If you’re a high school student with an interest in physics, consider participating in a structured physics program. They give you the chance to explore theories from your school syllabus and go beyond the classroom by taking part in practical experiences that could include building circuits, launching rockets, coding simulations, or working with lab equipment that may not be available at your school. You’ll also learn about how professional scientists and engineers work, analyze data, conduct experiments, and work on your own research projects. Aside from this, you’ll also develop problem-solving, teamwork, and critical-thinking skills.
Why should you choose a program in Georgia?
Georgia is home to some of the top research institutions and universities that offer physics programs for high school students. These programs provide you with access to state-of-the-art facilities and talented faculty without requiring you to leave the state. This means you’ll get to work in university labs, receive mentorship from faculty and experts, and use advanced tools such as drones, telescopes, or quantum computing platforms. You’ll also get to network with local professors, industry professionals, and like-minded peers. Georgia also offers a wide range of learning environments, giving you the chance to explore fields such as astrophysics, astronomy, quantum physics, robotics, engineering, aerospace, and applied physics.
With that, here are 15 physics programs for high school students in Georgia that you can consider applying to this year.
You can also check out these guides on physics research programs and free online physics courses for high school students.
15 Physics Programs for High School Students in Georgia
1. GTAE STEP Program
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: None
Cohort Size: Limited spots available
Dates: July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: January 15 – March 1
Eligibility: High school students (16+) who reside in Georgia
The GTAE STEP Program offers high school students interested in STEM the opportunity to participate in a hands-on engineering internship. As an intern, you will work together with other students on a “challenge problem” inspired by an active Georgia Tech research effort. You will also receive assistance from a university faculty member along the way. The program is designed to be challenging and engages you in projects that require real research rather than having you address questions that already have answers. By the end of it, you will be expected to present your work at a poster session.
2. Museum of Aviation Summer Camps
Location: Museum of Aviation, Robins Air Force Base, GA
Cost: $160.00/week, per camp (+ Sawyer Service Fee calculated at Checkout)
Cohort Size: 6-14 participants
Dates: Multiple one-week camps across June and July
Application Deadline: Opens February 1
Eligibility: High school students; Some camps are specifically catered towards 9th to 12th graders
The Museum of Aviation offers summer camps that engage you in hands-on and interactive activities that explore various concepts in science, technology, engineering, and math. As a participant, you will get to work in groups on projects that will require you to design, build, and test prototypes. With the museum offering different weekly camps across June and July, you can go for options like Aerosystems Studio and Mechatronics Foundations with your interest in physics.
3. University of Georgia Summer Academy Camps: Physics is Fun!
Location: UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, Athens, GA
Cost: $530
Cohort Size: Limited spots
Dates: June 1 – 5
Application Deadline: Opens on December 1
Eligibility: Students aged 12-15
This camp takes concepts like motion, energy, and electricity that you learn in physics class and immerses you in activities that give you a practical understanding of them. You can expect to make an Alka-Seltzer rocket and a constant velocity car, build serial and parallel circuits, and conduct experiments to observe Newton’s Laws. You’ll also get to do a lot more activities that are highly rooted in physics. The camp will also give you industry insights by taking you on a field trip to the Athens Water Treatment Plant, where you will learn about fluid dynamics and have experts from Georgia Power explain nuclear power to you.
4. University of Georgia Summer Academy Camps: Building Engineering Pathways
Location: The University of Georgia College of Engineering, Athens, GA
Cost/Stipend: None
Cohort Size: Limited spots
Dates: June 8 – 12
Application Deadline: Opens on December 1
Eligibility: Students aged 15-17
In this one-week camp, you’ll become an engineer, working on projects with other participants in advanced lab settings. Your tasks will be similar to those of professional engineers, allowing you to learn more about the design and fabrication process. The program will also allow you to interact with students and professors from the university, who will discuss the many career possibilities that open up with a degree in engineering. Along the way, you will gain essential technical and teamwork skills.
