15 Internships for High School Students in Massachusetts

If you’re a high school student in Massachusetts, an internship can be a good way to step into the professional world early. Whether you’re interested in STEM, journalism, law, business, or public policy, there are programs designed to help you gain hands-on experience and learn how different industries actually work.

These internships give you a chance to work on complex projects, develop practical skills, and build connections with people working in the field. It’s also a simple way to test out a career you might be curious about before committing to it later.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of 15 internships for high school students in Massachusetts! If you're looking for more prestigious internships for high schoolers, check out this set of blogs!​

15 Internships for High School Students in Massachusetts

1. Ladder Internship Program

Location:  Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.

Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Apply here. 

Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year

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 connects high school students with start-ups working in fields like tech, AI, health, journalism, and marketing. Many of these companies were started by people with experience at Google, Microsoft, or Facebook. As an intern, you join a team, work on real projects, and get guidance from both a project manager and a Ladder Coach. You build skills and present your work at the end of the internship. You can view current openings and choose your preferences through their application form.

2. Arch/Design High School Internships

Cost: Free; interns are paid.

Location: Local architecture firms in Boston, MA.

Program Dates: July 7–August 15

Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Eligibility: Boston public high school students in grades 9–12 can apply. 

This six-week program is for Boston public school students who want to learn about architecture. You will be placed at a local architecture firm where you will work on real projects and go on site visits. You will build skills in drawing, making presentations, and using 3D modeling tools, and also learn how to manage your time, work in a team, and communicate your ideas. The program is paid and is part of the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program. 

3. Museum of Science’s Summer Youth Internship Program

Cost: None; both paid and unpaid opportunities are available.

Location: Museum of Science, Boston, MA

Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Program Dates: Usually a 7-week program between late June and mid-August

Eligibility: High school students between the ages of 14 and 19 can apply.

The Museum of Science in Boston offers paid summer internships for high school students through the Youth Programs division. You work 20 to 25 hours per week for about six weeks. Internship tracks include roles in exhibit interpretation, visitor services, education programs, technology support, and business operations. You learn workplace skills, including how to write a resume, manage personal finances, and prepare for a job interview, through weekly professional development workshops. Interns also take part in college visits, group projects, and field trips to other museums.

4. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) Summer Research Internship

Cost: $850 + $40 application fee. Financial aid available

Location: Virtual

Application Deadline: February 28

Program Dates: June 16-27

Eligibility: High school students (entering 9th grade through 12th grade in Fall), over the age of 14 by the start of the program

Stanford’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) runs a two-week online summer internship for high school students. You learn how artificial intelligence is applied in medical research and healthcare, and study topics like machine learning models, how they are trained on medical data, and how to evaluate their performance. You also explore ethical issues in AI and health equity. The program includes lectures, group projects, and mentorship from Stanford researchers.

5. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Cost: Free

Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA

Application Deadline: December 11

Program Dates: Late June to early August

Eligibility: Rising high school seniors from around the world with exceptional academic credentials

The Research Science Institute (RSI), held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a free six-week summer research program for high school students. It combines advanced STEM coursework with hands-on research experience. In the first week, you attend intensive classes in subjects like mathematics, physics, biology, engineering, and computer science, taught by MIT researchers and guest faculty. 

In the following five weeks, you will conduct individual research under the guidance of a mentor at a university or lab in the Boston area. You learn how to design a research plan, analyze data, and present findings. At the end of the program, you submit a written report and deliver a conference-style oral presentation. RSI is highly competitive, accepting about 80 U.S. students each year.

6. Project Success - Harvard Medical School

Cost: Paid internship

Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Application Deadline: February 3

Program Dates: June 30–August 15

Eligibility: Open to Boston or Cambridge high school juniors and seniors, age 16+, with a GPA of 2.7 or higher. Priority for underrepresented or disadvantaged students.

Project Success is a six-week paid STEM internship hosted by Harvard Medical School for high school juniors and seniors from Boston and Cambridge public schools. You are placed in a biomedical research lab at Harvard or an affiliated hospital, where you assist with ongoing research projects under the supervision of a faculty mentor. 

You learn how to follow lab protocols, collect and analyze data, and understand how biomedical research is conducted. The program also includes weekly seminars, biotech industry site visits, and workshops on scientific writing, computer literacy, and public speaking. At the end of the program, you give a formal presentation summarizing your research.

7. NHLBI Summer Internship in Biomedical Research

Cost: Free to attend; stipend provided.

Location: NIH laboratories in Framingham, MA, and Bethesda, MD

Application Deadline: February 19

Program Dates: Start dates are May 19, May 27, or June 2; Poster Day: August 7–8

Eligibility: Current high school seniors

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) offers a summer internship for high school students through the NIH Summer Internship Program. You work for six to eight weeks in an NIH research lab located in Bethesda, Maryland, or Framingham, Massachusetts. 

You assist with ongoing biomedical research under the guidance of a principal investigator and lab team and attend career development workshops, receive one-on-one mentorship, and participate in seminars on topics in health science. At the end of the program, you present your work at the NIH Poster Day. You also take part in group sessions and networking events to learn about careers in science, research, and medicine.

