If you’ve ever wondered how drones stay stable in the air or how robots are designed to move, sense and respond, mechatronics is the field that brings it all together. It combines mechanical engineering, electronics, and computing to build intelligent, real-world systems. As a high school student, a mechatronics program can be a great way to learn how these areas work together in real-world applications.
In these programs, you won’t just learn concepts; you’ll build things. You might assemble and program physical devices, learn how to wire circuits, use microcontrollers, integrate sensors, and code using languages such as C++ or Python. You will also work with tools such as CAD software, 3D printing, and laser cutting, giving you a full picture of how modern engineering projects come together. By the end of the program, you will have a better understanding of how to combine mechanical structures, electronic components, and programming into a single functioning system. Such programs will also allow you to learn from professionals in the field and explore career pathways in mechatronics.
Here are 15 mechatronics programs for high school students:
1. NYU’s Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Stipend: $2,000
Program dates: June 26 – August 14
Application deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are residents of New York
New York University’s Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE) program allows high school students to work in NYU’s research labs and gain experience in STEM research. This is a 10-week program that includes four weeks of remote workshops and six weeks of hands-on lab work. As a participant, you will assist NYU faculty on real-world projects, network with professionals, and ultimately present your work at a closing symposium. If you choose the Mechatronics track, you’ll work with cutting-edge tools and gain practical skills in areas such as robotics, electronics and integrated design. By the end of the program, you’ll not just understand the field better, but have real research experience to show for it.
2. University of Pennsylvania’s Engineering Summer Academy at Penn
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $9,250. Limited financial aid is available
Program dates: July 12 – 31
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Students who have completed their freshman year, at least 15 years of age, and are either rising sophomores, juniors or seniors. A minimum 3.0 GPA is also required
The Engineering Summer Academy at Penn gives high school students the opportunity to explore an engineering subfield at a college level. One of its standout options is the robotics course, which approaches robotics through a mechatronics lens, combining design, manufacturing, and automation. During the course, you will work in teams to build robotic musical instruments that communicate over WiFi, eventually coming together as a synchronized robotic orchestra. Along the way, you will learn how to program microcontrollers, drive actuators, read sensors, coordinate control systems, and use tools such as laser cutters and 3D printing.
3. Johns Hopkins’ ASPIRE Program
Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Stipend: None
Program dates: June 23 – August 21
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are US citizens, at least 15 years of age, and have a minimum 2.8 GPA
Johns Hopkins University’s ASPIRE program is a STEM internship that lets high school students explore real-world careers through hands-on projects. The program will pair you with an APL staff mentor, under whose guidance you will learn skills and work on projects. If you choose an engineering-focused track, you’ll engage with a mix of mechanical systems, electronics, and software, very much in line with mechatronics. The coursework includes activities such as building a drone that can hover autonomously at a fixed altitude and designing an autonomous vehicle and sound system to deter geese. Along the way, you’ll work with sensors, controllers, 3D printing, lasers and engraving.
4. BWSI Summer Courses
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA. Virtual options are available
Cost: $2,400. The program is free for students with a family income of less than $200,000
Program dates: July 2 – August 2
Application deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who live and attend school in the US
The MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute offers advanced, project-based STEM courses for high school students. If you are interested in mechatronics, there are several options such as Autonomous Air Vehicle Racing, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Challenge, Autonomous RACECAR Grand Prix, and Unmanned Air System-Synthetic Aperture Radar. These courses involve hands-on activities such as building a radar imaging system or an unmanned aerial vehicle. Along the way, you’ll work with sensors, control systems, robotics, RF hardware, embedded systems, and microcontrollers.
5. Columbia University’s Hk Maker Lab
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: Free. Travel and lunch stipends are provided after the completion of the program
Program dates: July 6 – August 7
Application deadline: Not specified but the deadline is generally sometime in January
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who attend a NYC public or charter school and can demonstrate educational or economic disadvantage
The Hk Maker Lab is a free engineering design program that combines Columbia’s three-week SHAPE program with a two-week hackathon. During SHAPE, you’ll take an engineering course taught by Columbia faculty. If you are interested in mechatronics, there are two robotics courses that are closely linked to mechatronics. In the Autonomous Driving course, you’ll build and program a robotic car, while the Moving Forward course focuses on developing a walking quadrupedal robot, combining elements of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and programming. The hackathon portion shifts towards digital creation, where you’ll work on projects such as apps and websites. While you can choose to attend SHAPE on its own, the Hk Maker Lab combines both components into a single, fully funded opportunity.
6. Northwestern University’s IN FOCUS Seminars
Location: Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Cost: $3,625 for the commuter track, $5,235 for the residential track. Scholarships are available
Program dates: July 5 – 17
Application deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have a minimum 3.0 GPA
Northwestern University’s IN FOCUS seminars are two-week programs that are structured like a typical college seminar course. One standout option for mechatronics is the “Build a Robot! Mechatronics and Electromechanical Design” course, during which you will focus on building an autonomous mobile robot from the ground up. You’ll start by using computer-aided design to model parts, then move on to 3D printing and laser cutting components. From there on, you’ll create electrical subsystems, integrate them with microcontrollers, bring everything together into a working system, and test your robot during a final competition. Aside from the hands-on activities, the course includes lectures, readings, discussions, and in some cases, a field trip.
