If chemistry is a subject you are considering seriously, it helps to see how it is studied outside regular classes. School gives you a foundation, but programs give you time to work with the subject in a more practical setting.
In a chemistry program, you might spend time in a lab, work through experiments, or study topics like biochemistry, materials science, or environmental chemistry in more detail. Some programs focus on research, where you follow a question over time, while others are structured around lectures and lab work.
Why should you choose a program in South Carolina?
South Carolina has several universities and research institutions that offer chemistry programs for high school students. These include Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina, among others.
The variety of programs means you can choose based on your interests, whether that is lab work, research, or classroom-based learning. It also makes it easier to find options that fit your schedule.
With that, here are 15 chemistry programs for high school students in South Carolina! If you’re also looking at other ways to build experience in the other fields, it’s worth checking out our blogs.
15 Chemistry Programs for High School Students in South Carolina
1. Clemson University’s Chemical Engineering Camp
Location: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Cost: $700
Dates: June 15–June 19
Application Deadline: June 8
Eligibility: Open to rising 11th and 12th-grade students
Clemson’s Chemical Engineering Camp is a commuter program where you’ll spend the week in university labs working through hands-on chemical engineering activities. Over the course of the week, you’ll build your own battery and explore energy storage, work with polymers and soft materials to test how structure affects performance, use real modeling software to simulate chemical processes and design a reactor, and run experiments in mixing, reactions, separation, and heat transfer. The camp also covers clean energy systems and sustainable materials, and includes sessions with current engineering students on what studying chemical engineering in college actually looks like.
2. Clemson University’s Biotechnology & Public Health Camp
Location: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Cost: $1400
Dates: One week in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 10th – 12th-grade students who have taken biology or have a general knowledge of biology
Clemson’s Biotechnology & Public Health camp is a week-long program with a strong hands-on chemistry and molecular biology focus. Across the week, you’ll work through DNA fingerprinting, bacterial transformation, PCR, restriction digestion, and gel electrophoresis. On the chemistry side specifically, you’ll use column chromatography and spectrophotometry to separate and analyze dyes, and on the final day, apply column chromatography to purify a bioluminescent protein from transformed bacterial cells. Other activities include an ELISA simulation, a sickle cell genetics investigation, an exploration of antibiotic resistance, and a pill packet design challenge. Each experiment is structured to build on the previous day’s work, so by the end of the week, you’ll have run a complete experimental sequence from bacterial transformation through to protein purification.
3. Clemson University’s Human Oncology and Pathogenesis
Location: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Cost: $1400
Dates: One week in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 9th -12th Grade
Human Oncology and Pathogenesis covers cancer biology through a combination of lectures and hands-on experiments. On the chemistry side, you’ll work with spectrophotometry, run the MTS assay to test cell viability, make fruit extracts and expose cancer cells to them, and learn how to pour and run an agarose gel and interpret banding patterns. You’ll also work with the Trypan Blue Exclusion Assay to differentiate between live and dead cells, practice micropipetting and dilutions, and use gel electrophoresis to investigate tumor suppressor factors and p53. Additional topics covered across the week include cancer staging, DNA microarrays, histology, stem cells, and the role of telomeres in aging and cancer. The course is led by a Clemson University professor who directs a cancer research center and has active research experience in the field.
4. Clemson University’s Genetic Horizons
Location: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Cost: $1400
Dates: One week in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 9th -12th Grade
Genetic Horizons is focused on transmission and molecular genetics, with a strong laboratory component. Chemistry is woven into the course through experiments in RNA/DNA chemistry, bacterial transformations, restriction analysis of DNA, protein synthesis, and PCR, which you’ll use to compare your own genotype to your phenotype. You’ll also run gel electrophoresis to analyze DNA sequences, work with bioinformatics tools to compare sequences, and investigate gene regulation in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. A dedicated forensic science day uses the genetic concepts covered throughout the week to work through criminal investigation scenarios, and the Greenwood Genetic Center Mobile Laboratory visits during the week for a hands-on morning session.
5. Carolina Master Scholars Adventure Series: Pharmacy & Forensic Science
Location: University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Cost: Residential: $1,150–$1,250 | Commuter: $675–$750
Dates: Depends on the course opted for
Application Deadline: Rolling; early bird registration closes February 28; late registration closes July 6
Eligibility: Open to rising 9th–12th-grade students
The Carolina Master Scholars Adventure Series at USC Columbia is a selective academic camp where you enroll in one course per week, with a class size capped at 20 students. Two tracks relevant for you are the Pharmacy course and the Forensic Science course. In the Pharmacy course, you’ll study hypertension, diabetic monitoring, and intravenous techniques, and get hands-on experience in USC’s School of Pharmacy lab, where you try compounding and making different types of medicine. You’ll also learn how to read prescriptions, understand poison warnings, and counsel patients on drug regimens. In the Forensic Science course, working with real-life forensic investigators, you’ll cover crime scene processing, latent fingerprints, bloodstain pattern interpretation, and drug chemistry. You’ll apply what you’ve learned by processing a mock crime scene and analyzing evidence.
6. GSSM GoSciTech Residential Camp
Location: Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM), Hartsville, South Carolina
Cost: $860–$1,360 per course
Dates: Week 1: June 14–June 19 | Week 2: June 21–June 26 | Week 3: July 5–July 10
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Open to rising 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students
GoSciTech is a one-week residential program where you stay on campus and focus on a single subject area, including chemistry. Courses like “What’s that Stuff?” and “Chemistry of Everyday Life” look at chemical principles through familiar materials, which makes it easier to connect theory with observation. You spend time in labs working with substances, testing reactions, and understanding how chemical properties show up in daily use. Classes are led by faculty and industry professionals, so the content often moves slightly beyond school-level explanations. The short format keeps things focused, but you still get consistent exposure to lab-based chemistry across the week.
7. GSSM’s Residential High School Program
Location: Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM), Hartsville, South Carolina
Cost: Tuition-free
Dates: Two-year program
Application Deadline: Priority deadline February 15
Eligibility: Open to current South Carolina residents completing their sophomore year of high school; must have completed a minimum of 10.5 credits, including at least one lab science course in biology, chemistry, or physics
This is a two-year residential program where chemistry is taught at a level that goes beyond standard high school courses. You take advanced classes in well-equipped labs and spend time working through experiments that require more precision and independent thinking. A key part of the program is the mentored research experience, where you work on a chemistry-related project over time and present your findings formally. There are also opportunities for independent study, which lets you go deeper into a specific area if you already know what interests you. The structure is closer to a college environment, both academically and in terms of expectations.
8. ACS Project SEED
Location: University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Cost: Students receive a paid stipend
Dates: During the summer
Application Deadline: Applications open February 6
Eligibility: Open to high school students from economically disadvantaged families
ACS Project SEED places you in a university lab, where you work directly on ongoing chemistry research alongside graduate students and faculty. The work varies depending on the project, but past participants have used techniques like NMR and chromatography to study polymers and materials. You will contribute to real research tasks, which might involve preparing samples, analyzing results, or helping interpret data. Because the program runs over two summers, you get time to build familiarity with both the lab environment and the research process itself.
9. GSSM Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI)
Location: University and corporate R&D labs across South Carolina, the United States, Europe, and Asia
Cost: Not specified
Dates: Six weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Open to GSSM residential students between their junior and senior years
The Summer Program for Research Interns is exclusive to students enrolled in GSSM’s Residential Program. You are placed in a university or corporate R&D lab where you’ll work directly with a research mentor on an original project in your chosen area. Past projects with a chemistry focus have included the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxidized pine oil and acrylated epoxidized soybean oil blends, the in vitro efficacy of doxorubicin encapsulated in thermosensitive liposomes, connections between inhibition of ATP production and fatty acid uptake, and more. After the six-week summer experience, you’ll work with your research mentor and GSSM faculty during your senior year to write a formal research paper and present your findings at the GSSM Annual Research Colloquium and at the SC Junior Academy of Science annual meeting. There may also be opportunities to present at professional conferences or publish in academic journals alongside your mentor.
10. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Remote
Cost: $1,299 tuition
Dates: June 18–August 12
Application Deadline: Check website for latest updates
Eligibility: Open to high school students; must be at least 15 years old by June 18; students who have not yet graduated from university are eligible
ASSIP is an eight-week remote research internship organized by George Mason University. You’re matched one-on-one with a faculty researcher and spend the program working on an original project in your chosen scientific area. Chemistry and biochemistry are among the confirmed research focus areas, alongside drug discovery, nanoscience, materials science, and environmental science. Throughout the internship, you’ll build scientific writing and communication skills, engage in STEM career discussions with professionals across different fields, and work toward producing research that could be published in a scientific journal or presented at a conference. If you complete the program successfully, you earn three undergraduate college credits that are transferable to other institutions.
11. Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth’s Chemistry in Society
Location: Online
Cost: $6,717–$7,801
Dates: Multiple sessions available
Application Deadline: Check website for latest updates
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 7–11; CTY membership required; not suitable for students who have already completed high school chemistry
Chemistry in Society is an online course through Johns Hopkins CTY that approaches chemistry through the lens of real-world problem-solving. You’ll work through foundational topics, including the periodic table, atomic structure, and chemical bonding, then apply those concepts in a lab setting, investigating solubility, testing water samples for potential toxins, preparing biodiesel, synthesizing aspirin, and running calorimetric experiments. The course also walks you through the biochemistry of food, pharmaceutical chemistry, air pollution measurement, and energy conservation. One of the more distinctive elements is a town hall simulation where you debate approaches to protecting a community water source.
12. Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Fast-Paced High School Chemistry
Location: Online
Cost: $6,717–$7,801
Dates: Multiple sessions available
Application Deadline: Check website for latest updates
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 7–11 who have completed grade 8 or above; must meet CTY’s Advanced CTY-Level quantitative identification requirements; Algebra 1 strongly recommended
Fast-Paced High School Chemistry through Johns Hopkins CTY compresses a full year of introductory chemistry into a single intensive course, structured to prepare you for AP or IB Chemistry. The curriculum covers physical and chemical properties, atomic theory, chemical bonding, stoichiometry, solutions, thermodynamics, acids and bases, reaction kinetics, equilibrium, and an introduction to organic chemistry. You’ll also determine the percent composition of a compound, measure the molar mass of a gaseous compound, run acid-base titrations, and investigate variables that influence reaction rates.
13. The American Academy’s High School Chemistry (SCI310)
Location: Online
Cost: $238 per semester
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Open to high school students and adult learners nationwide, including those in South Carolina
The American Academy’s Chemistry course is a full-year high school chemistry course taught by state-licensed teachers, split into two semesters. The first semester covers states of matter, atomic theory, the periodic table, types of chemical bonds and reactions, chemical naming and formulas, chemical reactions, and stoichiometry, all framed within the context of the scientific method. The second semester moves into properties of solids, liquids, and gases, state changes, solutions, thermodynamics, enthalpy, entropy and free energy, reaction rates, equilibrium, acid-base theories, oxidation and reduction, electrochemical cells, functional groups, polymerization, biochemicals, and nuclear chemistry.
14. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes’ Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Location: Online (live sessions)
Cost: $3,200
Dates: July 6–July 17
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 10–11 at the time of application; completion of an algebra course required; students should be comfortable with concepts of atoms, atomic mass, and molecular mass
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes’ Chemical and Environmental Engineering course is a two-week online program for high school students interested in the chemistry and engineering behind large-scale industrial processes. Across the course, you’ll explore the chemistry of cement, steel, transportation fuel, and ammonia production, examining how each process works and what its environmental impact looks like. Core chemistry concepts covered include chemical equilibrium, material properties, and energy use, which you’ll apply to evaluate decarbonization strategies and design approaches for cleaner technologies. An additional one to two hours of asynchronous homework and project work is expected each day outside of live class time.
15. James Madison High School – Online Chemistry Course
Location: Online
Cost: $399
Dates: Self-paced; can be completed in as few as six weeks
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Open to high school students nationwide; prerequisites are Algebra I and Geometry
The Online Chemistry course covers chemistry from the subatomic level through to the macroscopic level, giving you a broad foundation across the field. Topics include the composition of matter, properties of substances and the reactions they undergo, solutions and water chemistry, thermochemistry, electrochemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and nuclear chemistry. The course is structured so you work through reading material to identify core concepts, then apply that knowledge through review activities and formative assessments, with multiple-choice exams and a comprehensive final exam used to assess comprehension. The course counts as one unit of high school science credit and is available as a standalone course for credit recovery, summer school, or to get ahead in a subject area.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’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 – John Hopkins University