15 Engineering Certificate Programs for High School Students
If you're a high school student who wants to be an engineer, summer break can be a solid opportunity to learn something new and helpful. Engineering certificate programs are short courses where you learn practical skills and work on projects that show you what engineers actually do. These programs are made for high school students and often focus on areas like robotics, coding, circuits, or design.
You’ll use tools that engineers use in college and jobs, like computer software, electronics kits, or design programs. You might build a small robot, write code for an app, or design a simple machine. A lot of programs have team projects, problem-solving challenges, and a final presentation or capstone.
The certificate you’ll get at the end can help when you apply to college or internships later. It shows that you’re serious about engineering and have already started learning on your own. With that, here are 15 engineering certificate programs for high school students!
1. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA (with virtual options)
Cost: Free for in-person (lodging fee applies based on family income; fully waived if income < $90k)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective. 20–30% acceptance; each course caps around 14–20 students
Dates: July 7 – August 3
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors enrolled in U.S. schools; online prep required
MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute is a four-week program where you work on advanced projects in fields like robotics, AI, cybersecurity, quantum software, or remote sensing. Before the summer, you complete online prep courses. During the program, you take part in hands-on workshops, team projects, and guest lectures, either in person or online.
Projects include things like programming autonomous RACECARs, building CubeSats, or working with real hardware systems. You’ll work in a small group with mentorship from MIT and Lincoln Laboratory staff. The program ends with a capstone project and a certificate.
2. Stanford Pre‑Collegiate Summer Institutes – Engineering
Location: Online
Cost: $3,080 tuition (financial aid available)
Cohort Size: 16 students per class
Dates: Two 2-week sessions: June 16–27 and July 7–18
Application Deadline: Typically in spring
Eligibility: High school students in grades 8–11
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes offers a two-week online engineering course where you focus on one area, like structural design, biomedical engineering, or computer-aided drafting. You’ll learn through live classes, group labs, and tools like CAD software. Class sizes are small, so you get to take part in discussions and problem-solving with Stanford instructors. You’ll also work on a group project and complete some assignments outside of class. At the end, you get personal feedback and a certificate.
3. MIT Women’s Technology Program – Mechanical Engineering (WTP‑ME)
Location: MIT campus (residential)
Cost: Free to attend; housing provided
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 20 students chosen from 320 applicants (highly selective, 6%)
Dates: June 28 – July 26
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors (11th grade) with strong math/science skills but little to no prior engineering experience
MIT Women’s Technology Program in Mechanical Engineering is a free four-week residential program for rising high school seniors who have strong math and science skills but little or no engineering background. You’ll stay on the MIT campus and learn topics like fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, statics, and materials through classes, labs, and projects.
You’ll work with instructors on team and individual challenges, including CAD design, numerical modeling, and building a Rube Goldberg machine. The program focuses on hands-on learning, problem solving, and communication. It is selective, with 20 students chosen from around 320 applicants. You also receive mentorship and a certificate at the end.
4. Johns Hopkins EEI: Explore Engineering Innovation (In-Person)
Location: JHU Homewood campus, Baltimore, MD
Cost/Stipend: Tuition varies; need-based aid available. Find details here!
Cohort Size/Acceptance Rate: Classes of 16–24 students; Highly selective
Dates: June 30 – July 25
Application Deadline: May 28
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (ages 15–17); must have completed Algebra II and high school chemistry or physics
Johns Hopkins Explore Engineering Innovation is a four-week program where you learn different engineering fields like civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and materials science. You’ll attend lectures and do hands-on labs where you build things like spaghetti bridges, bioreactors, and electronic wellness tools using circuits and code. You’ll work in small teams, solve problems every day, and present your work to instructors for feedback. The program includes a capstone project and gives you three JHU college credits plus a certificate. You can join in person or choose the virtual option with lab kits sent to your home.
