TL;DR
Looking for a molecular biology course for high school students? These 15 courses range from fully online classes and virtual research programs to hybrid Course-Based Research Experiences and in-person university programs. Some focus on core molecular biology, while others let you explore cancer biology, neuroscience, immunology, aging, microbiology, bioinformatics, or biomedical research. If you want a more independent research experience, Horizon Academic Research Program lets you work one-on-one with a professor or PhD mentor on your own research question and produce a college-level research paper.
A molecular biology course is where you stop learning about DNA from a diagram and start doing something with it. In one course, you might study how cancer cells repair damaged DNA. In another, you’d use PCR and gel electrophoresis to investigate bacteria. In an online class, you might work with sequencing data instead of a pipette.
The useful part is figuring out which version you actually want before spending your summer on it. If you’re interested in molecular biology but don’t know where to start, 60 biology research topics for high school students can help you narrow that down.
What are molecular biology courses for high school students?
Molecular biology courses for high school students introduce you to the molecular processes that make cells and living systems work. The format can vary widely. Some are fully online and lecture-based, while others combine virtual instruction with university-based laboratory work. More intensive programs may be entirely in person and include wet-lab sessions, research projects, or presentations. The courses on this list cover a broad range of molecular biology and related fields, including genetics, cancer biology, neuroscience, immunology, microbiology, bioinformatics, aging, and biomedical research.
Why take a molecular biology course in high school?
A molecular biology course can help you build familiarity with laboratory and research methods before reaching college. Depending on the course, you may encounter techniques such as PCR, gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, ELISA, genomic analysis, or biological data visualization. Other programs focus more heavily on scientific literature, molecular pathways, or computational biology.
These courses can also help you explore specializations before choosing a college major or research direction. You might discover an interest in oncology, neuroscience, immunology, microbiology, aging, or bioinformatics through a focused course. Research-oriented programs can also give you experience developing a question, analyzing evidence, and presenting scientific findings.
How do you choose the right molecular biology course for you?
Start with three questions: What do you want to study, how much can you spend, and what format works for you? Some courses cost under $500 and can be completed online, while residential programs on this list cost more than $10,000. Eligibility also varies, with some courses requiring previous biology or chemistry coursework and others accepting high school students without a listed prerequisite. Your preferred subject can narrow the list further.
| Focus Area | Course | Format | Best For |
| Molecular & Cellular Biology | Columbia University: Cell and Molecular Biology of Medicine | Online / In-person | Molecular mechanisms of drugs, disease, and therapies |
| Molecular & Cellular Biology | Summer@Brown: Characterizing C. elegans Using Reverse Genetics | Hybrid | Genetics, model organisms, and original research |
| Molecular & Cellular Biology | Columbia University: Modern Biology & Its Real World Applications | In-person | DNA, RNA, genetic engineering, and bioethics |
| Genetics & Bioinformatics | Biolympiads: Advanced BioResearch Program | Virtual | CRISPR, NGS, synthetic biology, and research design |
| Genetics & Bioinformatics | UCSD Research Scholars: Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics | Online | Genomics, databases, NGS, R, and data analysis |
| Genetics & Bioinformatics | UCSD Research Scholars: Applied Bioinformatics and Biostatistics | Virtual | Advanced genomic datasets, R, and computational research |
| Cancer Biology | Rosetta Institute: Molecular Biology of Cancer Workshop | In-person | Cancer genetics, cell biology, and immunotherapy |
| Neuroscience | Rosetta Institute: Molecular Neuroscience Workshop | In-person | Molecular neurobiology, disease, and drug development |
| Disease & Medicine | Stanford Summer Sessions: The Molecular Basis of Disease | In-person | Disease mechanisms, genetics, and biomedical engineering |
| Microbiology | Summer@Brown: Antibiotic Drug Discovery | Hybrid | Microbes, antibiotic resistance, PCR, and wet-lab research |
| Microbiology | Sally Ride Science Academy: Marine Microbiology | Virtual | Marine microbes, metabolism, biotechnology, and ecology |
| Aging & Regenerative Biology | Rosetta Institute: Molecular Biology of Aging Workshop | In-person | Stem cells, epigenetics, aging genes, and cellular aging |
| Immunology | Rosetta Institute: Molecular Immunology Workshop | In-person | Immune regulation, vaccines, autoimmune disease, and cancer immunotherapy |
| Biomedical Research | Penn Summer Academy: Biomedical Research Academy | In-person | Wet-lab techniques, molecular biology, genetics, and disease |
| Microbiology & Genetics | Summer@Brown: Fermentation Frontiers: Wild Yeast Identification | Hybrid | Microbial genetics, wild yeast, and original research |
The 15 Best Molecular Biology Courses for High School Students
1. Columbia University Pre-College: Cell and Molecular Biology of Medicine
Location: Online in fall and spring; Columbia University, New York, NY, for in-person summer sections
Cost: Varies by program and session
Dates: Fall: October 9–November 22; Summer AA: June 22–26; Summer A: July 6–17; Summer B: July 20–31; Summer C: August 3–7
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students with one year of high school biology and one year of high school chemistry
This is a course at Columbia University that focuses on the molecular biology behind modern medicine, including how drugs work at the cellular and molecular level. You’ll follow drug discovery, design, administration, metabolism, toxicity, drug interactions, and next-generation therapies. Case studies include insulin therapy, aspirin metabolism, opioid treatments, and CAR T-cell therapy. The course concludes with a team-based project focused on a specific medical condition and its treatments.
