If you’re thinking about studying architecture in college, a spring program is an easy way to explore the field early without committing to a full summer program. These opportunities introduce you to how architects think, design, and solve problems through sketching, basic planning exercises, and small design projects.
Why Try an Architecture Program in the Spring?
Spring programs are usually shorter and more focused, which makes them easier to fit alongside school. You get hands-on exposure to design tools and ideas, plus a sample of work you can point to later when exploring architecture or related majors like urban design or interior architecture.
With that in mind, here are 15 architecture spring programs for high school students to help you get started. If you’re also looking for longer or more immersive options, check out Horizon’s guide to architecture summer programs for high school students for additional opportunities.
15 Architecture Spring Programs for High School Students
1. Parsons Academy Saturday Program – Parsons School of Design
Location: Parsons School of Design, New York City (on campus or online options available)
Cost: On Campus: $605 + fees; Online: $490 + fees
Program Dates: February 28 – May 9 (on campus); April 6 – May 10 (online)
Application Deadline: March 6 (on campus); April 12 (online)
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Parsons Academy runs a Saturday studio program during the spring that lets you explore art and design without signing up for a full summer. You meet once a week in a small studio setting, either on campus in New York or online, and spend those sessions building design fundamentals while working through projects with faculty guidance. High school students can choose portfolio-focused classes that help them shape their existing work into a set of pieces they can use for college applications. You practice explaining your ideas, tightening your visuals, and organizing your projects into a clear narrative. By the end of the semester, you will have finished with stronger work for applications and a better sense of how designers develop and present ideas.
2. Pratt Institute Pre-College Courses (Architecture & Design)
Location: Pratt Institute
Cost: 1-Credit Courses: $1,244; Noncredit Courses: $675
Program Dates: Saturdays, February 21 – April 25
Application Deadline: January 9
Eligibility: High school students ages 15–18
In Pratt’s PreCollege courses, you engage with studio-based coursework modeled after undergraduate curricula to develop design and visual communication skills. Architecture-focused sessions train you in spatial reasoning, model-making, and concept development, while digital illustration, photography, and graphic design courses introduce software-based workflows for visual representation. You complete assignments outside class hours, learn to critique and refine work, and gain practical experience in producing portfolio-quality outputs suitable for college applications.
3. CityLab Pre-College Intensive – Boston Architectural College
Location: Boston Architectural College
Cost: Not publicly listed; check program page for details
Program Dates: Virtual sessions: January 16, 17, 21, 23, 24; final project due February 3
Application Deadline: Rolling; contact program for updates
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
In CityLab, you investigate the built environment through five analytical lenses: health and human comfort, environmental systems, open space, built form, and social/cultural wellbeing. Using sketching, photography, reflective journaling, and collaborative exercises, you analyze structures, spaces, and urban systems while developing skills in design observation, spatial reasoning, and documentation. The course emphasizes accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement, giving you structured exposure to professional urban design practices. The program awards two undergraduate credits and integrates pre-college students with first-year undergraduates for a realistic academic experience.
4. Architecture: Theory, Practice & the Built Environment – NYU SPS High School Academy
Location: NYU School of Professional Studies (Washington Square campus)
Cost: $850
Program Dates: February 28 – March 21
Application Deadline: Open until seats fill
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Architecture: Theory, Practice & the Built Environment at NYU SPS introduces you to the study of architecture by moving through key ideas from early history to the present. Through short lectures and hands-on workshop tasks, you learn how architects evaluate form, structure, function, and context, and how cultural forces shape the built environment. You practice reading buildings the way designers do and build a working vocabulary for discussing space and design decisions. Along the way, you complete small analytical exercises that give you a realistic preview of what early college-level architectural study looks like.