5. MIT Research Science Institute (RSI)
Location: On-campus at MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded, including tuition, room, board, and travel
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective. 80–100 students per session are admitted with an acceptance rate of 4–5% (over 1,600 applicants)
Dates: Late June – Early August
Application Deadline: December 11 (tentative)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors with strong STEM backgrounds; U.S. and international students
MIT Research Science Institute is a fully funded six-week summer program. You spend the first week in seminars led by MIT professors and researchers, then spend five weeks doing research in a lab at MIT, Harvard, or a nearby institution. You’ll design your project, write a proposal, collect and analyze data, and prepare a final paper.
Mentors include faculty, postdocs, and graduate students who guide you through every step. You’ll also attend evening talks by leading scientists and Nobel Prize winners in fields like quantum computing and molecular biology. The program ends with a research presentation and a certificate.
6. Berkeley Coding Academy – Data Science: The AI Journey
Location: Online
Cost: $2,699 (scholarships available)
Dates: July 14 – August 1
Cohort Size: Small groups of 8 or fewer students per cohort
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled
Eligibility: High school students (ages 12–18) with basic Python skills
Berkeley Coding Academy’s Data Science: The AI Journey is a three-week online program where you learn how to use Python for data science and machine learning. You’ll work with libraries like pandas, scikit-learn, and Keras to build visualizations, train models, and analyze real-world datasets. You meet in small groups of 8 or fewer students, with one-on-one support for debugging and questions. The program includes a final project and presentation. If you complete it, you earn a “Data Science Scholar” certificate with blockchain verification. You need to know basic Python to apply.
7. DelftX Intro to Aeronautical Engineering (edX)
Location: Online, self-paced
Cost/Stipend: Free to audit; $169 for a verified certificate
Cohort Size/Acceptance: Open enrollment, no cohort limits
Dates: 7-week self-paced course (10–12 hrs/week)
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment, no set deadline
Eligibility: High school students with a strong math and physics background
DelftX Intro to Aeronautical Engineering is a seven-week online course on edX where you learn how flight works. You’ll start with the history of aviation, then move into topics like atmospheric science, lift, propulsion, and flight stability. Delft University instructors guide you through the basics using videos, design challenges, and problem-solving tasks. You’ll complete short quizzes and demos along the way. If you choose the verified track, you can earn a certificate. The course is for beginners who already know some math and physics.
8. QCaMP – Quantum Computing, Mathematics & Physics Camp
Location: Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM; Berkeley, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free with weekly stipends provided
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 44 students participated last year; expanding to 79 this year
Dates: June 30 – July 25
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: High school students aged 16+, with basic algebra and interest in quantum science
QCaMP is a four-week program where you learn quantum information science through topics like superposition, entanglement, quantum gates, and probability. You’ll design and run quantum circuits using IBM Q hardware and take part in demos like the double-slit experiment. Researchers from Sandia and other national labs lead lab tours and sessions. You’ll also attend career talks and Q&A panels about jobs in quantum fields. The program ends with a capstone project. You earn a stipend and a certificate, and join a community of students interested in quantum science.
9. IBM Generative AI Engineering Program
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: $903
Cohort Size/Acceptance: Open enrollment
Dates: 1 year 1 month self-paced course (2-4 hrs/week)
Application Deadline: None; Rolling admission
Eligibility: High school students are eligible
IBM’s Generative AI Engineering Program is a 16-course series where you build real skills in generative AI, NLP, and model development. You’ll use tools like Python, PyTorch, Hugging Face, Flask, SciPy, and scikit-learn. The course covers prompt design, model fine-tuning with LoRA and QLoRA, and retrieval-augmented generation using LangChain. You’ll work on projects like chatbots and image captioning apps, deploying them on cloud platforms. Weekly coding tasks and labs help you learn transformer models, deployment methods, and AI ethics. When you finish, you earn a certificate backed by IBM that shows your project work and skills in AI.
