Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Explore body systems with 3D models in this 2-week anatomy program for high school students on UT Austin’s campus.
Rated 4.4 out of 5 for classroom experience by students who took this course in 2026.
Instructor:
Course Description
How does the structure of a joint shape movement, and how do the body’s systems work together to keep a person functioning? Students investigate human anatomy through state-of-the-art 3D models, moving from the nervous, cardiovascular, and lymphatic systems to the respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems.
The second part of the course brings anatomy into specific regions and professional settings. Students examine the head, neck, trunk, shoulder complex, arms, pelvis, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. Guest lectures from doctors and researchers add specialist perspectives, while a prosthetics demonstration shows how anatomical knowledge informs the design and use of assistive devices.
Visits to the Stark Center, Dell Med, the Texas Science and Natural History Museum, and an imaging center help students connect models and classroom concepts with real facilities and technologies. Assignments, review activities, and a final exam reinforce the material. Students also prepare and deliver a PowerPoint presentation that asks them to organize anatomical information and communicate it clearly.
This two-week full-day academy takes place at UT Austin. Students spend the full program focused on one intensive academy. The academy is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study or pursue next. The program is developed by the University of Texas at Austin and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
A supplemental course fee of $95 applies.
Why Anatomy Skills Matter
Anatomy gives students a precise language for describing the human body. Identifying structures is only the beginning. Students must also connect form with function, compare regions, and explain how multiple systems interact. Working with 3D models makes those relationships visible and encourages careful spatial reasoning.
These skills support future work in biology, health science, movement science, and engineering. They also strengthen observation, evidence-based explanation, and communication. When students can organize complex information by system and region, they are better prepared to interpret diagrams, discuss medical questions, and build clear presentations from technical material.
What Will You Do?
• Explore the body’s major systems using state-of-the-art 3D anatomical models
• Examine the head, trunk, limbs, and major joints by region
• Hear guest specialists explain anatomy in medicine and research
• Visit medical, imaging, science, and physical-culture facilities
• Observe a prosthetics demonstration connecting anatomy with assistive-device design
• Prepare and deliver a PowerPoint presentation on an anatomical topic
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Identify major structures across the body’s principal organ systems and regions
• Explain relationships between anatomical structure, system function, and human movement
• Organize and present anatomical information using models, evidence, and accurate terminology
Students will leave with a completed presentation, stronger anatomical and scientific-communication skills, and clearer direction for further study or careers in health, research, or biomedical engineering.
Students receive a University of Texas branded certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Why UT Austin?
Studying on UT Austin’s Forty Acres campus gives high-school students a substantive introduction to academic life in Austin, Texas. Courses draw from popular undergraduate fields and Austin specialties. Full-day academies offer concentrated study, while classes across the program take place in campus classrooms and laboratories and may include guest speakers and fieldwork around Austin.
The experience extends beyond class for both residential and commuting students. Residential students live in Jester Hall, eat at J2, a popular campus dining hall, and take part in activities that may range from a star party at PMA to time at Gregory Gym, Zilker Park, South Congress, or an Austin FC match. Students gain independence, meet peers, and leave with a clearer view of college life, possible directions for future study, and what it can feel like to be a Longhorn.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in medicine, health science, biology, movement, or the structure of the human body. It is especially relevant for students curious about how anatomical knowledge supports clinical care, medical imaging, rehabilitation, prosthetics, or biomedical engineering.
Participants should be ready to study detailed body systems, work with 3D models, learn from guest specialists, take part in facility visits, complete assignments and an exam, and present their work to the class. Applicants must also complete the program application.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin