Organizational psychology, also known as industrial-organizational or I/O psychology, focuses on how people think, behave, and work within groups, organizations, and leadership structures. It blends psychology with real-world settings, examining what drives motivation, how teams function, how decisions get made, and why some workplaces are healthier and more productive than others. Getting early exposure to organizational psychology helps you move beyond theory and begin to understand practical concepts such as leadership science, group dynamics, bias, workplace culture, and employee well-being.
Why choose an organizational psychology program?
For high school students, programs in this field offer a structured way to explore how human behavior shapes institutions, from startups and corporations to schools and nonprofits. You’ll build analytical and research-based thinking skills while learning how data, psychology, and systems interact in real environments. These experiences are especially valuable if you are interested in psychology, business, human resources, management, economics, or behavioral science. Exploring organizational psychology early can also help you see how people-focused decision-making drives effective leadership and long-term impact across industries.
If you’re interested in exploring additional areas within psychology, check out these psychology programs here.
With that, here’s a list of 15 organizational psychology programs for high school students!
1. NYU SPS High School Academy – Psychology and the Workplace: Social Functions of Emotions
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: Application Fee: $50; Tuition: $2,579 per course; Residential Fees (optional add-on): $684
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple sessions in the summer
Application Deadline: Not mentioned; Opens in February
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th graders
In the Psychology and the Workplace: Social Functions of Emotions course, you’ll explore how psychological science explains the role emotions play in human behavior and in workplace settings, connecting theory to practical career and life applications. You’ll examine the biological bases of behavior, the ways emotions influence motivation and resilience, and how these concepts relate to thriving in professional environments. Instruction includes reflective writing, activities that deepen your understanding of key concepts, and guest lectures that bridge academic ideas with workplace realities. Emphasis is placed on making connections between psychological research and everyday work experiences while building transferable skills valued across industries.
2. Wharton Global Youth Program: Leadership in the Business World
Location: The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $11,899; Scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; Approximately 120 students per session
Dates: Multiple 3-week sessions in the summer
Application Deadline: January 28 (priority); March 18 (final)
Eligibility: High school students currently in grade 11 with strong academic performance and leadership experience; Must have an unweighted GPA of 3.5+
Leadership in the Business World is an intensive, three-week residential program at the Wharton School that introduces you to core business and leadership concepts through an academic lens. You’ll study topics such as management, strategy, marketing, and organizational behavior using case studies, simulations, and team-based projects taught by Wharton faculty. The program emphasizes analytical thinking, collaboration, and professional communication as you work in groups to evaluate real-world business problems. You’ll apply what you learn in a capstone case competition that requires structured reasoning, data-supported arguments, and formal presentations. Outside the classroom, you’ll engage in supervised activities that encourage peer interaction and leadership development in a collegiate environment. The program is designed to help you better understand how business decisions are made while building skills relevant to future academic and professional settings.
3. Gettysburg College: Camp Psych
Location: Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA
Cost: $1,395; full-tuition waivers available
Cohort Size: 20-25 students
Dates: July 12 – 17
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Camp Psych introduces you to psychological research through hands-on experiments focused on helping behavior, motivation, and social interaction. You’ll design and conduct your own study, which builds foundational skills in research design, data interpretation, and ethical reasoning. These concepts map directly onto organizational psychology topics like teamwork, leadership behavior, and prosocial decision-making. Small class sizes give you frequent opportunities to discuss ideas, present findings, and receive feedback. The program is especially useful if you want early exposure to how psychology explains behavior within groups and institutions.
4. Wake Forest University – Psychology Institute Summer Immersion Program
Location: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Cost: $3,500; need-based scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly specified
Dates: July 12 – 17; June 19 – 24
Application Deadline: Rolling; applications open November 1
Eligibility: High school students
This immersive program blends neuroscience and psychology to help you understand how perception, bias, emotion, and decision-making shape human behavior. Through labs, group projects, and observational research, you’ll explore how cognitive biases and emotional responses influence judgment, which are key ideas in organizational psychology. Team-based research teaches you how to collaborate, divide roles, and communicate findings effectively. You’ll also gain exposure to applied psychology topics like marketing and behavior change, linking psychological theory to real-world systems. The program gives you a structured introduction to how psychology operates beyond the classroom, especially in group and organizational contexts.
