School Year Programs

School Year Programs


Explore the world of engineering with hands-on learning opportunities featuring Columbia’s world-class facilities, faculty, and students. Offerings range from exploratory events to in-depth courses and give students from elementary school through high school seniors ways to deepen their understanding, build skills, learn about STEM careers, and have fun. 

Science Honors Program

Designed for high school students with a strong interest in science and math, this competitive program provides the incredible opportunity to take classes on Columbia’s campus taught by our expert engineering faculty. Participants build their scientific knowledge, develop hands-on lab and research skills, and get a head start in exploring a career in STEM.

Classes meet on Saturdays, running for 12 weeks during the fall and spring semesters.

Past courses offered have included:

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Principles of Immunology
  • Neurobiology of Development and Disease
  • Optics and Lasers
  • Electronics and Circuit Theory
  • Introduction to Astrophysics

Find out more and apply

Additional Programs


  • Engineering Speaks

    Engineering Speaks connects Columbia Engineering students and researchers with K-12 students in New York City. Engineers visit NYC classrooms to lead students in a hands-on and engaging lesson and demonstration to spark interest in engineering careers. 

    The sessions help students envision themselves as engineers and scientists, shed a light on how engineering is part of our everyday lives, and explain how students can make an impact in the world through engineering. 

  • Girls Who Code

    This national organization is dedicated to increasing the presence of women in the technology and engineering sectors. The Columbia chapter offers regular classes in coding on campus and recruits high school girls from local high-need partner schools to participate.

  • Inside Engineering

    Inside Engineering offers students of all ages an opportunity to visit campus to explore various departments within Columbia Engineering. Students and their teachers meet with faculty and researchers to learn about their work in labs. Previous visits have ranged from learning about the potential of fusion energy to advances in robotics. 

    During a typical visit students will attend a presentation for 30-45 minutes about a subject and then have the opportunity to ask questions. The presentation is followed by a visit to a related lab to further understand a given topic. When possible, a tour of campus is also provided.

  • March Materials Madness

    March Materials Madness is a half-day program of hands-on activities for 5th-7th grade students from schools across New York City. 

    This Saturday educational event engages students and parents, exposing them to new topics and cutting edge research. Graduate students perform demonstrations in combustion, chemiluminescence, polymer formation, atomic scale, and more.

    Hands-on activities topics include acids and bases, elasticity, superconductivity, sublimation, non-Newtonian fluids, magnetic properties, electrical conductivity, polarity, and temperature effects on material properties.

  • PhD for a Day

    PhD for a Day exposes middle school students to the life of Columbia graduate students and doctoral candidates.

    Participating middle school students visit the Columbia University campus and laboratories where they receive safety training, lab coats, goggles, and gloves to do hands-on experiments that teach concepts in energy, lab protocols, and collecting data.

    Columbia graduate students also visit local classrooms to share their experiences. The program is offered every spring and fall.

  • Robogals

    Robogals teaches design and programming with Boe Bots and Lego robots. It is a chapter of the international non-profit organization and aims to get more girls between the ages of 9 and 16 interested in science, engineering, and technology.

    The program’s long-term goal is to increase female enrollment in computer science, engineering, and technology courses at universities. It is based at local partner schools and operates after school, on weekday afternoons between 3pm-5pm.

  • STEM Academy

    The STEM Academy is an intensive program during the February and April NYC public school breaks. Students receive intensive tutoring in physics and chemistry, as well as participate in faculty lectures, lab visits, and student panels.  

    This program is offered in partnership with the Bronx Center for Science and Math, which selects 40 of its current sophomores and juniors to participate.

Summer Programs

Looking for something to do when school is out? Columbia Engineering also hosts unique opportunities for hands-on learning and research in the summer. 

See programs