program details and other courses that summer school at Harvard offers.
Location: Online
Cost: $3,050. Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: School students in grades 8–11 can apply.
Application deadline: March 29
Duration/dates: Session 1: June 17–28 | Session 2: July 8–19
The Topics in Bioscience course is part of Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes program. The course covers biomedical sciences—biology, anatomy, physiology, and other related fields of study. Taking the example of the COVID-19 pandemic, the course offers an understanding of the real-world application of biomedical concepts. At the end of the course, you will understand the gas exchange process in the lungs, how the heart and blood vessels respond to changes in oxygenation, how genetic material turns into proteins, and the connection between mRNA and vaccine development. Additionally, the course covers important epidemiologic and clinical research methods that form the basis of research in human subjects. If you’re looking for a college-level biology course, you can consider the Johns Hopkins AP® Biology Course, which is a part of its Center for Talented Youth program.
Location: Online via edX
Cost: Free. If you wish to obtain a certificate on completion, the course fees are $149.
Eligibility: Anyone who has studied high school chemistry (module 0 provides background information) and pre-calculus-level mathematics can enroll in the course.
Application deadline: Enrollment is open for the upcoming session. Keep an eye out for future sessions.
Duration/dates: 15 weeks (10–12 hours per week); Instructor-paced course. The upcoming available session starts on January 25.
This is an introductory chemistry course offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on edX. The course is the first of two courses that cover first-year, university-level chemistry. In the first course i.e., General Chemistry I: Atoms, Molecules, and Bonding, MIT professors cover the principles of chemical bonding, starting from the first experiments that disclosed the dual wave-particle nature of energy and matter. Additionally, concepts such as introductory quantum mechanics, electronic structure of atoms, molecular bonding and structure, and intermolecular and interatomic interactions will be explained. After completing this course, you will be eligible to enroll in the second course in the series—MITx General Chemistry II: Chemical Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Transition Metals, which covers the fundamentals of chemical reactions.
Location: Online
Cost: $3,050. Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors who have completed an algebra course and a physical science course and have some exposure to basic trigonometry.
Application deadline: March 29
Duration/dates: Session 1: June 17–28 | Session 2: July 8–19
This is another course that Stanford offers as part of its Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes program. Frontiers in Physics covers key discoveries in the early 20th century that paved the way for modern physics. The course material revolves around three breakthroughs—quantum mechanics, particle physics, and Einstein’s theories of relativity. You will mathematically prove concepts such as time dilation and mass-energy equivalence. You will also discuss the twin paradox and the barn-pole paradox. This course's assignments could take the form of a complete scientific article on relativity, an experiment to confirm light’s wave nature, or a general-public article on a subject in modern physics.
Location: Online
Cost: $955; Financial aid available
Eligibility: High school students with math test scores reflecting academic ability
approximately two grade levels above the currently enrolled grade can apply. Check the detailed eligibility criteria here.
Application deadline: None. Students can apply anytime and start within two weeks.
Duration/dates: 3 months (7–9 hours per week); self-paced course
Johns Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is an academic center for advanced school students. Its Advanced Java Programming course covers features of the programming language like inheritance, interfaces, abstract classes, abstract methods, and polymorphism. The course is conducted in 12 units consisting of lessons, videos, forum discussions with challenge problems, interactive activities, a quiz, programming assignments, a midterm project, a final project, and a final exam. While there are no live classes, you can schedule meetings with the instructor. If you’re keen on exploring STEM subjects further, you can also consider the Differential Equations Course and/or Engineering Design Course offered under the CTY program at Johns Hopkins.
Location: Hybrid (Online and on-campus—Brown University campus in Providence, Rhode Island)
Cost: $9,870 (residential) | $8,100 (commuter)
Eligibility: High school students with basic knowledge of computer programming and intermediate-level knowledge of statistics and probabilities can enroll in this course.
Application deadline: May 10
Duration/dates: Mid-July–early August
The AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning course is part of the university’s Summer@Brown program. This course covers methodical data exploration and visualization, diagnostic analytics, and predictive modeling using statistical and machine-learning techniques. It explores the practical application of machine learning. You will be introduced to concepts like text analytics, recommender systems, deep learning, and computer vision. A key focus of this course is the machine learning process, in which potential ethical issues will be considered, and solutions will be formulated to help you present your detailed data architecture. The course will also consider the machine learning process's application in healthcare, hospitality, sports, and more.