Best suited for: Students who have completed biology and chemistry and want to explore molecular biology, pharmacology, and modern medical treatments.
2. Summer@Brown: Characterizing C. elegans Using Reverse Genetics
Location: Hybrid: online for the first two weeks, followed by three weeks on campus at Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: $10,858 (residential) | $8,902 (commuter)
Dates: June 22–July 24
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students completing grades 10–12 who are ages 16–18 by June 15
This is a hybrid research experience at Brown that focuses on designing and conducting an original research project using C. elegans. During the online phase, you’ll learn scientific content, conduct a literature review, identify research questions, and learn research methodologies. The three-week campus phase focuses on hypothesis development, experimental design, research, and presenting findings at the CRE Symposium.
Best suited for: Students who want a structured research experience that combines online preparation with university-based laboratory work.
3. Biolympiads Advanced BioResearch Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,400
Dates: Weekends from April to June
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Middle and high school students globally
This is a virtual molecular biology and biomedical engineering course led directly by a Harvard University professor. You’ll explore cellular replication and macromolecular pathways before moving into topics such as CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, next-generation sequencing, synthetic biology, and advanced microscopy. The final phase requires you to develop an independent research proposal evaluated by the instructional faculty.
Best suited for: Students looking for an accessible online introduction to advanced molecular biology and research.
4. Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research: Molecular Biology of Cancer Workshop
Location: UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, CA
Cost: $3,780 (scholarships available) | A limited number of non-residential commuter spots available for $2380
Dates: UC Berkeley: May 31–June 13; June 14–27 | UC San Diego: July 5–18
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 14-18
This is an in-person molecular biology course at UC Berkeley or UC San Diego that focuses on the molecular and cellular processes involved in cancer. You’ll study the normal cell cycle before examining gene mutation, DNA repair, cell death, angiogenesis, metastasis, cancer stem cells, personalized medicine, and tumor immunology or immunotherapy. The workshop culminates in an original, peer-reviewed research project on a gene or molecular process of your choice.
Best suited for: Students interested in cancer biology and molecular research.
5. Summer@Brown: Fermentation Frontiers: Wild Yeast Identification
Location: Hybrid: online for the first two weeks, followed by three weeks on campus at Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: $10,858 (residential) | $8,902 (commuter)
Dates: June 22–July 24
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students completing grades 10–12 who are ages 16–18 by June 15
This is a hybrid Course-Based Research Experience at Brown that focuses on wild yeast and its applications in biological research. The online phase covers scientific content, literature review, research questions, and methodologies. On campus, you’ll develop a hypothesis and experimental design, conduct research, and present your findings at the CRE Symposium.
Best suited for: Students interested in microbiology, experimental research, and working with microorganisms.
6. UCSD Research Scholars: Life Sciences: Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics
Location: Online
Cost: $2,000
Dates: June 29–July 30 (Summer)
Application Deadline: June 24
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
This is an online bioinformatics course at UC San Diego that focuses on using computational methods to study genes, proteins, and biological data. You’ll work with primary scientific literature, genomic and biomolecular databases, next-generation sequencing, genome and structural informatics, phylogenetics, and transcriptomics. The course also includes hands-on R instruction for analyzing and visualizing gene-expression and RNA-sequencing datasets.
Best suited for: Students interested in molecular biology who want to build computational and data-analysis skills.
7. Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research: Molecular Neuroscience Workshop
Location: UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, CA
Cost: $3,780 (scholarships available) | A limited number of non-residential commuter spots available for $2380
Dates: UC Berkeley: May 31–June 13; June 14–27 | UC San Diego: July 5–18
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 14-18
This is an in-person molecular biology course focused on molecular neurobiology and how molecular signaling relates to the nervous system and disease. You’ll study topics including action potentials, memory, emotion, learning, visual perception, neurodegenerative disease, and pharmaceutical intervention. The program concludes with an individual research project based on what you’ve learned.
Best suited for: Students interested in neuroscience, molecular signaling, and neurological disease.
8. Stanford Summer Sessions: The Molecular Basis of Disease
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: $4,515
Dates: June 22–August 13
Application Deadline: December 15 (early decision) | January 20 (regular decision)
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are 16-19 years old
This is an in-person molecular biology course at Stanford that focuses on the molecular foundations of human disease. The curriculum covers biological macromolecules, cell genetics, evolutionary variation, infectious diseases, cancer, and inherited genetic conditions. You’ll also examine biomedical engineering approaches used to develop modern treatments.
Best suited for: Students who want a broad introduction to molecular biology through the lens of human disease.
9. UCSD Research Scholars: Life Sciences: Applied Bioinformatics and Biostatistics
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,000
Dates: June 30–July 31 (Summer); September 28 – December 5 (Fall)
Application Deadline: June 5 (Summer); September 23 (Fall)
Eligibility: 10th to 12th graders who have completed “Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics” or “Introduction to Bioinformatics and Statistics”
This is an advanced virtual bioinformatics course at UC San Diego that builds on foundational informatics and statistical skills. You’ll analyze behavioral, physiological, genomic, transcriptomic, and metagenomic datasets using R. The course uses data from a fruit-fly sex-specific neurobiology project and requires you to produce complete data reports that meet professional laboratory publication standards.
Best suited for: Students who already have introductory bioinformatics experience and want more advanced biological data analysis.
10. Columbia University Pre-College: Modern Biology & Its Real World Applications
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $12,838 (residential) | $6,381 (commuter)
Dates: Summer A: June 29–July 17 | Summer B: July 21–August 7
Application Deadline: March 3 (early) | March 17 (general)
Eligibility: High school students
This is an in-person molecular biology course at Columbia that connects DNA, RNA, and proteins to real-world biological systems. You’ll study genetic engineering, modern virology, translational immunology, bioethics, and climate biology, including the societal, legal, and economic questions surrounding gene-editing regulations. The course does not include wet-lab work and instead uses interactive data modeling to develop scientific literacy.
Best suited for: Students who want a broad molecular biology course without a wet-lab component.
11. Summer@Brown: Antibiotic Drug Discovery: Identifying Novel Soil Microbes to Combat Resistance
Location: Virtual | Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: $10,858 (residential) | $8,902 (commuter)
Dates: June 22–July 24
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students ages 16-18
This is a research-focused Brown course that combines online preparation with university laboratory work on antibiotic discovery. The online phase covers primary microbiology literature and research hypotheses. In the wet lab, you’ll work with soil samples, isolate bacterial colonies, use micropipettes, perform PCR amplifications, and run agarose gel electrophoresis to examine DNA targets. The course concludes with a symposium where you present your findings.
Best suited for: Students who want hands-on molecular biology techniques and an introduction to microbiology research.
12. Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research: Molecular Biology of Aging Workshop
Location: UC Berkeley, CA
Cost: $3,780 (scholarships available) | A limited number of non-residential commuter spots available for $2380
Dates: June 14–27
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 14-18
This is an in-person molecular biology course at UC Berkeley focused on the molecular and cellular processes involved in aging. You’ll study embryogenesis, stem cell biology, epigenetics, cell differentiation, genes that regulate aging and lifespan, mitochondrial dysfunction, telomeres, and senescence. The course ends with students drafting an original research project.
Best suited for: Students interested in aging, genetics, stem cells, and molecular mechanisms of disease.
13. Penn Summer Academy: Biomedical Research Academy
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $10,050 (scholarships available for select Philadelphia students)
Dates: July 11–August 1
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: 9th to 11th graders who have completed one year of high school biology
This is an in-person biomedical research course at the University of Pennsylvania that focuses on cellular, molecular, and genetic biology through university laboratory work. You’ll spend 9 of 13 practical sessions in undergraduate wet labs learning PCR, gel electrophoresis, restriction analysis, bacterial transformation, and ELISA. The remaining laboratory sessions use computational tools to analyze biological sequencing datasets, and the program ends with group presentations based on primary literature.
