If you are in high school and curious about physics, a structured program outside of school is worth exploring. Physics programs allow you to explore how physical laws explain natural phenomena, from motion and energy to astronomy and modern technology. Many of these programs combine lectures with hands-on activities such as experiments, engineering challenges, and research projects. You may analyze data, build models, or work with scientific instruments to investigate real-world problems. Some programs also offer insights into specialized areas such as astrophysics, quantum computing, or energy systems, allowing you to see how physics connects to other scientific and technical fields.
Why should you choose a program in Utah?
Utah hosts a range of high school physics programs offered by universities, research groups, museums, and STEM organizations. These programs often emphasize applied learning, combining classroom instruction with demonstrations, collaborative projects, and research activities. As a participant, you may interact with scientists or engineers working in fields such as astrophysics, energy systems, or technology development. Programs may also include observational activities, laboratory work, or public science engagement that connects physics concepts to real-world environments.
To help you with your search, here are 15 physics programs for high school students in Utah.
If you are interested in exploring similar opportunities, you can also check out our selection of physics summer programs and summer programs in Utah for high school students.
15 Physics Programs for High School Students in Utah
1. University of Utah Youth Camps and Classes: The Universe for Future Scientists
Location: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: $460
Dates: August 3 – 7
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students, ages 14 – 17
This physics camp introduces high school students to key concepts in astronomy through lectures, demonstrations, and observational work. Over the course of five days, you will explore topics such as galaxies, black holes, dark matter, and stellar evolution. Faculty astronomers will lead sessions that explain how scientists study distant objects using physical principles and observational data. Additionally, hands-on sessions will allow you to capture and analyze real observational data using astronomical cameras and spectrographs. The program concludes with a field observation experience focused on identifying and studying celestial objects in a dark-sky environment.
2. University of Utah Youth Camps and Classes: Intro to AP Physics
Location: Higher Ground Learning, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: $250
Dates: June 15 – 18
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students, ages 14 – 17
This is a workshop-style four-day program designed to help you build a foundation in physics, especially if you are planning to take AP Physics 1, 2, or IB Physics next year. The curriculum covers Newtonian mechanics along with topics like Newton’s laws of motion, work, kinematics, energy, and power. You will engage in activities and discussions that will help you build problem-solving skills and learn how to see the world from a physicist’s perspective. The experience can give you a head start in advanced physics coursework.
3. High School Summer Research Internship @ University of Utah
Location: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors and juniors
This research-focused physics program in Utah introduces high school students to the structure and process of academic research. During the internship, you will work on a STEM project while learning how scientists and engineers investigate technical questions in a laboratory setting. The experience includes exposure to different research areas and methodologies across engineering and related scientific fields. You will document your work throughout the program, and at the end, deliver a poster presentation summarizing your findings and research process.
4. Utah Physics Circle
Location: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Year-round weekly sessions
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students
The Utah Physics Circle is a discussion-based physics program that allows high school students to attend weekly meetings where they can explore physics concepts through collaborative problem solving. You will analyze real-world phenomena and discuss the reasoning behind physical models used to explain them. Demonstrations will illustrate concepts and prompt group discussion about how physical systems behave. The program also introduces problem-solving strategies used in physics competitions, such as the F=ma exam.
5. University of Utah’s High School University Program (HSUP)
Location: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: $5/credit hour + additional class fees may apply
Dates: Courses available in fall, spring, and summer semesters following the University of Utah’s academic calendar
Application deadline: November 1 for spring semester | March 1 for summer semester | July 1 for fall semester
Eligibility: Students who have completed the 9th grade, are enrolled in a Utah high school, or are homeschooled in Utah; minimum unweighted GPA requirements vary by grade: 3.2 for seniors, 3.5 for juniors, and 3.7 for sophomores.
