How to Elevate Your Summer with STEM Summer Programs

For some students, the best part of summer vacation is gaining back some freedom in your schedule to do all the activities, trips, and hang-outs with friends that you maybe weren’t able to do during the school year. Taking part in summer camps, programs, and other fun summer activities are a key part of what makes summer so enjoyable. If you’re still on the hunt for an engaging summer program for you, or your child, to take part in, Illinois Tech’s one-of-a-kind college prep experience, Elevate College Prep, is offering STEM-focused summer programs to middle school and high school students during summer 2024.

Our Summer Programs

Students who take part in Elevate College Prep’s Chicago summer programs can look forward to diving into relevant topic areas, such as cybersecurity, architecture, robotics, business, and more. These programs take place over multiple sessions during the summer, either on-campus or online, and are instructed by Illinois Tech faculty, staff, and students who are experts in their field.

Elevate College Prep’s summer programs are offered via residential, commuter, or online learning options. Students who participate in the residential programs will live and learn at the university’s Mies Campus (located just outside of downtown Chicago), while students in our commuter programs will attend instruction at either Mies Campus, the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus in west suburban Wheaton, Illinois, or the Conviser Law Center (located in downtown Chicago).

Any student who chooses one of our residential programs can also choose to commute, rather than stay on campus, for daily instruction. Additionally, international students with a valid travel visa who are interested can also apply to any of our programs. Unable to make the commute to our campuses? Join our fully synchronous online programs where students can connect with each other from around the world. Whether on campus or online, our programs give you the full experience of what it’s like to learn and play at Illinois Tech.

Summer Fun That’s STEM-Focused 

During each program, students will gain real-world, STEM-focused knowledge, skills, and experiences in their area of interest from our expert instructors, helping them prepare for the next step in their academic journey—and beyond.

Students who participate in residential and commuter programs will have the opportunity to work hands-on in some of Illinois Tech’s state-of-the-art facilities, labs, and maker spaces. Students taking part in our online programs will be able to take virtual tours of Illinois Tech, and still take advantage of the many resources, expert guidance, and knowledge provided by our world-class faculty and staff.

Some summer programs even offer college credit! 

Experience Chicago in the Summer

Summer in Chicago also offers a great environment for students to explore their surroundings and interact with their interests. Illinois Tech takes advantage of its proximity (with downtown Chicago practically in its backyard) for summer programming where students are able to take supervised off-site trips to popular landmarks, sporting events, and the neighborhood in which Illinois Tech resides, historic Bronzeville.

Check out just a few of the many fun and interactive summer programs that Elevate College Prep is offering during summer 2024.

ToyLab: Introduction to Design Through Play

This program introduces students to the world of engineering where they learn about the design, creation, and prototyping of a small toy. Students can look forward to studying in a maker-shop environment where they will interact with woodworking, 3D printers, laser cutting, and more.

Code Creators Camp: Making Apps From Scratch

This program provides an introductory experience to app development. Using an app development tool, students will be able to create a real-life application and learn the process for software development.

Understanding the Human Mind

This program provides an introduction to the foundations of psychology where students will gain valuable insights into collegiate-level studies, self-discover, and the art of therapy. This program is centralized on five key themes that will be explored throughout the duration of the program.

Dive Into Game Design Through Twine

This program explores game design and development through the Twine coding platform. Students will dive deeper into forms of interactive storytelling and create their own game made up of their own characters, worlds, and “hero’s journey.”

Registration for summer 2024 programs begins January 15. Visit our summer programs page for more information on session dates, instructors, and which programs offer college credit.

For questions about the application process, please email them to precollege@iit.edu.