If you’re a high school student interested in building your first business, entrepreneurship courses can offer a structured way to explore how ideas turn into real ventures. These entrepreneurship courses for high school students typically introduce you to core concepts such as idea validation, market research, product development, basic finance, and pitching: skills that form the foundation of early-stage entrepreneurship.
Why choose an entrepreneurship course as a high schooler?
Participating in entrepreneurship courses for high school students can also help you develop accessible, transferable skills like critical thinking, strategic planning, leadership, and financial literacy. Many courses combine lectures with case studies, group projects, and applied assignments, allowing you to test business concepts in practical contexts rather than learning them only in theory.
If you’re also interested in online entrepreneurship programs, you can explore this blog.
15 Entrepreneurship Courses for High School Students
1. EESJ0202 Empowering Change: An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship — Columbia University’s NYC Residential Summer Program
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $12,764 per session + $80 application fee + at least $50 for course materials + course-specific fees
Dates: June 29–July 17 | July 21–August 7
Application Deadline: February 2 (early deadline) | March 2 (general deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th-grade students, including current seniors, who are 15 or older
This course demonstrates how social entrepreneurship transforms personal passion into action by leveraging business ideas to create a social impact. You’ll examine how economic growth can be aligned with sustainability and how social entrepreneurs respond to challenges such as climate resilience and supporting communities. You’ll learn how financial responsibility and social equity can be balanced in a changing global environment. You’ll take a hands-on approach to social entrepreneurship by learning important frameworks that turn challenges into opportunities. You’ll also practice designing solutions that support both shareholders and stakeholders, focusing on the planet, people, and profit. Through discussions, group projects, and case studies, you will analyze real-world issues and develop strategic ideas to create meaningful and lasting impact.
2. 10195 I Heart Startups: An Entrepreneurship Incubator — Summer@Brown Pre-College Program
Location: Online or in person at Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: $3,096–$10,858 | Some courses may have extra fees; scholarships are available
Dates: Courses run between June 15 and July 25 and last 1–3 weeks on campus or 5 weeks in a hybrid format
Application Deadline: May 8
Eligibility: Students finishing grades 9–12 who are 14 to 18 years old by June 14
In this course, you’ll learn that entrepreneurship follows a structured way of solving problems and meeting unmet needs. You’ll use lean principles and explore tools for ideation and innovation. You will discuss how well-known companies like Amazon, Twitter, Snapchat, and Tesla began as small ventures, as well as newer startups in edtech, fintech, AI, travel, and healthcare. The course includes two main projects: one group project where you’ll develop and pitch a venture of your choice, and one individual project where you’ll create an original idea and pitch it on Demo Day. You’ll also complete daily readings and take part in multimedia sessions, group discussions, co-working time, local excursions, lab projects, presentations, peer feedback, research, and mentor hours.
3. BUSA-90017 Futures: Business Decision Making for High Schoolers — UC San Diego Extended Studies
Location: Online Asynchronous
Cost: $390
Dates: March 30–June 6
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students can apply | The course has no prerequisites
This course will help you build professional leadership skills by practicing business management in small group settings. You’ll work through everyday workplace challenges, consider different ways to respond, and recommend solutions while giving and receiving feedback. Through analyzing case studies, you’ll learn about both technical and interpersonal sides of management. You’ll practice day-to-day management, which is central to running any organization, and learn how to spot problems and propose practical solutions. The course uses real-world scenarios to help you strengthen both technical and people-focused skills and think like a leader or founder.