8. Tech Apprentice Program - Boston Private Industry Council

Cost: Paid internship

Location: Boston, MA 

Application Deadline: Usually in April

Program Dates: July–August (6–7 weeks)

Eligibility: Boston public high school students entering grade 11 or 12 who have taken at least one tech course can apply.

The Tech Apprentice Program is a paid summer internship for Boston public high school students interested in technology careers. Run by the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), the program places you at local tech companies, government agencies, or universities for six to seven weeks. You work on real tasks like help desk support, software testing, data entry, and inventory tracking. You also attend career readiness workshops that cover workplace communication, resume building, and how the Boston tech industry operates.

9. Today’s Interns, Tomorrow’s Professionals (TIP) Internship Program

Cost: Free (participants receive a paid internship)

Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston, MA

Application Deadline: Not listed

Program Dates: Not listed

Eligibility: Income-eligible high school students from Greater Boston who have completed their sophomore year

The TIP Internship Program is a paid summer internship for Boston high school students, offered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in partnership with the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC). You are placed in a professional setting at the Federal Reserve Bank or with a partner organization, where you work on administrative and project-based tasks. The internship includes mentorship, workplace training, and career-readiness workshops.

10. Fresh Films Boston Summer Film Program

Cost: No cost; a stipend is provided for sessions attended by participants.

Location: Charlestown High School, Charlestown, Boston, MA

Dates: July 10–August 11.

Application Deadline: Applications typically close in June (applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis).

Eligibility: Students between the ages of 14 and 18 who reside in Boston can apply.

Fresh Films runs a paid five-week summer program for Boston public high school students interested in filmmaking. You learn how to plan, shoot, and edit projects such as short films, music videos, and documentaries. You work in small teams and use professional film equipment, including cameras, boom mics, lights, and sound gear. The program also includes sessions on how a film set operates, career paths in media, and job readiness skills like interviewing and resume writing.

11. Judicial Youth Corps (JYC) Program: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Cost: Interns will receive a stipend of $15 per hour.

Location: Boston, Worcester, and Springfield, MA 

Dates: July 8–August 16

Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.

Eligibility: Students in grades 10-12 who attend school in Boston, Worcester, or Springfield are eligible to apply.

The Judicial Youth Corps (JYC) is a paid six-week summer internship for high school students, run by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. You work four days a week in a Suffolk County courthouse, assisting court staff and observing daily court operations. One day each week is spent in law-related educational sessions covering topics like legal rights, court procedures, and the roles of judges, lawyers, and clerks.

12. Brigham and Women’s Hospital - Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP)

Cost: $2,500 - $4,000 

Location: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Application Deadline: April (based on the previous year's deadline)

Program Dates: Year-round program; specific start dates vary.

Eligibility: Open to Boston public high school students from partner schools who are interested in healthcare, science, or medicine.

The Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital offers a paid, year-round internship for Boston high school students interested in healthcare, science, or medicine. You are matched with a mentor and placed in a hospital department where you work part-time during the school year and full-time in the summer. You build workplace and professional skills through hands-on tasks and shadowing experiences. The program includes academic support such as tutoring in math and science, SAT prep, college advising, and scholarship opportunities.

13. Camp Zon by Zon Lab (Boston Children’s Hospital)

Cost: None. A stipend is paid 

Location: Virtual + some in-person components at Zon Lab, Boston, MA

Application Deadline: April 27

Program Dates: July 14–25

Eligibility: High school students or rising college freshmen at least 16 years of age and residing in Massachusetts

Camp Zon is a free summer internship for high school students interested in biomedical research. Run by the Zon Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the program focuses on using zebrafish to study blood disorders like anemia. You work remotely as part of a research team, develop a research question, plan experiments, and analyze data. Lab staff perform live experiments that you observe and interpret in real time. You also take part in virtual lab tours, mentorship sessions, and career talks.

14. Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

Cost: Paid (amount not specified)

Location: Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA

Application Deadline: Applications open in the fall and usually close in February each year

Program Dates: 8-12 weeks starting from June

Eligibility: Massachusetts high school sophomore, junior, or senior, at least 16 years old, and from an underrepresented/financially disadvantaged background

The CURE Program is a paid summer internship that places high school students in cancer research labs at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and affiliated institutions across Boston. You work for eight weeks on a real cancer research project under the supervision of scientists and lab mentors. You learn lab techniques, data analysis, and how research contributes to cancer prevention and treatment. The program includes weekly seminars, professional development sessions, and discussions on topics like health disparities and careers in science.

15. 826 Boston Internships

Cost: No cost; a stipend is paid.

Location: Roxbury, Boston, MA

Application Deadline: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis

Program Dates: Internships are offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer cohorts.

Eligibility: High school students

826 Boston offers paid high school internships at its Roxbury center for students interested in creative writing, education, and nonprofit work. As an intern, you support elementary and middle school students with writing assignments, help create lesson materials, and assist with editing and publishing projects. 

You also learn how nonprofit organizations operate by taking part in day-to-day tasks and team meetings. In addition to the internship, you can apply to join the Youth Literary Advisory Board (YLAB), where you meet weekly with other teens to work on group projects. Past YLAB projects include publishing books, producing podcasts, and organizing youth-led events.

One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, 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 4,000 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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