21 High School Internships in Houston in 2024
What’s Covered:
From building valuable life skills to gaining work experience to exploring potential career paths, there are numerous ways high schoolers benefit from participating in internships. Another reason to consider an internship in high school is that it can improve your college profile and boost your odds of getting accepted into college. Internships show admissions officers that you’re serious about your future and willing to pursue potential career paths.
Students in the Houston area who are interested in an internship will want to check out the opportunities below.
21 High School Internships in Houston
1. Houston Methodist Summer Internship Program for High Schoolers
Application Deadline: February 2
Duration: 10 weeks (May 28 – August 2)
Participants in this program receive training in a translational research lab and build valuable skills as they work on active research projects led by faculty mentors. The program consists of a professional development component that teaches students about college selection, scholarship applications, and scientific writing.
Interns are also provided with networking events, guest speaker presentations, and activities like attending sporting events. The program culminates in a presentation in which students showcase the findings of their research at a symposium in front of some of Houston Methodist’s leading scientists.
2. Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation High School Summer Program in Biomedical Sciences
Application Deadline: January 17
Duration: 10 weeks (June 3 – August 9)
This 10-week program for Texas high school seniors provides firsthand experience in a research environment and insight into the numerous career opportunities at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Over the course of the program, participants tackle a research project in a biomedical field under the guidance of full-time faculty and listen to seminars on a wide variety of research topics.
The program is open only to high school seniors in Texas interested in a career in an allied health discipline. At the conclusion of the program, participants receive a $6,800 stipend.
3. MD Anderson UPWARDS High School Summer Research Training Program
Application Deadline: January 17
Duration: 10 weeks
This 10-week training program is aimed at underserved high school students and seeks to introduce them to STEM-related academic and career paths. Students take part in a full-time (40 hours a week) research experience at MD Anderson Cancer Center while gaining real-world lab experience and earning a stipend of up to $6,800. Participants also engage in classroom activities, receive mentoring, get college and career guidance, and perform outreach.
Just 10 students are selected annually to participate in this paid program.
4. Baylor College of Medicine Student Helper
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
Baylor College of Medicine’s internship programs offer high schoolers the chance to learn about operations, administration, and research while building real-world experience in a professional setting. Multiple student helper positions are open in the field of neuroscience and duties include identifying pathological events from EEG data, classifying brain states based on EEG data, and organizing, reporting, and presenting results.
5. University of Houston Mohan Lab Summer Internship
Application Deadline: March 31
Duration: 10 weeks
Rising high school seniors interested in biomedical, bioengineering, and health-oriented professions will want to check out this competitive summer internship. Participants are instructed in basic lab techniques and undertake a research project led by a scientist or graduate student. At the end of the program, students present their research, some of which may contribute to research publications.
6. NASA OSTEM Internships
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Varies
The NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) provides internship opportunities to high schoolers across the nation, including at its Johnson Space Center in Houston. Internships are available in a variety of fields and interns receive a stipend based on their academic level and length of session.
7. Ladder Internship Program
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Main summer deadlines are March 15, April 15, and May 15
Duration: Eight weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more.
Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. Past founders have included YCombinator alums, founders raising over 30 million dollars, or founders who previously worked at Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. In the program, students closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company.
This highly flexible program is designed to be accessible to a wide range of students. You will complete your internship remotely, from anywhere in the world, and there are internships available throughout the year, so you can easily plan around your other commitments—you can expect to work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students and gap year students!
Here is the application form.
8. Moran Ecoteen Summer Volunteer Program
Application Deadline: March 18
Duration: Two weeks
High school volunteers play an essential role at the Houston Museum of Science, assisting teachers and working with campers at the Museum’s Summer Science Camp classes. Some volunteers are also trained to give exhibit hall presentations to visitors using Museum specimens and artifacts. Participants leave the program having built resume-improving skills and having grown their network of like-minded peers.
The program is open to rising freshmen through juniors between the ages of 14 and 18.
9. Houston Museum of Natural Science Sugar Land SciTeen Program
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Four weeks (minimum)
Participants in the Houston Museum of Science Sugar Land SciTeen Program enhance the experience of visitors by leading them through interactive demonstrations and presentations. Over the course of the program, students meet like-minded peers, bolster their resumes and college profiles, and build skills that will serve them well in future endeavors.
The program is open to high school students in grades 9 through 12. Participants must commit to a minimum of four weeks of service over the summer.
10. Children’s Museum Houston Discovery Squad
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: 75 hours (minimum)
Teens between the ages of 14 and 17 can volunteer to become a member of the Discovery Squad at the Children’s Museum Houston. Discovery Squad members assist with exhibits, activities, and programming both during the summer and throughout the school year.
11. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – Volunteering
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
Volunteering at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts is an excellent opportunity for creative high schoolers. Volunteers work in a variety of positions, including greeting guests, helping in the MFA shop, performing clerical work, facilitating children’s art projects, and leading tours.
In addition to providing valuable service and supporting art appreciation, MFA Houston offers some perks to volunteers, such as free admissions and a discount at the MFA shop—the more you volunteer, the better the benefits become.
12. Communities in Schools of Houston Summer Legal Internship Program
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Eight weeks
This awesome internship places high school juniors and seniors in positions at Houston-area law firms, corporate legal departments, and public interest agencies. The program aims to expose interns to potential careers in the legal field and provide them with the work experience, job readiness, and life skills needed for a successful future. This is a paid opportunity.
