15 Architecture Research Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 3 minutes ago
- 13 min read
High school programs are a great way for students to strengthen their skills and prepare for college applications, particularly those considering majors that are rarely covered in high school classes and extracurricular activities. Programs provide college-level academic training, research opportunities, and practical skills. With many options offering networking events and professional work experience, high school programs can also prepare you for future careers in your field.
Why should I participate in an architecture research program in high school?
Architecture research programs are a great way to get practical experience in the field in high school. These programs give you advanced coursework, research experience, professional exposure, and portfolio development guidance. This strengthens your college applications for architecture by giving you academic preparation, professional and research skills needed for an architecture career, and a portfolio of work. Undergraduate architecture programs are extremely selective, and high schoolers usually have limited access to extracurriculars and coursework in the field. So an architecture research program for high schoolers can significantly boost your college admissions chances.
In this blog, we’ve narrowed down our list of 15 top architecture research programs for high school students. We’ve emphasized selective research programs with rigorous academics, design workshops, and opportunities to network with professional architects. The majority of these programs are fully-funded or paid opportunities, with the remaining options offering financial aid or scholarships.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students, with the opportunity to focus on architecture. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students and pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. You’ll work with your mentor to strengthen your research skills and knowledge of architecture, then develop an architecture research topic of your choice. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Stipend: $1,100
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Very selective; 3-4% acceptance rate
Dates: Spring: February 10-May 21 (Introductory Bootcamp on January 31) | Summer: TBA
Application Deadline: Spring: October 27 | Summer: TBA
Eligibility: 10th and 11th-grade students | Spring interns must be NYC residents and attending school in NYC; summer interns may reside and attend school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut
The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a similar version of its college-level MUSE internship for high schoolers, providing a rigorous and paid experience in museum research and education. You’ll work within a specialized placement area based on your interests and abilities. If you’re looking to pursue an architecture research program, placements in the Met Cloisters, the American Wing, Egyptian Art, and the Design Department are good fits. You’ll start the program with cohort-wide training in art history, the Met’s collections, and leading museum tours; you’ll supplement your departmental work by providing tours to museum visitors. In your departmental placement, you’ll work closely with professional researchers, archivists, and art historians to support research and operations projects such as departmental collections or acquisition research, planning medieval architecture curation or American period room installation, and writing educational materials on the Met’s architecture collections. You’ll access additional professional development opportunities like networking with cross-departmental Met employees, meeting with prestigious artists exhibiting their work at the museum, and planning museum-wide teen events.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts; rolling admissions.
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from eminent top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. Participants can explore a wide range of subjects, spanning over 20 options, including Architecture, AI, Business Management, Computer Science, Economics, Medicine, Philosophy, and more. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, participating in a moot court for law, or building creative writing portfolios and business case studies. By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and receive a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Sasaki Foundation and multiple architecture/design firms in Boston, MA
Cost / Stipend: $16.25/hour
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective | ~20 students admitted per year
Program dates: Six weeks, early July - mid-August
Application deadline: TBD; applications open in the spring and typically close after a month
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12 who are residents of Boston and the Metro North area
High schoolers looking for an architecture research program merging hands-on work, academic training, and industry experience can consider the Hideo Sasaki Foundation’s SEED internship, a paid opportunity for students in Boston and the greater Metro North area. You’ll learn research and design skills in fields across architecture, urban planning, and interior design under the instruction of Sasaki architects and instructors. Your experience will merge coursework with studio workshops, where you’ll apply architectural research and theory to assignments like conceptual design, architecture software, sketching, and model building. You’ll then complete a large-scale research and design group project for a local nonprofit, analyzing the organization’s needs, resources, and space to develop a practical architectural design proposal. Past projects have included developing indoor and outdoor spaces, marketplaces, and urban farm infrastructure for a Greater Boston environmental justice organization. Advanced students will have the opportunity to complete a more advanced design project for the 10 World Trade Youth Design Competition, with the winning proposal actually being built!
Location: Multiple host sites in New York, NY
Cost / Stipend: $17/hour
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective
Program dates: July 6 - August 14
Application deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Current high schoolers attending an NYC public school
The High School Summer Internship Program at the New York City School Construction Authority matches NYC high schoolers with municipal agencies and industry partners to pursue a paid internship. As a wide variety of specializations are available, students looking for an architecture research program must carefully select their preferences. Based on your placement, your research work might include analyzing concept design for a prestigious industry firm, examining NYC construction laws for SCA’s Building Code Compliance, Legal, or Insurance and Risk Management Departments, or studying sustainability infrastructure for environmentally-focused firms. You’ll spend four days out of the week at your internship site, and attend internship-wide programming on the final day. In SCA programming, you’ll access personalized mentorship, career exploration, networking events, panel discussions, college application workshops, and training in design skills. Based on your performance, you may be invited to return to your host firm or SCA department the following summer.