5. Center for Architecture Explorations (Carnegie Mellon University)
Location: Carnegie Mellon University
Cost: Varies by program; some programs are free or low-cost (contact CAE for details)
Program Dates: Fall and Spring semesters; multi-week Saturday sessions and select workshops
Application Deadline: Varies by program
Eligibility: K–12 students, all grade levels; open to youth in the Pittsburgh region
Sometimes the best way to understand architecture is just to start making things, and the Teen Fellows Program at the Chicago Architecture Center is built around that idea. You spend the year learning tools like AutoCAD for drafting and InDesign for page layouts while building physical models that help you test structure and space. College-level sessions at Harold Washington College introduce you to concepts like urban context and site planning, and regular field visits around Chicago let you study buildings in neighborhoods rather than only in slides. As you go, you develop a working portfolio that records your drawings, models, and design decisions in a format that looks closer to early architectural practice than a typical high school project.
6. Teen Fellows by Chicago Architecture Center
Location: Harold Washington College
Cost: Free; stipend provided
Program Dates: 15-month program beginning in the Summer
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Incoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors attending high school in Chicago
In the Teen Fellows Program at the Chicago Architecture Center, you work through an extended design sequence that mixes studio practice with college-level coursework at Harold Washington College. You develop core architectural skills by drafting in AutoCAD, assembling visual layouts in InDesign, and fabricating scaled physical models to test structural ideas. The curriculum introduces urban analysis, spatial organization, and fundamentals of site planning while you document your process through iterative portfolio work. Field studies across Chicago allow you to examine building typologies, circulation patterns, and form-making strategies in real contexts.
7. Girls Garage
Location: Girls Garage, Berkeley, CA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Vary by session (Fall, Winter, Spring)
Application Deadlines: March 1 (Spring registration opens for high school programs)
Eligibility: Girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9–18
Girls Garage runs project-based building programs where you spend your summer in a workshop learning how things are designed and built. You read drawings, measure and cut wood, learn welding basics, and put together small structures with guidance from professional builders and designers. Most days mix hands-on building with short design sessions, so you see how an idea moves from a sketch to an actual object. All instruction is led by women and nonbinary professionals, which creates a space where you can learn practical construction skills and get comfortable using tools at your own pace.
8. Designing My Future Camps by AD EX
Location: Dallas, Texas (in-person)
Cost: Varies by age group; students should check the camp page for updates
Program Dates: Spring sessions – March 29 (ages 6-9), April 12 (ages 10-13 and 14-18)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Open to students ages 6–18; no prior experience required
Some camps introduce architecture by dropping you right into the design process, and AD EX takes that route. In Designing My Future, you spend your days sketching, testing ideas, and trying out simple modeling as you learn how architects think about space. You move between studio time and site visits, looking at nearby buildings and asking how materials and structure shape a place. Staff walk you through early tools of the field, so you get used to diagrams, quick models, and visual notes rather than long lectures. By the end of each session, you’ve built small pieces, solved short design challenges, and seen how an idea on paper can start to turn into something physical.
9. Academy of Art University — Pre-College Art and Design Experience
Location: Academy of Art University
Cost: Free (all supplies provided)
Program Dates: Online: January 28 -March 10; Onsite Intensives: March 28, April 4, April 12
Application Deadline: Rolling; check program page for updates
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
In PCADE, you explore foundational architecture and design concepts through structured hands-on exercises and intensive studio sessions. You work on spatial problem-solving, model-building, sketching, and design thinking, applying ideas in both digital and physical formats. On-site intensives allow you to refine projects, engage in peer critiques, and prepare portfolio pieces. The program balances exploratory learning with practical design tasks, giving you early exposure to workflows, technical skills, and iterative processes common in professional and academic architecture contexts.
10. Intro to Architecture One-Day Workshop – Architecture in the City, College of Architecture and Planning
Location: College of Architecture and Planning (commuter program, on campus)
Cost: $120, including a $15 registration fee. Scholarships are available
Program Dates: January 10 (one-day workshop)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Open to all high school students; broader Architecture in the City camps are for rising 10th–12th graders
Intro to Architecture One-Day Workshop at the College of Architecture and Planning is a short studio session that puts you right into basic design work for a day. You spend a few hours trying out model-building, simple architectural drawings, and small exercises that help you think about space, form, and how buildings are shaped. The workshop also points you toward nearby fields like landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban design, so you get a quick sense of how different professions contribute to the city around you.