HSUP is an Early College program at the University of Utah that lets you take real college courses alongside current college students while you’re still in high school. Courses span a wide variety of disciplines, including physics. Before registering for classes, you will complete a virtual orientation. You can take any 1000–2000 level undergraduate course on the main campus for which you meet the prerequisites, earn up to nine credits per semester, and receive grades that go directly on a college transcript and count toward a college GPA. Unlike Concurrent Enrollment, which takes place at your high school, HSUP places you in university classes on campus.
6. Upward Bound @ Utah Tech University
Location: Utah Tech University, St. George, UT + sessions in your high school
Cost: Free
Dates: Academic-year programming + a six-week summer residential program; dates vary by year
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students entering grades 9 – 11 who will be first-generation college students, meet federal low-income guidelines, and are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents
Upward Bound is a pre-college program at Utah Tech University designed to help high school students build the skills needed to earn a college degree. During the school year, you will attend weekly meetings at your high school and three Saturday seminars on campus, where you receive academic, personal, and career counseling. The program also gives you the chance to tour colleges and universities in Utah and Nevada and get help with college applications and financial aid. Based on your performance, you may be invited to a six-week summer program where you will live on campus and enroll in two to three college courses, which can count toward college credit. During the summer, you will also take part in cultural and community service activities, have access to tutoring and advising, and can take on leadership roles through student committees.
7. Weber State University’s Energize the Future High School Summer Camp
Location: Weber State University, Ogden, UT
Cost: $25
Dates: June 22 – 26
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students, ages 15 – 18
This physics-focused program for high school students in Utah is designed to help you explore how principles of force, motion, and energy apply to modern energy systems. Throughout the camp, you will participate in hands-on engineering challenges that test how energy is generated, transferred, and used efficiently. Team-based projects will require you to apply physics concepts to design solutions and test their performance. You will also explore how energy engineers use physics to address real-world technical problems. As the program progresses, you will refine your designs and prepare presentations to explain your results.
8. Aggie Aviation Adventure Summer Camp
Location: Logan-Cache Airport and Utah State University Logan Campus, Logan, UT + Carbon County Airport and USU Eastern Price Campus, Price, UT
Cost: $950 – $1,000 for the Logan 5-day camp | $500 for the Price 4-day camp
Dates: Logan: June 8 – 12 | Price: June 2 – 5
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students, ages 14 – 18
Aggie Aviation Adventure, a camp hosted by Utah State University’s Aviation Technology program, gives you hands-on experience with different types of aircraft and aviation technology. The key feature of the five-day camp is actually flying; you get to take the controls of a Diamond DA40 or Cessna 172 fixed-wing aircraft, and also fly in a Robinson R22 helicopter to compare the two types of flight. This will help you witness firsthand how an aircraft responds to different conditions in the air and how physics applies to flight. The program includes sessions on flight dynamics, aviation science, and IFR/VFR navigation, which touch on physics concepts such as lift, drag, thrust, and the principles of flight. Other activities include flying drones, using flight simulators, building a Chuck glider, working on an aluminum aircraft project in the maintenance lab, and watching a jet engine test. You will hear from aviation professionals and participate in an Emergency Locator Transmitter demonstration by the Civil Air Patrol and crash survival training.
9. LEGACY Craftsman Camp @ Hill Air Force Base
Location: Hill Air Force Base, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: One-week camps in June and July
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Students, ages 11 – 15, who have a minimum 2.5 GPA and are U.S. citizens
LEGACY Craftsman Camp introduces middle and high school students to STEM concepts with a focus on how math and science explain everyday systems and technologies. You will spend a week engaging in activities like team-based design challenges and projects that follow a structured engineering design process. Guest speakers and demonstrations will explain how STEM concepts are used in different technical careers. Field trips will provide additional context for how scientific ideas connect to real-world environments and industries.