Location: Multiple architecture firms in Boston, MA, and the Greater Boston area
Cost / Stipend: Paid; amount TBA
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective: 3% acceptance rate for a 15-student cohort
Program dates: July 6 - August 14
Application deadline: Applications open February 20; deadline TBA
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-12 attending a Boston Public School
The Boston Society for Architecture High School Internship Program is a selective program hosting 15 Boston high schoolers for a paid internship and educational training. You’ll be assigned to work at one of 7 partnered architecture firms, where you’ll complete advanced work in areas across research and design. Past student assignments have included data analysis, quality assurance research, developing sustainable energy building integrations, and using architectural software for design projects. You’ll additionally network with employees across the firm, receive personalized career mentorship, visit active project construction sites, and attend educational lectures on concepts, careers, and academic opportunities in architecture. At the end of the internship, you’ll present your work and program experience to Boston Society for Architecture staff, partner firms, and your intern cohort.
Location: Harold Washington College, Chicago, IL
Cost / Stipend: Stipend provided
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective; 16-20 students admitted
Program dates: June 22 - May 8
Application deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High schoolers entering grades 10-12 attending high school in Chicago/Greater Chicago
The Teen Fellows Program at Chicago Architecture Center offers Chicago-area students a paid opportunity to gain academic and professional experience in the architecture field over the course of 15 months. You’ll develop architecture research and academic skills through for-credit college courses at Harold Washington College and Chicago Architecture Center, including a summer session and school-year coursework. Your work will include researching Chicago’s built environment and the city’s architectural changes over time, learning to use technical design software, and building physical models with diverse materials. Outside of academics, you’ll participate in professional and academic development events, including a lecture series with professional architects, on-site visits at Chicago architecture firms, and building a personal portfolio for college applications. Based on your performance, you’ll be eligible for a paid internship at an architecture firm, where you’ll contribute to design, research, and operations for the firm’s current projects.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost / Stipend: Free; residential students must pay for housing (~$2,450)
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective; <5% acceptance rate
Program dates: June 29 - August 7
Application deadline: February 5
Eligibility: Rising seniors aged 16+ who are US citizens or permanent residents | Students must be nominated by their high school; each high school may nominate up to 2 students | Civil Engineering applicants should have some experience in programming, CAD, and/or art/design
SSRP’s Civil Engineering track provides high school students with the opportunity to conduct intensive architecture research while directly contributing to the Civil Engineering Department’s ongoing work. You’ll be paired with a researcher to pursue a mentored project aligned with their research focuses and your personal interests. While projects shift yearly based on departmental priorities, recent project focus areas include predicting the impact of earthquakes on built structures, developing smart infrastructure, and advancing technology and software for construction efficiency and design processes. You’ll additionally study diverse STEM topics through a series of lectures and interactive workshops, helping you apply math, engineering, and physics principles to improve your approach to architecture research. You’ll have opportunities to network with professional researchers, scientists, and engineers to build professional connections and explore careers. At the end of the program, you’ll write a formal academic paper on your work, which you’ll present to your peers, Stony Brook faculty, and program mentors.
Location: Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA
Cost / Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective; 15 students
Program dates: 3 weeks over the summer
Application deadline: TBA; typically late April
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th grade high school students who are permanent residents of the Boston/Cambridge area
The fully-funded Design Discovery Youth program at Harvard Graduate School of Design provides architectural training to high school students living in Boston and Cambridge. You’ll work with advanced graduate students from GSD to study and research architecture and design skills across representation, industrial design, urbanism, architectural theory, and more. With a strong focus on creative hands-on work, you’ll learn and apply design skills such as physical modeling, graphic design software, drawing, and line work. You’ll learn about professional-level architecture research, practice, and careers through a lecture series with GSD researchers, professional architects, and designers. Over the course of the program, you’ll develop an architecture work portfolio and a formal student evaluation from GSD that you can use to strengthen your college applications.
Location: Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA, and Perkins&Will, Boston, MA
Cost / Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective; 7 students admitted
Program dates: 10 weeks
Application deadline: TBA
Eligibility: High schoolers in grades 10-12 | Students must attend school in the Boston area and be from an underrepresented group in architecture/design
The Equity in Design Mentorship Program (formerly the Black in Design Mentorship Program) is a fully-funded collaborative initiative between Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and the prestigious international architecture firm Perkins&Will. You’ll complete group programming with a small cohort of 7 students, including educational workshops on advanced topics in architectural research, design, and theory from GSD faculty and professional training with Perkins&Will staff. You’ll cover topics across technical design software, architecture, and art history research, developing physical models, and Black design legacy. You’ll be paired with an advanced GSD student and a Perkins&Will employee to provide personalized mentorship throughout the program. You’ll pursue a series of research and design projects, including an intensive assignment developing an architectural proposal for an underused space in your community. You’ll also receive comprehensive support on educational and professional planning, including career exploration, developing mock applications for architecture college majors and internships, networking with prestigious industry professionals, and earning recognition in GSD and Perkins&Will press releases and presentations. Note that the program will not be held in Summer 2026 due to federal funding concerns, but is targeted to admit students in the following year.
