At high school level, involvement in medicine can ignite a passion that lasts a lifetime and provide you with an early advantage for college and leave your peers in the dust. Here are ten of the best online and hybrid medical courses and summer programs for high school students, along with their associated costs and eligibility requirements
1. Stanford Clinical Summer Internship (CSI) – Virtual Track
Stanford’s Clinical Summer Internship, which offers a virtual program that helps students learn about medical specialties, patient care, and clinical skills from Stanford faculty and medical students. In the virtual program, students will attend lectures, have interactive sessions, and learn in case-based learning spaces.
Cost: $4,380 + $95 application fee
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors, seniors, and undergraduates.
2. Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Healthcare (Northwestern University, Coursera)
Offered for free online by Northwestern University on Coursera, this course is geared towards high school students, recent graduates, and career explorers to learn about the plethora of career, vocational and entry-level positions in the health care system. Students will experience short video modules featuring the stories of health care professionals as well as hands-on activities that are meant to examine health care careers while learning about foundations of the various medical professions, skills required for entry, and strategies for entering the workforce in the health profession. Finally, career development themes such as building a resume, networking, interviewing, personal branding, etc., will be explored, which are all important applications for students exploring their future in medicine and health care.
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Open to high schoolers
3. Dartmouth Precollege Online STEM Programs
Dartmouth College’s Precollege Online STEM Programs welcome engaged students (13+) to explore advanced STEM topics from anywhere in the world. The courses are taught by Dartmouth faculty members and consist of engaging online lessons, including projects and mentorship. The medically oriented courses include a session on “Regenerative Medicine: Healing with Science,” focusing on tissue repair, organ regeneration, stem cell biology, and bioprinting; and “Biology: Transforming the Future of Science,” focused on genetics, disease and biotech. There are also psychology courses for students interested in mental health and wellness.
Cost: $1,795 per course.
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up; international students welcome.
4. The Health Effects of Climate Change (Harvard University, edX)
This free online course from Harvard through edX examines the effects of climate change on human health around the world. In this course, the authors look at the ways air quality, nutrition, infectious disease, and human mobility/human migration are being affected by, and will be affected by, climate change and increased levels of greenhouse gases.Students will learn not only about the science regarding these changes, but also about the direct and indirect effects on public health and society. The course will involve lectures with experts, global case studies and will include actionable steps for mitigation and adaptation.
Cost: Free to audit with optional paid certificate
Eligibility: Open to all high school students and the general public
5. Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society (University of Michigan, Coursera)
This dissection of sleep, developed by the University of Michigan, will cover sleep in a multidisciplinary way through neurobiology, medicine, and society. The course is comprised of three sections of topics:
Neuroscience: This section begins with the neurobiology of sleep and waking, with consideration of neurotransmitter systems and genes and how these systems affect sleep and wakefulness.
Medicine: This section covers sleeping disorders, including: insomnia, sleep apnea, and sleeping disorders with excessive sleepiness. The student will learn of the diagnosis, effects, and treatment options for these disorders.
Society: The last portion touches on sleep's relevance beyond the individual - in society, especially issues relating to fatigue, public health, and safety.
Cost: Free to audit
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
6. Introduction to Human Physiology (Stanford University)
In this course, you will have teachers from Stanford. The course discusses the basic structures of human physiology including the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, and nervous system. This course is intended for those students interested in biology; medicine or health sciences, because it provides a foundation for upcoming classes.
Cost: Free to audit (fee for certificate)
Eligibility: Available to all high school students; self-paced.
7. COVID-19 Contact Tracing (Johns Hopkins University, Coursera)
This timely and updated course allows students to be introduced to the science of COVID-19, the science of contact tracing, and the essentials of outbreak investigation. It is a practical introduction to epidemiology and public health that includes tangible application in the real world and a certificate of completion.
Cost: Free to audit (fee for certificate)
Eligibility: Open to all high school students; self-paced.
8. Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body Is Telling Us (University of Pennsylvania, Coursera)
In this course, students are introduced to developing the knowledge and skills for measuring and interpreting vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate and what those signs can tell us about health.This is a practical and informal introduction to clinical medicine and patient care.
Cost: Free to audit with optional paid certificate
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
9. University of Rochester Pre-College Online Medicine Courses
The online courses are intended to assist high school students (ages 13+) who want to explore medicine and health care in advance of college. These courses are delivered by University of Rochester faculty, and each course features exciting video lessons, interactive activities, and even a mentor. The courses are asynchronous and flexible, allowing students to study anywhere and at any time, and take multiple courses to explore multiple topics related to medicine.
Cost: $1,495 per course
Eligibility: Open to students ages 13 and up, worldwide.
10.The Science of Well-Being (Yale University, Coursera)
This popular (Laurie Santos teaches it at Yale University) course about happiness is taught by Laurie Santos who blends psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience to help students understand what truly makes people happy, how we are fooled by our brains regarding our feelings of happiness, and how we can truly get at identifying and pursuing things to really bolster our wellness using evidence based strategies. The course design leverages taking action, modeling habit change, building resilience, promoting mental health through activities and assignments, as well as through "rewiring" akin to "training" behaviors.
Cost: Free with optional paid certificate
Eligibility: High school students; selection based on online course performance
Reason to Take the Courses
Make your college applications stand out by exhibiting initiative and dedication.
Learn foundational knowledge and develop practical skills that will benefit you in your education moving forward.
Open opportunities for research and networking.
Cover a wide range of interests, clinical medicine, public health, AI in healthcare.
Factors to Consider when Choosing
Think about your interests related to (clinical, research, public health, technology).
Check eligibility and deadlines.
Consider cost and scholarship possibilities.
Find programs that fit your time and your style (in-person or virtual).
If you are a high school student pushing yourself to stand out in college applications, RISE Research offers a unique opportunity to work one-on-one with mentors from top universities around the world.
Through personalized guidance and independent research projects that can lead to prestigious publications, RISE Research helps you build a standout academic profile and develop skills that set you apart. With flexible program dates and global accessibility, ambitious students can apply year-round. To learn more about eligibility, costs, and how to get started, visit RISE Research’s official website and take your college preparation to the next level!
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