4. BUFE0220 Introduction to Business, Finance, and Economics — Columbia University’s Pre-College Summer Programs
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $12,829 per session (residential) | $6,375 per session (commuter–3 weeks) | $2,880 per session (commuter–1 week) | $4,015 per session (online–2 weeks) | $2,865 per session (online–1 week) + $80 application fee + at least $50 for course materials + course-specific fees | Financial aid is available
Dates: In-Person Sessions: June 29–July 17 and July 21–August 7 | Online Sessions: July 6–17 and July 20–31
Application Deadline: February 2 (early deadline) | March 2 (general deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th-grade students, including current seniors, who are 15 or older
In this course, you’ll learn how firms make financial and economic decisions. You’ll explore how companies identify investments, raise capital, and how financial markets operate. You’ll also study how markets value firms, their securities, and their investments, as well as the financial instruments companies can use. The course introduces microeconomic models that explain how firms behave in these markets. You’ll learn about bonds, stocks, stock markets, and valuation models for investments, firms, and securities. You’ll work with concepts such as optimal investment strategies, what accounting statements reveal or conceal, and various sources of risk. You’ll gain an understanding of how financial markets work and how they have developed over time.
5. NOCR 00005 01 Career Insight: Business and Entrepreneurship by University of Chicago
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost: $5,890 (residential) | Financial aid is available
Dates: June 15–25
Application Deadline: February 11 (priority deadline) | March 12 (regular deadline)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–11 who are at least 14 years old
UChicago’s Career Insight program helps students think about their future, both in college and beyond, through academic sessions and activities led by faculty, university staff, and industry professionals. In the Business and Entrepreneurship course, you’ll explore career options in areas like economics, finance, entrepreneurship, and consulting while thinking through paths you could follow during and after college. UChicago professors, researchers, and lecturers will introduce you to concepts in entrepreneurship, leadership, finance, and economics through lectures, readings, discussions, and hands-on activities. You’ll connect with professionals through talks, informational interviews, and career treks around the city. You’ll also work with Career Advancement staff to explore business-related career paths and build the skills needed to start pursuing them. You’ll apply what you learn through a small-group final project, individual reflection essays, and additional assignments.
6. AEM 2220 Dilemmas in Entrepreneurship — Cornell SCE Fall & Spring Study
Location: Virtual or in person at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cost: Tuition is $1,940 per credit hour + non-refundable fees for supplies or course materials
Dates: August 25–December 20 (Fall Session) | January 20–May 16 (Spring Session)
Application Deadline: August 20 (Fall session) | January 20 (Spring Session)
Eligibility: High school students aged 18 or older can apply | You can find the additional prerequisites here
In this course, you’ll explore the choices or dilemmas founders face when starting and growing new ventures. You’ll study key decisions, such as when or whether to start a company, whether to work alone or bring on co-founders, how to select co-founders and divide rewards, and how to enter the market independently or through partnerships. You’ll also examine choices around bootstrapping versus raising outside funding, relinquishing control to grow faster, and deciding whether and when to exit. This course will help you understand how the theory and discipline of entrepreneurship differ from real-world practice. You’ll learn about the role entrepreneurship plays in society, public policy, and economics. You’ll also explore the career paths available in entrepreneurial fields while developing creative and innovative thinking skills.
7. ENIN0104 Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Changing the World via Venture Creation — Columbia University’s Academic Year Weekend
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,810 per session for a single course ($2,700 for each additional course) + at least $50 for course materials + $80 application fee
Dates: September 19–December 7 (Fall Session) | January 23–March 29 (Spring Session)
Application Deadline: August 27 (Fall Session) | December 15 (Spring Session)
Eligibility: Domestic and international students enrolled in grades 9–12 | Limited to 22 students per class
Columbia University’s Academic Year Weekend is a 10-week online program in which students take interactive courses and participate in student life activities. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Changing the World via Venture Creation course is for you if you want to build a business or social enterprise. You’ll work on a venture idea you choose and learn about the full startup process, including business models, market research, customer discovery, product validation, branding, team building, go-to-market strategies, financing, and legal basics. Through structured assignments and feedback from instructors and peers, you’ll keep refining your idea at each stage. You’ll also develop skills in problem-solving, project management, communication, financial analysis, and teamwork. By the end of the course, you’ll create a solid business model with a venture plan, pitch materials, a website, and a crowdfunding video.