10. Teen Explainers Program @ Natural History Museum of Utah
Location: Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Stipend: $13/hr
Dates: School year cohort: October – April | Summer cohort: June – August)
Application deadline: May 1 (summer); school-year deadline not specified
Eligibility: High school students who are 14-18
The Teen Explainers Program places high school students in a museum environment where they facilitate interactive science learning for visitors. As part of this experience, you will learn how to communicate complex STEM and physics concepts to public audiences through demonstrations and hands-on activities. Training sessions will introduce techniques for leading discussions, guiding inquiry, and adapting explanations for different age groups. You will also meet museum professionals and observe how exhibits are developed and maintained. Depending on the cohort you choose (school year or summer), you may contribute to designing new educational activities or evaluating existing ones.
11. NeuroRobotics Summer Enrichment Program @ Utah NeuroRobotics Lab
Location: Utah NeuroRobotics Lab at University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: $4,000
Dates: June 1 – August 1
Application deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students
This interdisciplinary program allows high school students to participate in research projects that combine neuroscience, engineering, and robotics. In the lab, you may contribute to projects such as building exoskeleton devices, designing diagnostic tools, or developing virtual and augmented reality systems. These activities introduce the physical and computational principles used in biomedical technologies. The program brings together scientists from multiple disciplines, allowing you to observe how physics concepts connect to applications in engineering and neuroscience.
12. HiSPARC Cosmic Ray Project
Location: Various high schools and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Year-round
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students in participating Utah districts
The HiSPARC Cosmic Ray Project allows Utah high school students to participate in astrophysics research focused on detecting cosmic rays. In this physics research program, you will work with ground-based scintillation detectors that measure high-energy particles entering Earth’s atmosphere. Detectors placed on school rooftops will collect data about the energy and direction of incoming cosmic rays, which will be analyzed to study extended air showers created when cosmic particles interact with the atmosphere. The project connects multiple schools and research institutions through a shared observation network. By contributing measurements and analysis, you will take part in an ongoing international effort to understand the origin of high-energy cosmic rays.
13. UTXplore
Location: Utah Tech University, St. George, UT
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: April 27
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle and high school students (via teacher sign-up) and families from the broader community
UTXplore is a free, hands-on STEM event at Utah Tech University that lets you explore science, technology, engineering, and math through interactive exhibits and industry showcases. The event is held at the Utah Tech Gardner Center and surrounding areas, and is open both to school groups during the day and to families in the evening. Local businesses, clubs, and organizations will set up activities and exhibits, giving you a chance to see what different STEM fields and careers look like in the real world. This is a single-day event rather than a multi-day program, so there are no applications, cohorts, or ongoing commitments. Individual exhibit topics can vary by year.
14. Stanford SPINWIP (Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics)
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: July 6 – 24
Application deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 11
SPINWIP is a three-week online program for high school students interested in physics. You will attend lectures led by faculty members and researchers to explore topics in astrophysics, quantum physics, quantum computing, and cosmology. You will also learn Python programming and use it to work on physics projects. Much of the hands-on learning takes place in small groups led by undergraduates and typically involves work on short projects and problem-solving activities. The schedule includes research talks, coding sessions, group discussions, and a final presentation. You will also attend workshops on college preparation and STEM career paths and interact with faculty and student mentors.
15. George Mason University Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Virtual internships available for Utah students
Cost: $25 application fee + $1,299 tuition for credits; waivers available
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Students who are at least 15 years old
ASSIP offers online research internships in various fields, including physics. You can choose a mentor who is looking for remote interns to work on a physics-focused project. Over the course of eight weeks, you will work with your mentor, engaging in research activities and refining your scientific writing and communication skills. During the program, you will also learn about career paths in physics through discussions led by professors and STEM professionals. The program ends with a symposium, where you will learn about the research conducted at ASSIP over the summer. At the end, you will earn three university credits from George Mason.
One more option — Horizon Academic Research Program
If you are looking for a competitive mentored research program in classical mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, or another physics field, you can consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! It is a selective virtual research program that allows you to engage in advanced research and come up with a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1,000+ high school students so far, offering 600+ research specializations to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image Source – University of Utah