Business offers numerous opportunities for talented professionals, including entrepreneurship, marketing, and consulting. Embracing the industry doesn’t require an MBA, as there are various ways for your high schooler to gain a taste and start their future career, and we’re going to look at the 10 summer business programs for high school programs to get you started below.
1. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth
Nicknamed B-BAY, this business program for youth combines excellent ideas with business sense. It involves 50 high-school students from around the world spending two weeks learning at Berkeley Haas, where they immerse themselves in the university’s culture, academics, and life. The program helps students build confidence, enhance communication and oral presentation skills, explore various business subjects, learn how to write a business plan and develop research skills.
- Location – University of California, Berkeley
- Duration – Two weeks
- Subjects – Business, Entrepreneurship
- Cost – California residents pay $6,050 while non-residents pay $7,050
- Financial Aid – Need-based scholarships
Related: 10 Best Online Summer Programs For High Schoolers
2. Camp Business
Drexel LeBow’s Camp Business is an innovative summer program designed to provide high school students with an intensive introduction to collegiate and corporate business education. The program covers significant business disciplines like accounting, marketing, finance, and management and core concepts like leadership, professional image, etiquette, team building, and strategy. Participants also learn about essential resources like the stock market, financial documents, and technology.
- Location – Drexel University
- Duration – 5 days
- Subjects – Business, Finance, Leadership
- Cost – $2,000 for residential and $950 for commuter
- Financial Aid – Need-based scholarships available
3. Economics for Leaders
The summer program Economics for Leaders (EFL) trains student leaders in an interactive learning environment on how to incorporate economics into decision-making. The program’s objective is to provide bright students the tools they need to become powerful leaders and use economic analysis to make tough decisions about public policy. EFL focuses on the introduction and application of financial concepts and reasoning skills, as well as leadership theory.
- Location – Varies
- Duration – Varies
- Subjects – Economics, Finance
- Cost – $2,100
- Financial Aid – $100 to $1,500 scholarships available based on need and academic performance
4. Entrepreneurship Academy
The Entrepreneurship Academy offers a two-week program that teaches students about starting a startup, prototype testing, market research, social innovation, global business, and running a business. The program includes hands-on experience to improve public speaking, communications skills, networking strategies, and team-building techniques. Students will learn about design thinking, brainstorming, and pitching and interact with experienced industry entrepreneurs.
- Location – Georgetown University
- Duration – Two weeks
- Subjects – Entrepreneurship
- Cost – $5,500 for residential and $3,835 for commuter
- Financial Aid – Limited, based on financial need
Visit Impressive Teens to learn about a variety of fun extracurricular activities for kids. Choosing the best activities for their child based on their interests and requirements is made easier for parents by this platform. Complete information on every activity is included, along with user reviews, ratings, and location-based maps.
5. Finance Institute: Wall Street in the Classroom, Fordham University
Students who are passionate about finance can choose from a wide range of engaging courses at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. The program, dubbed “Wall Street in the Classroom,” delves into a variety of topics, such as investing strategies, economics, innovation, and personal money management. It fosters the development of relationships and knowledge by providing essential insights and enticing participation in in-depth discussions.
- Location – Fordham University
- Duration – Two weeks
- Subjects – Finance, Investing, Economics
- Cost – $1,000
6. Leangap
Teens in high school may launch their own enterprises with the help of the Leangap program. They get the fundamental abilities required to see a company idea through to completion. In real-world circumstances, participants will get the opportunity to test and improve their plans with other young entrepreneurs. The goal of this practical approach is to assist students in realizing their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs.
- Location – San Francisco
- Duration – Three weeks
- Subjects – Entrepreneurship, Business
- Cost – $7,950 for in-person and $5,950 for online
- Financial Aid – Need-based scholarships
Related: Top 5 Afterschool STEM Programs in the US
7. Young Women’s Leadership Institute
Barnard College offers a program called YWLI, which focuses on the relationship between leadership and gender. Female-identifying students will explore leadership through a feminist lens, working in small groups to design and execute solutions. The STEMinist track is designed for students who want to develop their STEM skills, while the Writing and Literature Track encourages writers to find their voice. The Political Science and Economics track focuses on the role of the economy in shaping politics and the government.
- Location – Barnard College
- Duration – Three weeks
- Subjects – Business, Finance
- Cost – Residential is $9,058 and commuter is $7,772
- Financial Aid – A variety of scholarships
8. The Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy
The Summer Business Academy, led by faculty, aims to teach students about high-performing companies. Students work with local companies virtually, proposing solutions to real-world corporate challenges. The program will be in-person, and students will complete college-level academic work through classes and workshops.
- Location – University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Duration – Two weeks
- Subjects – Business, Economics
- Cost – $3,250
- Financial Aid – Full and partial need-based scholarships
9. Marist Summer Pre-College: Business
This course offers college credits from Marist’s AACSB-accredited School of Management, ranked one of the nation’s best by the Princeton Review. It introduces students to business and management, focusing on organizations, managers, and themselves. The course covers the dynamic world of business, managerial work, planning, decision-making, organization structure, individual responsibility, and career paths in today’s business environment. Students are challenged to think critically and discuss the implications of organizational action.
- Location – Marist College and Online
- Duration – Six weeks
- Subjects – Business, Management Practices
- Cost – $3,500 for in-person and $1,500 for online
- Financial Aid – None currently available
Find a ton of amazing extracurricular activities for your kids, tweens, and teenagers by browsing Impressive Teens. We have something for everyone, regardless of your child’s interests in athletics, music, art, or STEM. You may filter activities by age, location, and interest on our user-friendly website.
10. Snider Enterprise and Leadership Fellows (SELF) Experience
The SELF program, launched in 2015, is a summer program for high school students. It empowers students to become CEOs of ME (My Enterprise), Inc., focusing on individual creativity and free markets. Students learn self-reliance, self-discovery, and leadership. They work in teams with faculty and business executives, applying their knowledge to real-world problems. The program culminates in a venture pitch presentation. Students learn marketing, strategy, market-based economics, and personal finance, gaining the value of business in society and developing enterprise and leadership skills.
- Location – University of Maryland and Online
- Duration – Three weeks
- Subjects – Business, Marketing, Economics, and Personal Finance
- Cost – $2,500 for commuter and online is $1,500
- Financial Aid – None available
Find the Top Summer Business Programs for Your High School Student
Bonus Programs
11. Athena Summer Innovation Institute at Barnard College
The Athena Summer Innovation Institute, part of Barnard College in New York, is dedicated to reducing the gender gap in business leadership. This 10-day program immerses ambitious young women in workshops aimed at enhancing public speaking, understanding corporate management, and writing business proposals. Participants also get the opportunity to visit successful women-led companies and conclude the program by pitching their business ideas for a chance to win awards.
- Location: Barnard College, New York, New York
- Duration: 10 days
- Subjects: Business, Entrepreneurship
- Cost: $4,850 (includes tuition, room & board)
12. Boston College Experience Honors Program
The Boston College Experience Honors Program offers rising juniors and seniors a six-week immersive experience. Students live like college students, taking undergraduate courses in subjects like Public Speaking, Principles of Economics, and Organizational Behavior, earning six college credits in the process.
- Location: Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts
- Duration: Six weeks
- Subjects: Communications, Economics, Management, Mathematics, and more
- Cost: $8,500 (residential), $5,500 (commuter)
13. Brown Leadership Institute
Brown University’s Leadership Institute, a two-week program, emphasizes the importance of leadership in business. The program combines leadership training with topics such as global development and entrepreneurship. It includes coursework, leadership style workshops, and the development of an Action Plan project for students’ schools or communities.
- Location: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Duration: Two weeks
- Subjects: Leadership
- Cost: $4,391
14. Business Bootcamp at University of Rochester
The Business Bootcamp at the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School is a three-week pre-college program focusing on creativity and leadership in business. Students engage in marketing courses, team collaboration, and business plan development, including visits to local businesses for practical exposure.
- Location: University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
- Duration: Three weeks
- Subjects: Business, Entrepreneurship
- Cost: $4,600 (includes tuition and room & board)
15. Business Is Global: Summer Language Program at Indiana University
Recognizing the importance of multilingual skills in global business, the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University offers a unique two-week program. Students can choose to study Mandarin Chinese, Turkish, or Arabic, focusing on the economies and cultures of regions where these languages are spoken.
- Location: Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
- Duration: Two weeks
- Subjects: Business, Languages
- Cost: $1,800 (includes tuition and room & board)
Getting your high school student into a business program is a great way to prepare them for college and give them a head start in this competitive field. These 10 programs offer something slightly different, and they’re an excellent opportunity for your child to learn skills they’ll use in their careers.