Best suited for: Students who want substantial wet-lab experience and exposure to both molecular biology and computational analysis.
14. Sally Ride Science Academy: Marine Microbiology
Location: Virtual
Cost: $475
Dates: July 6–24
Application Deadline: June 29
Eligibility: High school students
This is a virtual marine microbiology course that focuses on microscopic organisms living in marine environments and their molecular adaptations. You’ll study microbial cell functions and metabolism through structured digital lab simulations and examine how microbial interactions affect ecosystems and human health. The course also introduces applications in biotechnology and related industries.
Best suited for: Students looking for a low-cost online introduction to microbiology and molecular biology.
15. Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research: Molecular Immunology Workshop
Location: UC San Diego, CA
Cost: $3,780 (scholarships available) | A limited number of non-residential commuter spots available for $2380
Dates: July 5–18
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 14-18
This is an in-person molecular biology course at UC San Diego that focuses on the molecular regulation of the immune system. You’ll study immune surveillance, viral and bacterial infections, immunodeficiency, autoimmune disease, the microbiome, vaccine and antibiotic development, inflammation, allergy, and cancer immunotherapy. The program concludes with a research presentation based on selected immunogenetic profiles.
Best suited for: Students interested in immunology, infectious disease, and cancer immunotherapy.
Which molecular biology courses are fully online or low-cost?
If cost or location is a major constraint, you don’t need to choose a residential research program. Sally Ride Science Academy’s Marine Microbiology course is the lowest-cost option on this list at $475, while Biolympiads Advanced BioResearch Program costs $1,400 and is fully virtual. The UCSD Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics and UCSD Applied Bioinformatics and Biostatistics courses are also online or virtual and cost $2,000 each.
The trade-off is that online courses generally don’t provide the same physical wet-lab experience as programs such as Summer@Brown’s Antibiotic Drug Discovery course, Penn’s Biomedical Research Academy, or the Rosetta Institute workshops. If learning laboratory techniques is your main goal, check the format carefully before applying.
If you need a remote experience but want to go beyond a structured course, explore these online research programs for high school students as well.
FAQs
Molecular biology courses for high school students introduce the study of genes, proteins, cells, molecular pathways, and biological processes. They can be fully online, hybrid, or in person, with some programs emphasizing lectures and others including wet-lab research, computational analysis, or independent projects.
It depends on the course. Columbia’s Cell and Molecular Biology of Medicine requires one year of high school biology and one year of high school chemistry, while Penn’s Biomedical Research Academy requires one year of high school biology. Other courses on this list do not specify the same prerequisites, so check each program’s eligibility requirements before applying.
None of the courses on this list are free. The most accessible options by listed cost are Sally Ride Science Academy’s Marine Microbiology at $475, Biolympiads Advanced BioResearch at $1,400, and the two UCSD Research Scholars bioinformatics courses at $2,000 each.
Programs with explicit wet-lab components include Summer@Brown’s Antibiotic Drug Discovery course, Summer@Brown’s C. elegans Reverse Genetics, and Penn’s Biomedical Research Academy. The Rosetta Institute workshops also include research projects, while the exact laboratory format should be checked for the specific workshop.
Fully online or virtual options on this list include Biolympiads Advanced BioResearch, UCSD Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, UCSD Applied Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, and Sally Ride Science Academy’s Marine Microbiology. Columbia’s Cell and Molecular Biology of Medicine also has online fall and spring sections.
The courses on this list range from $475 to $12,838, depending on format, housing, and program structure. The most expensive options are residential programs, while online courses generally cost less. Brown’s residential CREs cost $10,858, Penn’s Biomedical Research Academy costs $10,050, and Columbia’s Modern Biology course costs $12,838 for residential students.
A molecular biology course generally follows a structured curriculum designed to teach a defined set of concepts and skills. An independent research program usually starts with a research question and gives you more responsibility for designing and carrying out the work. The distinction can blur: courses such as Brown’s CREs and several Rosetta workshops combine structured instruction with original research projects.
A course or summer program can become part of your broader academic profile, but participation by itself does not guarantee an admissions benefit. What you learn, the depth of your work, and what you produce or accomplish during the experience can provide more meaningful context for your academic interests. If you’re using a course to explore a possible research direction, focus on choosing one that matches your interests and gives you substantive work to discuss.
Image source: UC San Diego