10. MITES Summer - MIT
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free (all program-related costs covered; students pay for transportation to/from MIT)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 90 students are selected each year from a large applicant pool.
Dates: Six weeks from late June through early August
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: High school juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
MITES Summer is a free, six-week residential program at MIT for U.S. high school juniors who want to explore STEM in depth. You take five courses—math, physics, life sciences, humanities, and one hands-on elective like machine learning or architecture. Classes run weekdays from 9 to 5, and you’ll also attend lab tours, college prep sessions, and social events. The program includes homework, exams, and final projects. You get personal feedback from instructors and a written evaluation at the end.
11. Fundamental Skills in Engineering Design – University of Leeds (FutureLearn)
Location: Online
Cost: Free to access.
Cohort Size: Open enrollment
Dates: 2-week self-paced course (3 hrs/week)
Application Deadline: None
Eligibility: High school students
Fundamental Skills in Engineering Design is a two-week online course by the University of Leeds on FutureLearn. You’ll learn how to define design problems, explore product life cycles, and apply conceptual design techniques using real examples like solar trackers. The course also helps you build skills like abstraction and teamwork. You’ll go through short lectures, quizzes, discussions, and a final assessment. Instructors guide you with structured activities and feedback. If you finish the course and choose the paid track, you can earn a certificate.
12. IBM Learn ‘n Score – AI Training for High School Students
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: High school students interested in AI and tech development
IBM Learn ‘n Score is an online program where you explore core AI topics like machine learning, natural language processing, and model evaluation. You’ll complete missions using IBM’s tools like Watson Studio and earn points and badges as you go. The program includes practice challenges, personal feedback, and optional office hours. As you move forward, you build real skills in AI and research. When you finish, you get a certificate and digital credentials.
13. Carnegie Mellon OLI Engineering Courses
Location: Online
Cost: Free to audit; small fee per course when taken for credit or certificate ($25)
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: None
Eligibility: High school students with foundational math/science knowledge
Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative (OLI) offers self-paced engineering courses like Statics, Circuits, and Environmental Technology. You’ll go through interactive lessons and virtual labs, with real-time feedback to help you improve. The platform adjusts based on how you’re doing and gives you extra practice when needed. You can explore areas like mechatronics, structural analysis, or electric vehicle systems. If you choose the paid version, you can earn a certificate.
14. MITx Circuits & Electronics I: Basic Circuit Analysis (6.002x) – edX
Location: Online, self-paced
Cost/Stipend: Free audit; $189 for verified certificate
Cohort Size/Acceptance: Open enrollment
Dates: 5-week self-paced course (5–7 hrs/week)
Application Deadline: None; enroll anytime
Eligibility: High school students with an algebra, calculus, and introductory physics background
MITx Circuits and Electronics I on edX teaches you the basics of circuit analysis. You’ll work with resistors, capacitors, inductors, and voltage and current sources. The course also covers Kirchhoff’s laws, digital components like op-amps and MOSFETs, and circuit modeling. You’ll use interactive lectures, problem sets, and virtual labs to practice what you learn. Each week includes homework, labs, and tests. You’ll also apply techniques like Thevenin and Norton equivalents. If you complete the verified track, you earn an MITx certificate.
15. World Engineers Academy
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: $2,995
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Up to 6 students per session
Dates: July 7 - 18
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment, program filled upon reaching capacity
Eligibility: High school students ages 15 - 18
World Engineers Academy runs a two-week online program where you explore core topics in engineering through live classes and a final design project. You’ll cover materials science, fluids, aerodynamics, circuits, structural analysis, and computer science. The sessions are led by an instructor with a PhD. You also get two one-on-one tutorials, personal feedback, and access to class recordings. The program includes a certificate and a possible recommendation letter from the instructor. It focuses on problem-solving, communication, and understanding careers in engineering.
One more option - Veritas AI
If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
With Veritas AI, which was founded by Harvard graduate students, you can work 1-on-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here.
Image source - MITES Logo