11. Discover Architecture – Center for Architecture (NYC)
Location: Center for Architecture, New York
Cost: Free
Program Dates: February 17–20
Application Deadline: January 4
Eligibility: 10th–11th grade students who live and attend school in the five boroughs of New York City (priority for NYC public school students)
You spend most of this program in a professional architecture office, giving you a close look at how architects work across design, planning, and documentation. Over three days, you observe workflows, explore ongoing projects, and interact with teams who model, sketch, research, and coordinate real buildings. The final day brings everyone together at the Center for Architecture, where you share what you learned and see how different firms approach the design process. The schedule runs during NYC’s mid-winter break, making it easier to participate without missing school.
12. Build San Francisco Institute Program
Location: Architectural Foundation of San Francisco Design Studio
Cost: Free (for SFUSD students)
Program Dates: Semester-long, half-day program (Fall and Spring options)
Application Deadline: Varies by semester
Eligibility: SFUSD public high school students aged 16+ in good academic standing; approximately 20 students accepted per semester
In this program, you split your afternoons between studio coursework and hands-on industry mentorship, giving you a practical introduction to architecture, engineering, and design. Three days a week, you work in a professional design studio, learning digital modeling tools, exploring environmental concepts, and developing solutions to real-world design challenges. The other two afternoons place you directly inside an architecture, engineering, construction, or civic firm, where you collaborate one-on-one with a mentor and experience how projects move from concept to execution. You earn high school credit for all coursework.
13. Teen Saturday Studios
Location: Various sites across Chicago, including the Chicago Architecture Center and the Dawson Technical Institute
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Twice monthly (3rd and 4th Saturdays) throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling; registration opens monthly for each session
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Across these Saturday workshops, you explore architecture and related fields through focused, three-hour sessions supported by industry professionals. Each workshop lets you experiment with a specific theme, such as stained glass design or construction management, while learning practical techniques tied to architectural workflows. You’ll work directly with designers, builders, and engineers who guide you through tools, processes, and creative problem-solving exercises. Sessions rotate across partner campuses, giving you exposure to different learning environments throughout Chicago. You can sign up for individual workshops or return across the year to build a broader skill set.
14. Teen Workshops by Centre for Architecture
Location: Center for Architecture
Cost: $130 per workshop; need-based partial scholarships available
Program Dates: Individual weekend workshops during the school year
Application Deadline: Varies by workshop
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9–12) of all experience levels
These weekend architecture workshops give you a chance to study New York City’s built environment while practicing the technical skills behind architectural design. Each session takes on a specific theme, such as model building or drawing, and walks you through the tools, materials, and methods architects rely on. You’ll work hands-on with professional techniques, from measuring to cutting to assembling small-scale structures, guided by instructors who help you refine your accuracy and design approach. Because each workshop is self-contained, you can join just the sessions that fit your interests or attend multiple dates to broaden your portfolio.
15. Arch/Design Thinking Week by Boston Society for Architecture
Location: BSA Space, Boston, MA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: February 17–20
Application Deadline: January–February (through PIC)
Eligibility: Boston Public School high school students (grades 9–12)
This four-day workshop turns the galleries at BSA Space into a temporary studio where you work directly with architects from local firms on a focused design challenge. You’ll move through the full design-thinking process, like researching, sketching, prototyping, and refining ideas, while using drawing and model-making tools common in professional practice. Each day is facilitated by teams from firms such as Finegold Alexander, Goody Clancy, HMFH, and Sasaki/Hideo Sasaki Foundation, giving you exposure to multiple approaches and workflows. The week wraps up with a share-out where you present your project and explain your design decisions.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like urban planning, sustainability, materials science, or data-driven analysis, consider applying toHorizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image Source – Horizon Academics logo