8. 10150 Measuring Business Success: An Introduction to Financial Accounting — Summer@Brown Pre-College Program
Location: Online or in person at Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: $3,096–$10,858 | Some courses may have extra fees | Scholarships are available
Dates: Courses run between June 15 and July 25 and last 1–3 weeks on campus or 5 weeks in a hybrid format
Application Deadline: May 8
Eligibility: Students finishing grades 9–12 who are 14 to 18 years old by June 14 can apply
This course will help you understand how financial accounting information is created, shared, and used. It is designed for students with little or no accounting background. You’ll learn concepts like revenue recognition, the matching principle, and the difference between accrual and cash accounting, as well as apply them to real business transactions. You’ll practice making accounting entries and learn how they lead to financial statements. You’ll study the main financial statements, learn their purpose and limits, and analyze real examples from publicly traded companies to understand financial condition and performance. By the end of the course, your team will present an analysis of a set of financial statements. You’ll also develop a clear understanding of how financial reports guide business and investment decisions.
9. BCAB0101 Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, AI, and Beyond — Columbia University’s NYC Residential Summer Program
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $12,764 per session + $80 application fee + at least $50 for course materials + course-specific fees
Dates: June 29–July 17 | July 21–August 7
Application Deadline: February 2 (early deadline) | March 2 (general deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th-grade students, including current seniors, who are 15 or older, can apply | No prior knowledge or experience in computer programming is required
This course will introduce you to the future of finance, technology, and work, with a focus on Fintech, blockchain, AI, and cryptocurrency. You’ll explore how technology is reshaping banking, Wall Street, real estate, and other industries, as well as how automation and AI are transforming jobs and workflows. You’ll learn how Fintech affects the economy, social justice, and everyday life. You’ll also dive into AI, blockchain, the Internet of Things, Bitcoin, and crypto. The course looks at how these tools transform organizations and create new business models from an entrepreneurial perspective. By the end of the course, you’ll understand how blockchain, tokens, AI, and Fintech disrupt industries and shape digital business and the future of work.
10. LSTU S-131 Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Business and Intellectual Property Law — Harvard University’s Secondary School Program (SSP)
Location: Virtual or in person at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $4,180–$15,735 + $75 application fee | Financial aid is available
Dates: July 12–August 7 (4-week session) | June 20–August 8 (7-week session)
Application Deadline: January 7 (early deadline) | February 11 (regular deadline) | April 1 (late deadline)
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–19 who plan to start college in the coming years | Limited to 54 students per class
This course examines the relationship between startups and entrepreneurship and intellectual property law. You’ll learn the basics of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, and how they apply to new and growing businesses. You’ll practice building and presenting product and funding pitches that highlight a startup’s IP. You’ll get an introduction to common contract tools for sharing IP while still protecting it. The course also introduces the IP litigation issues startups may face, using real cases as examples, and includes a mock IP trial where you present opening arguments for either the plaintiff or the defendant. You’ll understand simple case law, learn how to do basic legal research, and read key legal documents like patent applications and confidentiality agreements. You’ll earn four credits when you complete the course.
11. AEM 1200 Introduction to Business Management — Cornell SCE Precollege Studies Winter Online Program
Location: Online
Cost: $1,940 per credit + non-refundable fees for supplies or course materials
Dates: January 2–17
Application Deadline: December 1
Eligibility: Rising or current high school juniors and seniors aged 15–19
Cornell University’s School of Continuing Education offers online pre-college courses during the winter for high school juniors and seniors to get an early start on college work. You can earn between 3 and 12 college credits that may transfer to Cornell or other schools. You’ll also receive an official Cornell transcript on completion. In the Introduction to Business Management course, you’ll get a broad overview of how businesses are run. You’ll study areas such as human resources, marketing, finance, and strategy. You’ll examine current topics, including the impact of technology on operations, ethics, teamwork, globalization, leadership, and entrepreneurship. You’ll also participate in an integrative group project to apply what you learn.