7. George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia (hybrid and virtual opportunities are also available)
Cost: $25 application fee, $1,299 program fee. Need-based financial waivers are available
Program dates: June 18 – August 12
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students who are at least 15 years old
George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) gives high school students the opportunity to work on an independent research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. As an intern, you will develop your own research idea, work with cutting-edge technologies, and earn three college credits along the way. If you are interested in mechatronics, you can connect with mentors who work in the field of robotics and dive into areas such as hardware development, human-robot interaction, and rehabilitation robotics. At the end of the program, you will present your findings during a poster session.
8. Stony Brook University’s Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Stipend: Paid, but the amount has not been specified
Program dates: June 29 – August 7
Application deadline: February 5
Eligibility: High school juniors who are US citizens/permanent residents and at least 16 years of age
The Stony Brook University’s Simons Summer Research Program will give you an opportunity to join a research team and take on responsibility for a specific project. While there is no specific mechatronics track in the available research areas, the mechanical engineering department offers strong overlaps. You can choose between tracks focused on the design of robotic systems or bioinspired underwater robotics, both of which integrate mechanical design, electronics and control systems. The program will culminate in a written research abstract and a poster presentation at the concluding symposium.
9. Michigan Tech’s Summer Youth Programs
Location: Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI
Cost: $700 base price, $200 additional cost for mechatronics course. Scholarships may be available
Program dates: June 14 – 19
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-11
Michigan Tech’s Summer Youth Programs are designed to help high school students explore advanced subjects while getting a feel of college life. If you’re interested in mechatronics, one of the available courses introduces you to the fundamental concepts of the field and how they are used to design and build robots. In this course, you will build a robot yourself and even take it home with you, learning about sensors, control systems, actuators, programming, and microcontrollers in the process. Beyond the technical side, the program encourages you to think about the broader impact of robotics, including the ethical and social implications of building robots.
10. Berkeley Engineering Youth Academy
Location: University of California, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $8,500. Limited scholarships are available
Program dates: Online classes from June 13 – 27, in-person program from July 6 – 24
Application deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Students aged 15-17
UC Berkeley’s GLOBE Center offers a program that walks you through the full engineering design process, from learning concepts to building your own working prototype. The program consists of an online component on the weekends, followed by an in-person portion at UCB. The coursework covers fields such as mechatronics, embedded design, robotics, electronics, CAD and additive manufacturing. A major highlight is the robotics section, which takes up a significant portion of the curriculum. During this phase, you will code and operate a fully functional robot. At the end of the program, you will showcase your work during a Completion Ceremony.
11. University of North Carolina’s Introduction to Engineering & Mechatronics
Location: University of North Carolina, Asheville, NC
Cost: $1,840
Program dates: Session 1 from June 14 – 19, Session 2 from June 21 – 26
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
The Introduction to Engineering and Mechatronics course from the University of North Carolina is a residential pre-college program that lets you explore multiple engineering fields, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and robotics. A key part of the program is building and programming your own BOE-Bot robot. As you work on it, you will learn how to install light/dark sensors, create border detection, add an ultrasonic distance sensor, control your robot from your smartphone, and program different behaviors. In the end, your robot will take part in a featherweight sumo-bot competition.
12. NC State University’s Summer Residential Camp – Agricultural Robotics Systems
Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost: $1,550. Limited financial aid may be available
Program dates: July 5 – 10
Application deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders
NC State University’s residential camps give high school students the chance to explore a particular field of engineering in depth while also experiencing life on campus. The Agricultural Robotics Systems workshop is an ideal choice for students interested in mechatronics, since it focuses on how robotics and automation can meet our world’s food and farming needs in the near future. This is a project-based program during which you will design and simulate an autonomous robotic solution to an agricultural process. By the end of the program, you will have learned about biological and agricultural engineering, robotics systems, electronics, sensing technologies, and programming.
13. Department of Navy’s Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Location: There are 38 labs available across the country
Stipend: $4,000 for new participants, $4,500 for returning participants
Program dates: Eight weeks during the summer, the exact dates vary with each lab
Application deadline: November 1
Eligibility: High school students who are US citizens, at least 16 years of age, and have at least completed grade 9 (individual labs may have further eligibility criteria)
The Department of Navy’s Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) is an 8-week intensive internship that offers practical research experience in one of the Navy’s labs. During the program, you will contribute to the lab’s research projects, work closely with the Navy’s scientists, and learn to use cutting-edge tools and technologies. The research areas vary with each lab, but many include areas such as mechanical engineering and robotics, making it a strong fit if you are interested in mechatronics. You might find yourself working on projects such as unmanned aerial systems, human-computer interaction, drone-based remote sensing, and spacecraft robotics design.
14. California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science (COSMOS)
Location: University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $5,518
Program dates: July 5 – August 1
Application deadline: February 6
Eligibility: Rising 9th graders through rising 12th graders who reside in California
The California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) is a STEM program that gives high school students the opportunity to dive into advanced STEM topics through focused, multi-week clusters at the University of California. If you’re interested in mechatronics, you can opt for Cluster 5: From Self-balancing Mini Robot Cars to Rockets: Exploring Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The course blends mechanical and aerospace engineering, with a strong focus on mechatronics and rocket engineering. In the mechatronics part of the program, you will learn about electronic circuits, PID control, and how to interface micro-controllers with various sensors and actuators, and apply these ideas through a series of mini-projects. In the second half of the course, you’ll focus on designing and building a rocket by applying engineering principles at a larger scale.
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: Columbia University