5. Johns Hopkins University – Psychology and Brain Sciences Pre-College Programs
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,275 per credit; limited financial assistance available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly specified
Dates: Multiple 2-week sessions
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-12 with a 3.0+ GPA
These online courses allow you to explore psychology through structured, college-level coursework while managing your own schedule. You can study topics like human behavior, psychological profiling, and abnormal psychology, all of which build analytical skills used in organizational psychology and behavioral research. Coursework emphasizes evidence-based reasoning, ethical decision-making, and case analysis, helping you think critically about how individuals behave within systems. The self-paced format mirrors the independence expected in college and professional research environments. This option works well if you want academic depth and flexibility while strengthening your understanding of applied psychology.
6. Nova Southeastern University Summer Training Program
Location: Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Cost: $400
Cohort Size: 16-18 students
Dates: July 7 – 18
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students entering junior or senior year
This two-week program introduces you to neuroscience and behavioral research through hands-on workshops led by university faculty. You’ll study topics like cognition, stress, and environmental influences on behavior, which directly connect to workplace performance, burnout, and motivation in organizational psychology. You’ll design and complete your own research project, developing skills in experimental thinking, data interpretation, and scientific communication. Collaborative sessions mirror how research teams function in academic and applied settings. The program also emphasizes college readiness and long-term planning, helping you think about how behavioral science translates into professional environments.
7. Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X), Stanford University
Location: Virtual or in-person at Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: $1,725 virtual | $3,325 on campus; need-based scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Multiple sessions from June – July
Application Deadline: Rolling; March 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (ages 14-18)
CNI-X immerses you in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science through intensive seminars and applied discussions. You’ll explore how social, cognitive, and biological factors shape human behavior, which are core foundations of organizational psychology. Group-based capstone projects require you to identify a real behavioral problem and propose evidence-based solutions, mirroring consulting and organizational research work. You’ll practice synthesizing research, presenting findings, and collaborating under time constraints. The experience helps you understand how psychology operates at the intersection of individuals, systems, and institutions.
8. University of Chicago – Fundamentals of Psychology: Theory & Research
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost: $9,300; need-based financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 7 – 23
Application Deadline: February 11 (priority); March 12 (regular)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-11
This course introduces you to psychology as a scientific discipline through lectures, discussions, and hands-on research activities. You’ll study perception, memory, emotion, development, and psychological disorders, building the theoretical base needed to understand behavior in organizations and teams. Collaborative research projects push you to design experiments, analyze results, and interpret human behavior in structured environments. Lab demonstrations and field-based learning reinforce how data informs behavioral conclusions. The program helps you see how foundational psychology concepts scale into leadership science, workplace dynamics, and institutional decision-making.
9. NYU SPS High School Academy – Exploring Psychology: Building an Understanding of Human Behavior
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: $850
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: February 28 – March 21
Application Deadline: October 10
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-12
This short-format workshop introduces you to how psychologists explain and predict human behavior, starting with the biological foundations that shape thinking and action. You’ll work through real-world problems using case studies, hands-on activities, and guided discussions that connect theory to everyday decision-making. Guest speakers and applied examples show how psychological research informs leadership, teamwork, and professional practice across fields. You’ll also build skills in collaboration, communication, and socio-emotional reasoning, all of which sit at the core of organizational psychology. The program emphasizes how research translates into practical frameworks used in education, business, and institutional settings.
10. Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program (SSP) – Introduction to Psychology
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Residential: $15,735 (8-credits); Commuter: $8,160 (8-credits); Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: June 20 – August 8
Application Deadline: December 1 – January 7 (early), April 1 (late)
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (16+)
In this Introduction to Psychology college-level course, you’ll explore foundational theories and research in psychology, including learning and motivation, sensation and perception, cognition, emotion, development, social behavior, personality, clinical perspectives, and neural bases of behavior. You’ll engage with classic studies and contemporary research to understand how psychological science explains human thought and behavior through empirical evidence. You’ll also examine how biological, cognitive, and social factors interact to shape behavior and mental processes. As part of the Secondary School Program, you’ll experience the pace and expectations of college-level coursework while developing independent study and time-management skills. Upon successful completion, you can request a Harvard Summer School transcript reflecting the credits earned.