12. BUSA-40962 Essentials of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & Design — UC San Diego Extended Studies
Location: UC San Diego Central Campus, La Jolla, CA
Cost: $350
Dates: January 6–March 10
Application Deadline: January 5
Eligibility: High school students can apply | The course has no prerequisites
This course introduces the core knowledge and skills needed to create new business or product ideas. You’ll explore design thinking and ideation, learn how business models function, and understand how innovation and entrepreneurship relate to organizational goals. You’ll learn about Lean Startup methods for customer discovery and development, as well as the basics of financing, communicating, and marketing a new idea or product. Each session focuses on a different aspect of building a new venture, with guest speakers joining the instructor to share their real-world experiences. Topics include design thinking and opportunity framing, customer discovery, business modeling, leadership, team design and culture, startup financing, intellectual property, and presentation skills. You’ll earn a completion award if you attend at least 8 of the 10 sessions.
13. BA 101Z – Introduction to Business — Ecampus at Oregon State University
Location: Virtual
Cost: $384 per credit + $30 nonrefundable application fee and additional expenses for books and supplies | You can calculate the total cost here
Dates: Multiple cohorts run in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the session | You can check here
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum 3.0 GPA | Limited to 80 students per class
Oregon State University’s Ecampus allows high school students to enroll in online college courses for credit, helping them get an early start on college-level work. You can first participate as a nondegree-seeking student, with the option to move into a full degree program later. You’ll take classes alongside Oregon State degree students and other learners from different backgrounds. The Introduction to Business course provides a comprehensive overview of both traditional and entrepreneurial businesses, examining their shared traits and processes within a global context. You’ll learn important concepts and develop foundational skills in accounting, management, finance, and marketing, with a focus on ethics and social responsibility. You’ll also explore how businesses create value for themselves and for society by responding to environmental and social challenges.
14. ENVR S-188 Ventures in Sustainability — Harvard University’s Secondary School Program (SSP)
Location: Virtual or in person at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $4,180–$15,735 + $75 application fee | Financial aid is available
Dates: July 12–August 7 (4-week session) | June 20–August 8 (7-week session)
Application Deadline: January 7 (early deadline) | February 11 (regular deadline) | April 1 (late deadline)
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–19 who plan to start college in the coming years | Limited to 45 students per class
In this course, you’ll build sustainable ventures that balance environmental responsibility, financial viability, and global impact. You’ll learn marketing for sustainable ventures, including trend forecasting, market and consumer research, and clear messaging. You’ll also study different business structures, from for-profit companies to social enterprises and nonprofits, with a focus on social entrepreneurship. This project-based course will enable you to explore how to transform sustainability challenges into real-world projects or business ideas. You’ll learn how to measure social and environmental impact using sustainability metrics, explore financing strategies, and understand the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. Overall, the course will help you understand the elements needed to launch a sustainability-focused venture with a realistic path to success. Upon completing this course, you will earn four credits.
15. FINC0107 Introduction to Venture Capital: Intersection Between Entrepreneurship and Finance — Columbia University’s NYC Residential Summer Program
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $12,764 per session + $80 application fee + at least $50 for course materials + course-specific fees
Dates: June 29–July 17 | July 21–August 7
Application Deadline: February 2 (early deadline) | March 2 (general deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th-grade students, including current seniors, who are 15 or older, can apply | Applicants should have a basic understanding of financial statements, such as profit and loss accounts and balance sheets
In this course, you will explore venture capital’s role in helping companies raise funding. You’ll learn how venture capitalists work, how they evaluate startups, how investment decisions are made, and how VC funds are structured. You’ll also examine how investors support and add value to the companies they invest in. The course connects finance and entrepreneurship by showing both sides of the process. You’ll step into the role of an entrepreneur raising capital and a VC deciding whether to invest. Through case studies and simulations, you will also practice evaluating startup business models and negotiating funding rounds in realistic scenarios.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and 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 – UC San Diego Extended Studies