15 Chemistry Programs for High School Students in North Carolina

If you are a high school student interested in chemistry, a structured program can give you access to lab equipment, research methods, and mentors that aren’t typically available in a standard high school setting. These programs can range from hands-on lab courses and research experiences to field-based and interdisciplinary projects that connect chemistry to areas like medicine, environmental science, and materials development. As a participant, you also get to meet other students with similar interests and build connections with researchers and faculty. 

Why should you choose a program in North Carolina?

North Carolina has a number of universities and research institutions that run programs specifically designed for high schoolers interested in chemistry and related fields. Depending on the program, you might find yourself working in a college lab, contributing to an ongoing research project, or exploring how chemistry connects to fields like pharmacology, biochemistry, or environmental science. Institutions in the state, such as Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State University, offer structured experiences for high school students. Whether you live in North Carolina or are considering traveling for a program, the state has options worth looking into for students at different experience levels and interests.

To help narrow things down, we have put together a list of 15 chemistry programs for high school students in North Carolina.

If you are also looking for research experience in chemistry beyond North Carolina, check out our list of programs in the U.S. here and our curated selection of paid opportunities here.

15 Physics Programs for High School Students in Utah

1. NCCSM Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics

This is a four-week residential research program conducted every year on a North Carolina college campus. As a participant, you will choose a research problem from a set of available topics offered at your assigned campus; past topics have included biochemistry, nanoscale science, aquatic ecology, and ethical data science, among others. You will work in small teams alongside faculty to conduct a focused research project in your chosen area. Before arriving on campus, you will complete Research Prep, an online asynchronous course that will help you build foundational skills in finding, reading, and understanding research papers. Weekly cultural and social activities will help you connect with peers and explore local spots.

2. Explore@UNC: Chemistry Track

Location: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Cost: $575/week; need-based financial aid available for eligible NC residents
Dates: July 6 – 10
Application deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Rising 9th – 12th graders, including homeschool students

Explore@UNC is a one-week on-campus pre-college program at UNC Chapel Hill that lets you explore college academic pathways through focused two-day tracks led by Carolina faculty and near-peer mentors. The pre-college Chemistry track is designed to help you learn college-level chemistry concepts, attend lectures from senior UNC graduate students, engage in laboratory tours, and conduct hands-on experiments. You will also take part in panel discussions with current chemistry majors, graduate students, and professors. The program additionally offers direct insight into research opportunities and academic pathways in the field.

3. Summer Textile Exploration Program (STEP) @ NC State University

The Summer Textile Exploration Program is a one-week residential program where you live on campus and complete a project in your area of interest across the college’s labs and studios. The program accepts up to 40 participants each week based on academic performance. As a participant, you can choose the Polymer and Color Chemistry track to explore the intersection of chemical phenomena and textiles over the course of a week. You will explore the chosen theme through project work and instructional sessions. You will also attend sessions covering the college application process, available scholarships, and internship and job opportunities within the textile industry. 

4. NC State University’s Summer Residential Camps: Biomass to Brilliance: Paper Science and Engineering

Biomass to Brilliance is a one-week residential engineering workshop at NC State that explores the chemistry and science behind sustainable, renewable materials. During the week, you will engage in hands-on activities covering topics such as surface chemistry, cellulosic ethanol production, bioplastics, printed electronics, and biomass-based energy generation. The curriculum combines presentations with applied lab work, encouraging you to think through the design, creation, and life cycle of sustainable and renewable products. Engineering faculty members and undergraduate and graduate engineering students will lead the workshop and guide your learning.

5. UNC Chapel Hill Summer School’s Chemistry Courses

UNC-Chapel Hill’s Summer School Visitor program allows rising high school seniors to enroll in college-level chemistry courses on campus for credit. You can choose chemistry courses to dive into organic chemistry, atomic and molecular structure, stoichiometry, gas laws, chemical equilibria, acid-base chemistry, and electrochemistry through lectures and hands-on activities. Here, you will also learn about reaction types and the chemical properties of organic molecules of biological importance. An organic chemistry laboratory course is also available, focusing on synthesis protocols, separation techniques, and compound characterization using spectroscopic instrumentation. You may also be eligible for a biological chemistry course, which covers cellular processes, metabolism, bioenergetics, and the structure and function of biological macromolecules. At the end of the session, you will earn college credit.

6. Duke Pre-College’s Modern Applications of Chemistry

Duke Pre-College’s Modern Applications of Chemistry is a two-week residential course that allows high school students to explore college-level chemical science topics. You will work alongside Duke Ph.D. students and faculty to explore how chemistry connects to fields like medicine, materials science, environmental sustainability, energy production, and consumer products. The curriculum is designed to help you connect core chemical principles, including reactions, molecular structure, and properties of matter, to real-world technologies such as pharmaceuticals, renewable materials, and forensic analysis. The course combines guided laboratory experiments, case studies, and interactive simulations, with an emphasis on safe lab techniques, data collection, and scientific reasoning. It concludes with a capstone project in which you will investigate a real-world chemical challenge, such as developing a sustainable material, analyzing a pharmaceutical compound, or proposing a green chemistry solution, and present your findings in a science-based format. 

7. North Carolina Central University’s Science and Research Summer Program (SRSP)

SRSP at NCCU is a free program that gives high school students the opportunity to work directly on research projects with NCCU science faculty across multiple disciplines. The program is supported by several external institutions and research centers, including NSF, NASA, and the University of Maryland. You will be matched with a professor and work on a hands-on research project in an area of science, which may include chemistry or a related field. Alongside lab work, you will attend sessions focused on open discussions and seminars covering high school science subjects or other topics in STEM. Following the program, you can submit your project to science fairs and competitions. The program typically accepts 15 to 20 students each summer.

8. NC Project SEED

Location: NC State University/other local labs in Raleigh, NC
Cost/Stipend: Free; $4,000 stipend
Dates: 8–10 weeks in the summer
Application deadline: April 2
Eligibility: High school students (preferably sophomores, juniors, seniors, or recent graduates) with one completed high school chemistry course; applicants’ family income must not exceed 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Offered by the American Chemical Society (ACS), Project SEED places high school students across the U.S. in academic or industrial laboratories for 8–10 weeks of research. As a participant, you will work on a chemistry-related project under the supervision of a scientist mentor at local institutions like NC State University. During the program, you will work on experiments, data analysis, and lab techniques used in modern chemical research. The program also offers access to field trips, college tours, career panels, and support for submission of projects to poster/science fair competitions. You can apply to return to the program the next year to continue working on your current research or a new chemistry project.

9. Duke STAR Program

The Duke STAR Program offers high school students exposure to real research every summer. You will join a team and work closely with a Duke faculty mentor on an original, hypothesis-driven research project focused on the uses and effects of a particular medication. The project will begin as a one-page summary and will develop into a complete research paper over the course of the program. A medical writer will guide you through scientific manuscript development, a statistician will provide lectures in applied statistics and work with your team on data analysis, and Duke faculty will give lectures on topics including neonatology, antimicrobial therapy, pharmacoepidemiology, and research ethics. You will meet with your mentor every week to review the project progress. The program concludes with a formal team presentation, and papers will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals, giving you the chance to be credited as a co-author of published research.

10. NC A&T RISE Pre-Matriculation Program

The RISE Pre-Matriculation Program at NC A&T is designed to help graduating high school seniors transition into college-level coursework. As a participant, you will take mini-courses in biology, chemistry, pre-calculus, and writing, structured to prepare you for the academic demands of your first year in college. You will also attend seminars and career talks covering various paths in the biomedical sciences, gain hands-on experience with techniques used in biomedical research, and take field trips to other universities where you can network with scientists in the field. Credit-bearing courses that you complete during the program may count toward your degree.

11. NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Summer Immersion Experience in Biotech

The NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Summer Immersion Experience in Biotech is a two-week residential program hosted by NCCU’s Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE) and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. During the program, you will learn about topics in biotech and chemistry through classroom instruction focused on drug discovery and health disparities, and complete hands-on laboratory experiments in NCCU’s teaching labs. You will connect with faculty and staff from the Pharmaceutical Sciences department and BRITE during the program. Additionally, you will attend sessions covering STEM college programs, career pathways, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. A tour of a biotech company is also part of the experience.

12. NC A&T College of Science and Technology Aggie Camps: Inspiring Minds Summer Camp

The Inspiring Minds Summer Camp at NC A&T is a 10-day interdisciplinary STEM program for high school students. The program is structured to cover a different scientific discipline each day, for example, Biology on Monday, Chemistry on Tuesday, Physics on Wednesday, and Geomatics on Thursday, offering you dedicated instruction in each area across two weeks.  You will find opportunities to explore chemistry through hands-on activities and scientific discovery exercises. Mathematics is incorporated daily across all subject areas. Alongside academic content, the camp includes college preparation sessions, community-building activities, and mentorship from NC A&T faculty and students in the College of Science and Technology. The camp is capped at 30 participants per session. You can find more details here.

13. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Topics in Biochemistry

Location: Online
Cost: $3,200; financial aid available
Dates: July 6 – 17
Application deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 11 who have completed a high school biology course

This is a two-week online course from Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies that covers the core building blocks of biochemistry, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids, and explores how problems with these molecules can affect health. You will explore these concepts through lectures, small group activities, and asynchronous assignments throughout the two weeks. At the end of the course, you will work with a group of peers on a final project that connects ideas from across the course, with past topics including mRNA vaccines, CRISPR-Cas9, and antibiotic resistance. Your days will include live online classes, with two hours of instruction and one hour of office hours, along with one to two hours of homework outside of class. The course is designed to prepare you for college-level biochemistry. 

14. George Mason University Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)

ASSIP is a research internship program run by George Mason University, where you get to work one-on-one with a faculty researcher on an original research project. Chemistry and biochemistry placements are typically available, along with research projects in drug discovery, nanoscience, materials science, and environmental science, among many others. You will spend eight weeks working with cutting-edge equipment and technologies, developing scientific writing and communication skills, and participating in discussion forums with professionals across STEM fields. Upon successful completion, you will also earn three transferable undergraduate college credits from George Mason University. Work produced during the program can be published in journals or presented at scientific conferences.

15. NC State University High School Summer Research Program

Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost/Stipend: Free; $1,000 stipend
Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application deadline: Typically, in the spring
Eligibility: High school students

Offered by NC State University’s College of Natural Resources, this summer program offers a hands-on research experience focused on forestry, environmental sciences, and sustainable biomaterials. You will work alongside faculty and graduate mentors to conduct field research and laboratory analysis, gaining exposure to the scientific process from hypothesis to conclusion. You can indicate your preference for a chemistry-focused or chemistry-adjacent placement. During the program, you will learn about topics such as hydrology, drones in forestry, and forestry economics. Beyond fieldwork and instruction, you will also receive mentorship to explore career paths in science and access to seminars focused on university-level research prep.

One more option—Horizon Academic Research Program

If you are looking for a competitive mentored research program in an area of your choice, you can consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! It is a selective virtual research program that allows you to engage in advanced research and come up with a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1,000+ high school students so far, offering 600+ research specializations to choose from. You can find the application link here!

Image Source – George Mason University