11. UC Santa Barbara – Research Mentorship Program (RMP)
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Cost/Stipend: NA
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: March 9
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-11 with a minimum 3.80 weighted GPA
RMP places you in a university research lab where you’ll work closely with a faculty mentor, postdoc, or graduate student on an original research project. You’ll spend most of the program conducting experiments, analyzing data, and applying formal research methods used in academic psychology and behavioral science. Alongside lab work, you’ll complete interdisciplinary coursework focused on research design, scientific writing, and presentation skills. If you choose a psychology-related project, you will gain direct exposure to how researchers study human behavior, group dynamics, and decision-making. The experience mirrors how organizational psychologists investigate real-world problems using data-driven approaches and structured inquiry.
12. George Mason University: Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Virtual or at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost: $25 application fee + $1,299; need-based fee waivers available
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school students at least 15 years old
As a participant in this program, you’ll work closely with a faculty mentor on an extended research project, with the option to focus on psychology or neuroscience topics. Over eight weeks, you’ll contribute to real research while building skills in data analysis, academic writing, and structured problem-solving. These experiences mirror how organizational psychologists study motivation, productivity, and group performance using empirical methods. You also participate in seminars and discussion forums that expose you to how research informs policy, leadership, and organizational decision-making. The program concludes with a research symposium, where you’ll present your work and practice translating complex findings to a broader audience.
13. Stanford University: SHTEM Summer Internship
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: Nonrefundable application fee of $95; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 22 – August 14
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors (14+)
Stanford’s SHTEM Summer Internship gives you a research-driven introduction to how human behavior can be studied across systems, teams, and institutions, making it especially relevant if you are curious about organizational psychology. You’ll work in small, collaborative research groups mentored by Stanford students, faculty, and staff, exploring psychology through interdisciplinary lenses like neuroscience, biology, computer science, linguistics, and philosophy. Throughout the program, you’ll practice skills central to I/O psychology, such as analyzing group behavior, coordinating work within teams, managing roles and responsibilities, and presenting collective findings. You’ll also gain experience translating research questions into data-driven conclusions, a key skill in leadership science and behavioral analysis. The program concludes with a group research presentation.
14. Georgetown Pre-College Programs: Becoming a Leader: Motivate, Inspire, and Persuade
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple sessions available, including 1-week, 2-week, and 4-week options
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
In the Becoming a Leader course, you’ll explore different leadership styles and how to apply them effectively in group, school, and community settings. You’ll learn how leaders motivate and influence others, address conflict and decision-making challenges, and adapt their approach to varied circumstances while examining ethical dynamics and power structures. Instruction combines flexible video lessons, curated assignments, and mentor support to help you deepen your understanding and practice skills such as persuasion, motivation, and team-building. The course culminates in a final capstone project in which you design and deliver a campaign presentation that applies key leadership principles to a topic you care about. You’ll also receive guidance throughout from mentors who help you refine your work, build confidence, and connect concepts to real-world leadership examples. Upon successful completion, you’ll earn a Certificate of Completion from Georgetown University.
15. Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program: Psychology and Behavior
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,995 (college credit option); $1,895 (non-credit enrichment track); Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple sessions of varying lengths offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
In this online psychology course, you’ll examine how brain processes shape behavior in everyday contexts, from learning and decision-making to mental health and digital environments. You’ll explore how psychologists study behavior by designing experiments, analyzing results, and connecting theory to real-world systems. Topics like social influence, attention, motivation, and cognition naturally connect to organizational psychology by helping you understand how people function in teams, respond to incentives, and interact with technology and institutions. You will also analyze how design choices in products and digital platforms influence user behavior, a key concept in workplace psychology and behavioral economics. While the program is not lab-intensive, it builds a strong conceptual foundation in behavioral science that is directly relevant to leadership, management, human-centered design, and data-informed decision-making.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects, 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 – Georgetown University