5. DiscoverU Aerospace Engineering
Location: Kennesaw State University Marietta Campus, Marietta, GA
Cost: $350; $10 off for students who apply during the early discount period (January 20 – April 3)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: June 15 – 19 or July 13 – 17
Application Deadline: Registrations are open until full
Eligibility: Rising 6th-12th graders
Through its DiscoverU program, Kennesaw State University offers various camps to middle and high school students that focus on several different fields, including STEM. During this particular camp, you will get to explore a career in aerospace engineering and learn from experts in the field. You will learn about aircraft components, propulsion systems, spaceflight, and modern aerospace technology. The program will also involve you in group activities that involve designing, building, and testing toy airplanes and drones.
6. CEAR Hub K12 Programs Program: Underwater Robotics
Location: Georgia Tech Savannah, Savannah, GA
Cost: $350 (scholarships available)
Cohort Size: Limited spots available
Dates: June 8 – 12
Application Deadline: January 1 – June 1
Eligibility: 6th-12th graders who are legal residents of Georgia
The Underwater Robotics program touches on topics across engineering, programming, and marine technology by having you build a functional model of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). You will collaborate with other students and observe how buoyancy, circuitry, propulsion, and sensor integration work. The program will also teach you the codes required to control your ROV’s movements, motors, and sensors. It gives you the chance to discover the different ways that robotics and physics can benefit the aquatic ecosystems.
7. Georgia Tech Dual Enrollment
Location: Various high schools across Georgia
Cost: $350.40 per credit hour (Georgia residents); $440 (online); On-campus fees vary by the number of hours
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Varies by the course
Application Deadline: May 15 – June 15
Eligibility: High school students who are enrolled in a Georgia high school or homeschool; Must have an unweighted GPA of 3.5+ and must have completed two college-level courses (AP, DE, IB); Must meet the specific prerequisites of the chosen course or program
Georgia Tech offers many online and on-campus dual-enrollment courses that encourage students to study a subject at a university level while continuing to focus on the high school syllabus. If you’re interested in physics, you will benefit from attending the Distance Physics Program that offers the following courses: Introductory Physics I, Principles of Physics I, and Principles of Physics II. Introductory Physics I mainly covers mechanics, thermodynamics, and waves, while Principles of Physics I touches on mechanics and also introduces you to oscillations and computational methods. In the Principles of Physics II course, you will study electrostatics, electric current and circuits, electromagnetism, and more.
8. SSP International Summer Science Program: Astrophysics
Location: Various colleges and universities across the U.S., including Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA
Cost: Fee varies based on your household income
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: June 8 – July 11
Application Deadline: December 31 – January 29 (international students), February 19 (domestic students)
Eligibility: 11th graders between the ages of 15-19 who have completed or are enrolled in high school-level physics and precalculus classes
Aimed at high school students with an interest in astrophysics, this program allows you to explore space and study celestial bodies while familiarizing yourself with the calculus and scientific programming concepts used by astronomers. It also helps you improve your research and observational skills by immersing you in a unique research project. As for the kind of research work you can expect to do, the current cohort will be working on asteroid orbit determination. You will be placed in a team of three and will have to choose an asteroid, draft an observing proposal, capture photos of the chosen asteroid using advanced telescopes, reduce the data, and calculate the orbit.
9. Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP): Physics Course
Location: Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 14 – July 11
Application Deadline: November 14 – January 9
Eligibility: 10th-11th graders enrolled in a Georgia public school district, independent school, state charter, or homeschool; Must be nominated to participate
This residential summer program allows academically talented students to attend classes that go beyond the high school curriculum in a particular subject. With GHP offering courses across STEM, humanities, and arts disciplines, you can choose to explore physics. If you get into the physics course, you will typically learn about advanced topics in applied physics, quantum physics, and others. Your daily schedule will consist of attending physics classes in the morning and the afternoon, which will be followed by social and instructional activities in the evenings.