Location: Online via edX
Cost: Free. If you wish to obtain a certificate on completion, the course fees are $249.
Eligibility: This course is open to everyone!
Application deadline: Enrollment is open.
Duration/dates: 6-week self-paced course (4–6 hours per week). Start at your convenience!
Offered by Stanford Online (Stanford School of Engineering’s online platform for academic and professional education) and edX, this is an introductory course. It is a great way to understand key aspects of a computer—hardware, software, computer code, internet, computer security, and what a computer can and cannot do. The course comes with a “lab” component, in which you will experiment with short bits of computer code to understand the utility as well as limitations of computers. You can move at your own speed but are encouraged to finish the course in 6 weeks by investing at least 4 hours per day. The course is developed by Stanford faculty. You can check out more paid and free STEM courses for high school students here.
Location: Online course via Coursera
Cost: Free
Eligibility: This course is open to everyone!
Application deadline: Enrollment is open.
Duration/dates: 3-week self-paced course (5 hours a week). Start at your convenience!
Georgia Institute of Technology offers several online courses via Coursera. This course focuses on engineering mechanics, which is a core subject you might study if you pursue a mechanical engineering degree. You’ll learn about the principles required to solve engineering mechanics problems. Using physics and math concepts, the course focuses on the modeling and analysis of static equilibrium problems considering real-world engineering applications. The course is conducted through videos, reading material, and quizzes spread across 5 modules. Upon finishing the course and taking the quizzes, you get a shareable course certificate.
Location: Applicants can choose between online and on-campus (Brown University campus in Providence, Rhode Island) options.
Cost: $9,870 for residential students and $8,100 for commuters
Eligibility: All high school students can enroll in this course.
Application deadline: May 10
Duration/dates: 1 week in June or July
Another great course option in the Summer@Brown program is this introductory course for high school students curious about a career in engineering. While the course focuses on engineering design—a process that engineers follow to create processes and products—by the end of the course, you will have explored multiple fields of engineering. You will develop an engineering prototype formulated with the help of the engineering design process. Although any high school student without prior knowledge of engineering can enroll in this course, a basic understanding of classical physics, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry would be useful. Keep an eye out for the updated Summer@Brown course catalog here and verify availability and session dates.
Location: Online course via edX
Cost: Free. If you wish to obtain a certificate on completion, the course fees are $209.
Eligibility: Anyone who has completed or is currently taking a single-variable calculus course (differential and integral) at the high school or college level.
Application deadline: Enrollment is open.
Duration/dates: 10-week self-paced course (3–6 hours per week). Start at your convenience!
Harvard University offers several online courses online via edX. This course, taught by Harvard’s faculty, allows you to explore real-world applications of calculus. The course goes beyond the school curriculum, utilizing case studies, analyzing mathematical models, and hands-on learning to see how calculus is used in other fields. For instance, the course explores how biologists use differential equation models to derive when populations are likely to experience dramatic changes like extinction or outbreaks. You will look at data and graphs, write equations, and work on calculus computations to make educated predictions to understand the practical utility of calculus. This self-paced course is worth considering if you want to make the most of the basics of calculus you learned in school. Take a look at some of the other STEM courses offered by Harvard University (online) here!
Location: Online course via Coursera
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Anyone can enroll in the course.
Application deadline: Enrollment is open for the next session. Keep an eye out for future sessions.
Duration/dates: The self-paced takes about 38 hours to complete and can last up to 10 weeks. The next available session starts on January 10.
Stanford University offers a few online courses via Coursera. This course helps high schoolers develop their mathematical thinking skills. This involves learning how to think outside the box when dealing with real-world mathematical challenges. The course starts with a reading assignment to familiarize you with the material. Through a combination of lecture videos, in-lecture quizzes, assignments, and tutorials for the assignments, you will understand how to solve problems creatively. The course places special emphasis on the analysis of formalized language and linguistic apparatus in mathematics. While anyone can enroll in this course, it is especially recommended for high school seniors who are considering majoring in mathematics or a math-dependent subject in college.
One other option
If you are interested in doing university-level research in STEM subjects, then you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program—a selective online high school program for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, over 4,000 students applied 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.
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.