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost / Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective; 15 students
Program dates: 13 days over the summer
Application deadline: TBA; applications open in spring
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors aged 16+ | Must be attending high school in the Greater Houston area
Recognized as one of the country’s top architecture schools, the Rice University School of Architecture’s Architecture Summer Immersion Program offers a fully-funded experience for high schoolers to develop creative design and architecture research skills. Over the course of two weeks, you’ll engage in academic training and experiential learning to study architectural theory and design principles, applying research and analysis to complete projects. You’ll learn skills across 2D and 3D design software, creating structurally sound physical models, and scaling freehand drawings to develop complex designs. Through a combination of networking events, guest lectures from professional architects, and mentorship from Rice architecture students and faculty, you’ll learn about both individual experiences and broader career paths in the world of architecture. The Architecture Summer Immersion Program is particularly noteworthy for its college admissions support; you’ll speak one-on-one with Rice School of Architecture faculty on admissions requirements, receive mentorship from current students on their own application process, and submit your portfolio and architecture application materials for personalized feedback and recommendations.
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Cost / Stipend: Domestic: $5,193 | International: $8,233 | Housing/Meals: Additional $5,300 | Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective; exact numbers not provided
Program dates: July 6–31
Application deadline: Priority (Commuter)/Final (Financial aid/Residential): February 17 | Final (Commuter): April 1
Eligibility: Rising 12th graders and exceptional rising 11th graders aged 16+ | Minimum 3.0 GPA | Current high school students aged 18+ may only attend as a commuter student
The embARC Summer Design Academy at UC Berkeley is a unique architecture research program for high school students with a shared interest in sustainability, urban planning, and public policy. You’ll attend for-credit classes at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, with focus areas on environmental design, materials exploration, sustainable city planning, and digital design. In the Materials Exploration Workshop, you’ll learn the lifecycle of completing an architecture project, including research, drafting, and modeling, culminating in individually designing a tiny house. In the Environmental Design Conversation Series, you’ll study theoretical frameworks and current research in sustainable architecture and urban design with Berkeley faculty and industry professionals. In the Digital Design Workshop, you’ll learn practical creative skills, including digital representation, architectural design software, and more. In the Sustainable City Planning Workshop, you’ll pursue a project on community change processes, applying research and site observations to develop an urban planning question. You’ll also explore careers in architecture and environmental design, network with professional architects and urban planners, receive portfolio development guidance, and create a community improvement proposal for a Berkeley-area nonprofit through the embARC Community Build final project.
Location: University of Houston, Houston, TX
Cost / Stipend: $1,500; financial aid offered
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective; ~50 students accepted
Program dates: June 15 - July 17
Application deadline: Rolling admissions beginning January 1
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th graders and rising college freshmen with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Hosted by the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, the Summer Discovery Program in Architecture offers an intensive introduction to the field over the course of one month. You’ll study architectural history, theory, and practice under Hines faculty, with coursework features including researching building case studies and learning about Texas’s architectural development over time. You’ll gain real-life exposure to your coursework topics, visiting significant structures across Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and other Texas cities. You’ll spend your afternoons learning and applying hands-on design skills, taking on two large-scale architecture projects where you’ll develop a fully-fledged structural design for buildings like galleries, shops, aviaries, or learning centers. To prepare for college admissions and beyond, you’ll receive guidance on developing a work portfolio, network with practicing architects, and explore potential career paths.
Location: University of Michigan Detroit Center, Detroit, MI
Cost / Stipend: $6,250 | General scholarships are offered, the Watson A. Young Scholarship is offered to Michigan students with a family income <$75,000/year
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Somewhat selective; 50 students admitted
Program dates: July 13-31
Application deadline: February 26
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th graders and rising college freshmen, including international students
University of Michigan’s ArcStart high school program is a research and studio design-focused opportunity for students to build theoretical and practical skills in the field. You’ll complete academic coursework and research under the guidance of Taubman College faculty, covering topics across architectural history, developing models, and conceptual design. You’ll connect your study to the real world through a series of visits to architecturally significant sites in the Ann Arbor region. You’ll participate in hands-on studio workshops, using freehand drawing, drafting, physical modeling, and digital tools to design architectural proposals and develop a digital portfolio for college and internship applications. To support professional development, you’ll tour local architecture firms and network with professional designers, practicing architects, and academic researchers. The program provides targeted college admissions guidance through meetings with Taubman College admissions officers, learning about the application and admissions process, and detailed information on the college’s degrees in Architecture and Urban Technology. As one of the limited high school programs that admits graduating seniors, this is a unique opportunity to prepare for your undergraduate architecture degree.
Location: Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, St. Louis, MO
Cost / Stipend: $4,361 | Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not provided
Program dates: July 12-25
Application deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Rising 11th-12th graders | International students are eligible
WashU’s Sam Fox School offers a project-based architecture program for high school students looking to apply theoretical and environmental research to architectural design. You’ll study academic research in sustainability and the built environment, focusing on the intersections of theory and the modern environment on architectural practice. Taught by faculty of the Sam Fox School, your coursework will earn you two transferable college credits. In Design Studio sessions, you’ll strengthen and develop creative skills like effective observation, visual communication, and drawing while learning about material and texture, orthographic projections, spatial relationships, and more. You’ll tour architecturally significant buildings, galleries, and museums across St. Louis to strengthen your understanding of effective design. You’ll finish the program by creating a final architectural project, which will be reviewed by faculty and guest critics.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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