13. Lazarus Energy Empowerment Program (LEEP)
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: One year
This yearlong internship opportunity prepares students to join the workforce and introduces them to a variety of career paths in the energy sector. Throughout the program, participants work on personal development—sharpening skills like mindset, social awareness, planning, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. Students also receive support for their future undertakings through college guidance and career preparation.
14. Sewa USA – Get Inspired Houston (GIH) Internship
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
This summer program for young adults and college students is focused on assisting immigrant and refugee communities and provides participants with real-world experience with nonprofits and community projects. Interns work under the guidance of experienced mentors and are encouraged to work in the field that best matches their interests. Fields include:
- Public relations
- Youth education
- Public health and family services
- Event management
- Grant writing
It’s expected that interns will work between 20 and 40 hours a week and are required to perform at least 200 total hours of service.
15. Houston Food Bank Student Heroes
Application Deadline: First week of May
Duration: June – August
Student Heroes build leadership skills, bolster their resumes and college profiles, and support their communities. Participants will help train volunteers, host a food drive, and learn about food insecurity—they’ll also attend professional development workshops to help build skills. Students are expected to commit to four shifts a month and contribute a total of 50 hours of service.
The program is open to high schoolers in grades nine through 12.
16. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Internship
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee offers a variety of internship opportunities, including internships in her Houston District Office. Interns are asked to assist with a variety of day-to-day office work, such as answering phones, writing letters, and assisting with media clips. Interns may also work on constituent cases or district-based projects.
17. DPR Construction’s Build Up High School Internship
Application Deadline: April 12
Duration: Eight weeks
DPR Construction provides Build Up Internships in numerous cities across the U.S., including Houston. Internships are open to rising juniors and seniors from families with incomes below the HUD median family income. Interns work side by side with project teams while learning what it takes to manage multimillion-dollar projects—including the technology used for planning, scheduling, and designing projects, and the wide range of professionals needed to complete large construction projects.
Interns are expected to work between 35 and 40 hours a week over the internship’s eight weeks. Interns are paid an hourly wage and travel stipends are available.
18. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Application Deadline: January 17
Duration: Eight weeks
While not exactly a local internship, the Bank of America Student Leaders program connects community-minded students to local nonprofits to participate in paid internships. The program connects more than 300 students from over 100 communities to internships.
Students gain experience and serve their communities while working 35 hours a week over the program’s eight weeks. The program concludes with a weeklong Student Leaders Summit held in Washington, D.C.—travel, accommodations, meals, and fees are covered by the program.
The program is open to high school juniors and seniors living in eligible markets, like Houston.
19. STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Summer High School Intern Program
Application Deadline: February 24
Duration: May 1 – August 4
This competitive STEM-focused summer internship is offered through a collaboration between NASA and The University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research and provides participants with personal experience in Earth and space research—interns work hand-in-hand with NASA experts!
The hybrid program blends distance learning in its first month with onsite work the following month, allowing students to bolster both their academic and professional bonds.
20. High School Civic Engagement Internship
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: 12 weeks (February 15 – May 15)
This internship is offered through a collaboration between the League of Women Voters of Houston and Rice University. The internship tasks interns with bringing voter registration events to Houston area high schools—Texas law requires all high schools in the state to offer voter registration applications to eligible students two times an academic year.
A great opportunity for students passionate about democracy and with an interest in the electoral process, interns will work to reduce barriers to electoral participation, organize events, and encourage high schoolers to vote in the 2024 primary and general elections.
Students are expected to average about five hours a week and receive a $750 stipend at the conclusion of the internship.
21. Rice PATHS-UP Young Scholars
Application Deadline: May 10
Duration: Three weeks (Session 1, June 10 – 27 and Session 2, July 8 – July 25)
The Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations (PATHS-UP) Young Scholars Digital Health Summer Program is aimed at 10th- and 11th-grade high school students who reside in the Houston area. Participants will explore digital circuitry computer science, physics, and engineering at Rice University—and especially how those fields connect with health care.
While not an internship per se, this selective program—just 12 students are selected to participate each year—provides students with experience in research, scientific writing, and communication. It also provides an opportunity to explore career paths and build a network of peers and professionals.
How Do Internships Impact Your College Chances?
Extracurricular activities like internships play a considerable role in college admissions, particularly at selective colleges. At top schools, applicants all generally have stellar academic records and extracurricular activities are one way to separate yourself from the competition.
The influence an internship has on your college admissions odds varies—the 4 tiers of extracurricular activities provide a good guideline for understanding their effect on your chances of acceptance. High-ranking Tier 1 and 2 extracurriculars are quite rare and demonstrate outstanding achievement, so they hold substantial weight with admissions officers, whereas Tier 3 and 4 activities are more common, are less prestigious, and have less sway.
Generally, any given internship will fall under Tier 2 or 3, depending on the internship’s selectivity and prestige, as well as the responsibilities interns have to take on. Internships are less common than typical Tier 4 activities but are not quite as rare and distinguished as typical Tier 1 activities.
CollegeVine’s free chancing calculator can help you see how your extracurricular activities stack up, adding clarity to your college admissions profile and insight into your chances at admission. It can also illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of your profile, showing you what to highlight and where to improve.
Disclaimer: This post includes content sponsored by Lumiere Education.