10. R.E.A.L. (Research, Experiment, Analyze, Learn) Program
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: Each teacher selects 2-3 students
Dates: June 11 – July 16
Application Deadline: Sponsor (mentor) application deadline: February 21
Eligibility: High school students (16+)
R.E.A.L. is a five-week program that provides you with the opportunity to conduct research across STEM areas in university labs. To participate in the program, you should be paired with a teacher from your school who is in the GIFT program. Together with this teacher, you will work on your assigned research projects, with a weekly commitment of 20 hours. Before the program, you will need to complete an online lab safety training session and attend an in-person orientation. The program is aimed at students from communities that lack representation in STEM education and careers.
11. Project ENGAGES
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: Not publicly available
Cohort Size: Typically 20
Dates: Program starts June 1
Application Deadline: December 19 – February 27
Eligibility: Rising 11th-12th graders (16+) with a minimum GPA of 3.0; Must have completed science courses with a minimum GPA of 83; You should be enrolled in one of the schools listed here
Project ENGAGES introduces you to the different opportunities in the engineering, physical science, and other related STEM fields. The program also engages you in research projects and experiments under the guidance of scientists at Georgia Tech, encouraging you to pursue a career in those disciplines. Your weekly schedule will include working in Georgia Tech labs for 35 hours and participating in 15 hours of educational activities like site visits. The program’s goal is to ensure that you can become successful in your future STEM career.
12. Emory Summer College Program
Location: Emory University, DeKalb County, GA + Online
Cost: Varies; Financial aid available for U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Cohort Size: 28
Dates: Session 1: May 15 – June 26; Session 2: June 29 – August 7
Application Deadline: April 24 (Session 1); June 5 (Session 2)
Eligibility: Rising 11th-12th graders
The Emory Summer College Program gives academically talented upper-class students the opportunity to attend undergraduate-level classes alongside students at Emory University. As a participant, you will be able to choose from a wide range of courses, which include physics, astronomy, and many others. In addition to learning new concepts in the subject area of your interest, you will also earn transferable college credits and a letter grade for your participation.
13. Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP)
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: July 6 – 24
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: 9th-11th graders from anywhere in the world
Organized by the physics department at Stanford University and the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, the SPINWIP program allows you to explore fundamental concepts in physics and the research being done in the field. The curriculum will cover quantum physics, quantum computing, astrophysics, cosmology, and other sub-branches of physics. Additionally, you will learn Python coding and apply it in physics projects. SPINWIP also hosts college readiness and career development workshops that introduce you to career opportunities in the field of physics.
14. Qubit by Qubit Quantum Computing Summer Camp
Location: Virtual
Cost: $495 (1 week); $895 (2 weeks); Need-based partial and full scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Week 1: July 17 – 21; Week 2: July 24 – 28 (you can attend the full program for two weeks or part of it for one week)
Application Deadline: Rolling until spots are filled; Priority deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Rising 10th graders and above from anywhere in the world
This virtual camp introduces you to the world of quantum physics by teaching you some fundamental concepts, like superposition and the phenomenon of entanglement. The program will also give you practice in Qiskit and IBM’s quantum coding language with the use of quantum computers. You will also get to build quantum circuits and algorithms that enhance your Python coding skills. This camp is typically taught by students who graduated from Harvard, MIT, and other prestigious universities and welcomes high schoolers with zero knowledge in quantum physics.
15. Stanford Pre-Collegiate University-Level Online Math & Physics
Location: Online
Cost: Application fee: $35; Tuition: $1,700; Financial aid available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Summer, fall, and spring sessions available; Dates vary by year
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: 9th-12th graders; Each course requires familiarity with core subject concepts
This is a self-paced online program that lets you study math and physics topics at a college level and earn a Stanford University Continuing Studies credit and an official transcript for it. As someone enthusiastic about physics, you can opt for one of the following courses: Light and Heat, which gives you a better understanding of optics and thermodynamics; Modern Physics, which dives into quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity; or the Intermediate Mechanics I and Intermediate Mechanics II courses, which touch on topics like Newtonian laws of mechanics and gravitation, Green’s functions, Lagrangian mechanics, and more.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program, 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 – University of Georgia