Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Design, build, and test a functional prototype in this 3-week engineering academy for high school students on UT Austin’s campus.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 for classroom experience by students who took this course in 2026.
Instructor:
Course Description
A useful product begins long before construction. Student teams start by defining the problem, translating needs into specifications, and researching possible approaches. Ideation and concept selection require them to compare alternatives rather than commit to the first workable idea.
The project then moves through the engineering design process. Teams model performance, develop working drawings, investigate material properties and structural behavior, select materials and manufacturing methods, and construct a prototype. Testing produces evidence about what works and what must change. Students revise the design while managing time, roles, and technical constraints.
The academy’s project theme focuses on enhanced capabilities for people with special needs. That context asks students to consider how an engineered solution will be used and whether design choices serve the intended person. The completed prototype and team presentation bring together research, physical and mathematical principles, planning, construction, testing, and communication. Previous trigonometry coursework is helpful but not required.
This three-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 $295 applies.
What Will You Do?
• Define a design problem and translate needs into measurable specifications
• Research alternatives and generate multiple engineering concepts
• Model performance and prepare working drawings
• Select materials and manufacturing approaches for a prototype
• Construct, test, and revise a solution for people with special needs
• Present the finished prototype and explain the team’s design decisions
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Apply a concept-to-prototype engineering workflow to an open-ended problem
• Use material, structural, and performance evidence to revise a design
• Collaborate on and communicate a tested engineering solution
Students will leave with a functional team prototype, documented design decisions, and clearer direction for continued study or careers in engineering and product development.
Students receive a University of Texas branded certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Why Engineering Design Skills Matter
Engineering design turns a broad problem into decisions that can be tested. Specifications define what success means, models help teams anticipate performance, and prototypes expose weaknesses that discussion alone may miss. Students learn that revision is evidence of progress, not failure.
Teamwork is part of the technical process. Complex projects require clear roles, shared plans, and communication when tradeoffs appear among materials, cost, time, usability, and performance. These habits support advanced science and mathematics courses as well as future work in engineering, architecture, product design, and technology. They also build confidence in approaching unfamiliar, open-ended problems methodically.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and enjoy building, problem-solving, science, mathematics, design, or understanding how products work. It is especially useful for students who want to experience the full engineering process before choosing among specific engineering disciplines.
Participants should be ready to collaborate in a small team, develop drawings and models, work with materials, test a prototype, and revise ideas under time constraints. Previous coursework in trigonometry is helpful but not required. Applicants must also complete the program application.
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.
UT Austin 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