15 Engineering Internships for High School Students in Boston

If you’re thinking about studying engineering in college, an internship can help you explore the field long before you begin your degree. 

Engineering internships allow you to work alongside engineers, researchers, and university faculty while learning how engineering concepts are applied to real problems. Depending on the internship, you may gain experience in areas such as robotics, biomedical engineering, civil engineering, aerospace, electronics, or product design.

Why should you choose an engineering internship in Boston?

Boston brings together universities, research labs, hospitals, startups, and technology companies in one region, making it a strong place to explore engineering. Many internships combine technical learning with hands-on projects, giving you the chance to work in labs, contribute to research, build prototypes, or learn engineering design through real work.

These internships help you identify which branch of engineering aligns with your interests before college. You’ll gain exposure to research labs, engineering workflows, and the design, testing, and problem-solving that shape real engineering projects, giving you a clearer foundation for future study.

To make your search easier, we’ve narrowed down our list to 15 engineering internships for high school students in Boston that you can explore!

Key Takeaways

• 15 engineering internships in the Boston area range from highly selective research placements like MIT’s RSI and the Broad Summer Scholars Program, to paid trade and workforce programs like the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technical Trades Work and Learning Program.
• Several programs offer substantial paid stipends alongside free tuition. The Broad Summer Scholars Program provides a $3,600 stipend, and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s Apprenticeship Challenge pays $17 per hour across more than 150 funded internships annually.
• MIT hosts multiple distinct programs at different levels of intensity and cost. RSI is free and extremely selective, admitting about 100 students for six weeks of research, while Beaver Works Summer Institute costs $2,400 but is tuition-free for families under a $200,000 income and asset threshold.
• Several programs are limited to Massachusetts residents or specific school districts. The Arch/Design High School Internship Program is limited to Boston Public School students, and Northeastern’s Young Scholars Program requires Massachusetts residency within commuting distance and a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
• A few programs listed are actually based outside Boston despite serving Massachusetts area students, including ASPIRE by Johns Hopkins in Maryland, UC San Diego’s Research Scholars Program, and the University of Maryland’s WIE Rise, all of which are fully virtual or online.
• Workforce and trade focused programs like YouthWorks and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technical Trades program emphasize paid, hands-on experience over formal research, giving students exposure to industries like clean energy, IT, and manufacturing while earning at least minimum wage.
• Engineering internships in Boston are a strong way to build technical and research skills through direct exposure to universities, national labs, and industry, but they are not the only path for a student interested in independent research. Those who want to pursue a research project in a different field might consider Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs, a mentored virtual research program with 600+ specializations across subjects like political theory, data science, and biology.

1. MITRE Student Programs (Internships & Co-Ops)

MITRE’s Student Programs give you the chance to contribute to research projects that support government agencies in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, systems engineering, and data science. You’ll work with engineers and researchers on active project teams, helping analyze data, test technologies, troubleshoot technical challenges, and document project results. Every intern is paired with a mentor who guides the experience while introducing you to professional engineering workflows. Alongside project work, you’ll attend sessions on STEM careers, ethical decision-making, and workplace communication. The internship offers an inside look at how multidisciplinary teams develop technology to address national-scale challenges.

2. MIT’s Research Science Institute (RSI)

The Research Science Institute (RSI) brings together around 100 exceptional high school students from around the world for six weeks of advanced scientific research. The program begins with intensive lectures from MIT faculty and researchers covering topics across science, engineering, mathematics, and technology before you move into a full-time research placement. You’ll spend the remaining weeks working with mentors on an original research project, designing experiments, analyzing data, reviewing scientific literature, and solving research problems in a university or laboratory setting. Throughout the program, you’ll gain experience using professional research methods while exploring fields such as computer science, artificial intelligence, engineering, physics, or biomedical research. The experience concludes with written papers and formal presentations of your research findings.

3. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)

Before arriving on campus, the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) requires you to complete online prerequisite courses that prepare you for an intensive engineering experience. Once at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, you’ll join a project track in areas such as robotics, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, aerospace, machine learning, quantum software, or satellite engineering. Working in teams, you’ll write code, integrate hardware, analyze sensor data, and test prototypes while applying engineering design principles to real technical challenges. The projects mirror the collaborative environment used by professional engineering teams and emphasize practical problem-solving throughout the program. You’ll wrap up the experience by demonstrating your project and explaining the engineering decisions behind your work.

4. Northeastern University Young Scholars Program (YSP)

At Northeastern University’s Young Scholars Program, you’ll spend the summer working alongside faculty and researchers on an active laboratory project. Research placements span areas such as biomedical engineering, healthcare analytics, robotics, neuroscience, renewable energy, environmental engineering, and data science, depending on your assigned lab. You’ll learn how to design experiments, interpret results, troubleshoot research problems, and contribute to ongoing scientific investigations using university research facilities. Beyond the lab, the program includes seminars on emerging technologies and visits to local companies where engineering is applied in industry. The combination of research, professional seminars, and industry exposure gives you a realistic picture of university research and STEM careers.

5. Massachusetts Clean Energy Technical Trades Work and Learning Program

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Technical Trades Work and Learning Program places you in a paid internship with companies working across clean energy and water innovation. Depending on your employer, you may support projects involving solar energy, wind power, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, advanced manufacturing, or other climate-focused technologies. You’ll learn by contributing to real workplace projects involving installation, testing, maintenance, or technical operations while building skills that employers use every day. Because the program runs beyond a typical summer internship, you’ll have more time to develop technical experience and understand how clean energy companies operate. It’s a practical way to explore engineering, sustainability, and technical careers through long-term, hands-on work.

6. Commonwealth Corporation (CommCorp) YouthWorks Summer Program

YouthWorks, run by Commonwealth Corporation, helps you gain paid work experience through employers connected with MassHire Workforce Boards across Massachusetts. Depending on your placement, you may work in fields such as information technology, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, or other technical industries. Before starting, you’ll complete the Signal Success training program, which focuses on communication, teamwork, professionalism, and workplace expectations. Throughout the placement, you’ll build practical skills while receiving support from supervisors and career advisors. If you’re looking for an early introduction to technical careers, YouthWorks offers a flexible way to explore different industries while earning a paycheck.

7. Boston Society for Architecture & Boston Private Industry Council’s Arch/Design High School Internships

Spend six weeks inside a Boston architecture firm through the Arch/Design High School Internship Program, where you’ll experience how buildings move from ideas to finished designs. You’ll assist with drafting, 3D modeling, design research, and other project work while learning directly from architects and designers. Weekly Summer Friday sessions take you beyond the office with site visits, firm tours, and conversations with architects, engineers, contractors, and urban planners. These experiences help you understand how different professionals collaborate on construction projects from start to finish. The internship ends with a presentation where you’ll share your work and reflect on what you learned throughout the summer.

8. Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP)

The Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP) invites highly motivated high school students to explore genomics, bioengineering, and computational biology. Over six weeks, you will work side-by-side with leading scientists in state-of-the-art Cambridge laboratories, tackling critical research questions in cancer biology, psychiatric disease, infectious disease, or chemical biology. You will be paired with individual mentors who provide daily, hands-on guidance as you learn both wet-lab experimental techniques and computational modeling tools. The program concludes with a professional poster session where you will share your original findings with the broader Broad Institute academic community.

9. Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) High School Apprenticeship Challenge

Funded by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the High School Apprenticeship Challenge places talented students into paid summer internships with small life sciences companies and academic labs. This program aims to bridge the opportunity gap by connecting students with mentors in cutting-edge industries like biotechnology, bioengineering, and diagnostics. You will gain hands-on experience in active laboratories, supporting experiments, managing datasets, and learning how academic discoveries translate into therapeutic medical advances. 

10. Research Scholars at UC San Diego

UC San Diego’s Research Scholars Program lets you explore university research through specialized tracks such as bioengineering, medicine, life sciences, engineering, marine science, and business. Depending on the track you choose, you’ll work on experiments, analyze data, review scientific literature, and complete project-based assignments that reflect real research practices. The Bioengineering pathway includes hands-on work with technologies such as biomedical imaging, 3D printing, mammalian cell culture, and biomechanics, including mechanical testing of biological tissues. Whether you join online, in person, or in a hybrid format, you’ll spend the program developing research skills while working through problems commonly studied in university laboratories.

11. ASPIRE by Johns Hopkins University

At Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the ASPIRE program places you on mentor-led projects that reflect the work of one of the country’s leading research centers. Depending on your assignment, you could help develop Python tools, analyze satellite data, build prototypes with 3D printers, calibrate navigation algorithms in MATLAB, or test autonomous systems and engineering designs. Previous projects have explored areas such as drones, spacecraft, robotics, sensors, and data analysis, giving you exposure to a wide range of engineering applications. Throughout the summer, you’ll work closely with APL professionals while learning how technical ideas move from research to real-world solutions.

12. George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)

ASSIP pairs you with a George Mason University faculty researcher for eight weeks of full-time research in a field that matches your interests. Engineering placements span bioengineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, and environmental engineering, with projects changing each year based on faculty research. You might build software tools, analyze scientific data, develop machine learning applications, perform laboratory experiments, or contribute to engineering design projects using professional research methods. Previous projects have included adapting large language models for software bug reporting, automating grade entry with optical character recognition, and creating tools to identify visual design issues in presentation slides. The program concludes with a research symposium where you present your work alongside other ASSIP researchers.

13. Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation Pre-College Programs – Biomedical Engineering Innovation (BMEI)

Biomedical Engineering Innovation (BMEI) introduces you to how engineering is used to solve problems in medicine through a three-credit online pre-college course. You’ll study topics such as biomechanics, physiological modeling, medical devices, experimental design, and quantitative analysis while completing engineering assignments and design activities. Projects may involve designing biosensors, modeling the human arm, or analyzing the circulatory system to understand how engineering principles apply to biological systems. You’ll also complete an independent project by conducting a literature review, designing an experiment, or developing a biomedical device prototype. Throughout the course, you’ll receive instructor feedback during virtual design reviews before presenting your project as an online research poster.

14. University of Maryland’s WIE Rise Summer Research Program

The WIE Rise Summer Research Program offers a week-long introduction to engineering research through virtual sessions led by the University of Maryland’s Women in Engineering Program. You’ll learn how engineering research is planned, read scientific papers, interpret research findings, and practice scientific writing while exploring different engineering disciplines. The program also includes hands-on engineering activities using everyday household materials, giving you a chance to apply the engineering design process outside a traditional laboratory. Conversations with researchers and current engineering students provide insight into research opportunities, college life, and engineering majors. 

15. Summer@Brown Online Pre-College Programs – Biomedical Engineering: The Smart Design of Medical Implants and Devices

Summer@Brown Online lets you explore biomedical engineering through a college-level course focused on the design of medical implants and devices. You’ll study biomaterials, tissue engineering, cell-material interactions, and the mechanical properties that influence how implants perform inside the human body. Throughout the course, you’ll examine real engineering challenges while discussing the ethical questions surrounding biomedical technologies and healthcare innovation. A major project asks you to design a new material for coronary artery bypass procedures, applying scientific evidence and engineering principles to support your decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of these internships pay a stipend or hourly wage?

MITRE’s Student Programs, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technical Trades program, YouthWorks, the Arch/Design High School Internship, the Broad Summer Scholars Program, and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s Apprenticeship Challenge are all paid, with the Life Sciences Center paying $17 per hour.

Do I need to live in Massachusetts to apply to these programs?

Many do require Massachusetts residency, including Northeastern’s Young Scholars Program, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technical Trades program, YouthWorks, and the Arch/Design Internship, which is limited to Boston Public School students specifically.

Which programs are the most selective?

MIT’s RSI is extremely selective, admitting roughly 100 students annually from a global applicant pool, and the Broad Summer Scholars Program is also highly selective, accepting only 15 to 20 students each year within commuting distance of the Broad Institute.

Are any of these programs fully virtual despite being framed around the Boston area?

Yes. ASPIRE by Johns Hopkins, UC San Diego’s Research Scholars Program, George Mason’s ASSIP, Johns Hopkins’ Biomedical Engineering Innovation course, and the University of Maryland’s WIE Rise program are all virtual and not physically located in Boston.

What if I am interested in research outside of engineering or the physical sciences?

These internships are focused specifically on engineering and applied technical research, but students looking for a research based credential in a different subject area might consider Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs, a selective virtual research program that pairs students with a mentor to develop an original research paper across subjects like political theory, data science, and biology.

Image source: Northeastern University