Internships are not just for college students anymore. High school internships allow students to explore their areas of interest, build skills, get prepared for college, and gain real-world work experience in a professional environment. And STEM fields are well worth exploring: STEM jobs are expected to account for 25% of the total employment growth in the Commonwealth over the next ten years. Doing an internship can help a student validate and deepen a career interest, discover new possibilities, or eliminate one from their list, all of which are valuable experiences.
We are fortunate to have access to a wide variety of established STEM internship programs for high school students in Massachusetts, many offered during the summer. Some are paid or come with stipends, while others are unpaid, and in some cases, placement may incur a fee. Be sure to look into the details carefully by reading their websites and contacting them for additional information.
What’s available?
The following list includes many well-known programs in medical and healthcare, biotech, research, lab training, IT, and other areas of science and engineering. This is not an exhaustive list, so if you have an interest or a geographical preference that isn’t represented here, use the resources at the end of this article to research and discover other internships.Â
A note on internship eligibility
Not surprisingly, most internship programs have some criteria for inclusion, and most have an application you will need to complete. You should first make sure you’re eligible and then demonstrate your eligibility in the application. Understanding the eligibility criteria for each program is important! Be sure to read them carefully. You’ll save yourself time by making sure you’re eligible, so you don’t apply to programs that you’re not eligible for. And you may have a better chance of obtaining an internship if you have special eligibility characteristics.
Massachusetts STEM internship and research programs
| Organization | Program | Location | Focus | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) | AEOP High School Apprenticeship | Various locations | Science and engineering research | Summer |
| BioBuilder | High School Apprentice Challenge | Boston | Laboratory training and life sciences | School year |
| Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) | Tech Apprentice | Boston | Information Technology (IT) | Summer |
| Boston University | Greater Boston Area Research Opportunities for Young Women (GROW) | Boston | Lab research | Summer |
| Boston University | RISE Internship/Practicum | Boston | Hands-on research in science and engineering | Summer |
| Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Research Opportunities | Boston | Healthcare, science and medicine | Summer or school year |
| Broad Institute | Broad Summer Scholars Program | Cambridge | Cutting-edge science research | Summer |
| Center for Excellence in Education | Research Science Institute | Cambridge | Science, engineering and research | Summer |
| Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center |  CURE | Boston | Cancer research | Summer and school year |
| ADA Forsyth | Student Scholars Summer Internship Program | Somerville | Lab techniques and scientific research | Summer |
| The Jackson Laboratory | Summer Student Program | Bar Harbor, Maine & Farmington, CT | Genetics and genomic research | Summer |
| LEAH Knox Scholars | LEAH Knox Scholars Program | Cambridge | Biomedical research and lab science | Summer |
| Massachusetts Life Sciences Center | High School Apprenticeship Challenge | MA | Life sciences and lab training | Summer and school year |
| MIT Lincoln Laboratory | Summer High School Internship Program | Lexington | STEM career exploration | Summer |
| Museum of Science | Summer Youth Internship Program | Boston | Science and education | Summer |
| New England Aquarium | Summer Teen Internships | Boston | Marine and climate science | Summer |
| Northeastern University | Young Scholars' Program (YSP) | Boston | Engineering, science and research | Summer |
| Ragon Institute | Ragon Institute Summer Experience (RISE) | Cambridget | Medical research and immunology | Summer |
| Tufts University | Tufts University Biomedical Engineering Research Scholars (TUBERS) | Medford | Biomedical research and engineering | Summer |
| UMass Chan Medical School | High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP) | Worcester | Biomedical research, biotechnology and health professions | Summer |
Finding the right match
If you are interested in pursuing a STEM internship in high school, you’ll want to find one that is a good fit for your interests, skills, and personality. I recommend using a mix of teachers and school guidance counselors, personal contacts, targeted web searches, and internship-specific websites to explore and find opportunities.
Additionally, there are Massachusetts organizations that can assist high school students in finding STEM internships. Some are free of charge, while others charge a fee. Here are my top picks: ​
- Collaborative for Educational Services is a public, nonprofit educational service agency that runs the Paid STEM Internship Program. This program places students in high-quality STEM internships lasting 100-240 total hours, depending on the placement. Students are paid the state minimum wage or better. Only students served by school districts in Hampshire and Hampden counties in western Massachusetts are eligible for this program.
- STEM@Work is a state government-funded program that connects youth with internships and ensures that they are paid for a 100-hour experience.Â
- YouthWorks is a state-funded youth employment program that includes both a 6-8-week summer program and a school-year program.
- The Education Cooperative (TEC) Internship Program offers high school junior and seniors (and college students) unpaid internships in science, technology, and engineering corporations and the public sector. This program is highly competitive and does charge a fee.
Although it may seem early, grade 9 is not too early to start thinking about an internship. You’ll want to first think about what interests or intrigues you, and then leave plenty of time to find the internships you want, complete the applications, and go through the interview process. The good news? With so many terrific STEM high school internship programs available in Massachusetts and all the online resources, you have many options for discovering and exploring opportunities.
Comments on “Guide to STEM High School Internships in Massachusetts”
Another great one at Tufts (apps open in March)
https://www.tuftstubers.com/
Thank you for bringing this great program to my attention! I’ve added it to the list here.
Hi, can high school students from Africa apply.
I believe most of the internships are for Massachusetts students.
There’s another STEM summer program (mostly health orientated) that’s open to people out of the state of New Hampshire where it’s located. It doesn’t say on the site if they accept people from out of the country of US, so if you are interested, you may want to contact them. It’s held at Dartmouth, so it’s pretty highly regarded if you are interested in pursuing a medical career. The program is called Health Careers Institute at Dartmouth. However, the deadline for applications is April 11th, which is soon. I included the link as well. Hope this helps!
https://tdi.dartmouth.edu/health-careers-institute
Thank you for sharing!
The craze for STEM Learning has now significantly increased in young students. The universities are coming up with various STEM Learning Programs in collaboration with other institutions & researchers.
The STEM Learning Ecosystems have a vast potential to teach the young students in masses. Every year students are applying for these programs in a big number because of the real-time practice and to represent their talents.