What is the JHU Engineering Innovation Program? 

The Engineering Innovation Program is by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, and they offer Pre-college summer programs where you will experience college-level classes, interact with like-minded peers and challenge yourself with hands-on challenges that allow you to think like an engineer. 

If you’re interested in bioengineering or environmental engineering, this program might be a solid option for exploring coursework and learning the practical applications of such subjects! 

What are the courses I can enroll in? 

There are 3 different courses you can register for:

• Engineering Innovation - In this program, you will cover activities in civil, chemical, electrical, computer, mechanical engineering and materials sciences. Some projects you can do include constructing a structurally stable bridge or linking concepts of heat transfers and chemical reactions to a small bioreactor.

• Sustainable Energy Engineering - This program will teach you the fundamental knowledge required to design and implement sustainable energy technologies and understand how humanity uses energy. 

• Biomedical Engineering Innovation - This program allows you to model biological systems and design experiments to test those models. Some projects you can participate in by completing a biosensor design project or modeling the circulatory system.

Where are the programs offered?

You can attend the program in person or opt for a residential, commuter, or online program.

The offline programs are held at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Campus in Baltimore, MD or Hood College in Frederick, MD. The Commuter Engineering Innovation program is offered at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Campus in Baltimore, Hood College in Frederick or JHU Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, Ohlone College and Pasadena City College in California, or the University of the District of Columbia in Washington DC.

The Sustainable Energy Engineering program is offered at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Campus in Baltimore, MD, Hood College in Frederick, MD, or Ohlone College, CA. 

Do note that the Biomedical Engineering Innovation program is primarily online and involves asynchronous work, while the Sustainable Energy Engineering program is only offline. 

When are the programs held? 

The Explore Engineering Innovation and Sustainable Energy Engineering are between July 1 and July 26, while the Biomedical Engineering Innovation is between June 24 and August 2. 

The online version of Explore Engineering Innovation is held between June 24 and July 26. 

What is the cost of the program?

The prices differ for each program; however, you must pay a mandatory $50 application fee. The tuition for every program is also the same at $3,575. 

The residential costs are $5,800 for Homewood and $5,550 for Hood College. The commuter costs are $250, covering a lunch fee (only applicable for Homewood and Hood commuters). 

You can expect to pay between $235 and $300 for a lab kit fee (apart from your tuition) for online students. If you’re an international student opting for the online course, don’t forget that you will have to cover the additional shipping charges, taxes, tariffs, or duties.

JHU does offer financial aid for commuting and online programs. These scholarships are need-based and are reviewed on a first-completed, first-admitted basis. Do note that priority is given to students attending Baltimore City Public Schools/ District of Columbia Public Schools, students residing in the U.S., and students with diverse backgrounds. 

You can view all the details about the scholarships and fee waivers here. 

How do I apply? 

The application for the 2024 edition of Engineering Innovation opened on December 15 and will be open on a rolling basis until May 17, 2024. Here are some important dates for deadlines: 

• February 23, 2024 - Early Decision Deadline 

• March 22, 2024 - Application Deadline for Students requiring a Visa

• May 3, 2024 - International Student Deadline (Only for Online Programs)

A complete application for this program will include an online application, the application fee, 1 required essay and 1 supplemental, optional essay, a teacher recommendation, official high school transcript and your parent/guardian’s financial information (if applying for financial assistance). Here’s a step-by-step guide for submitting a thorough application! 

You can find the application link here. 

Who is eligible for this program?

This program is typically open for rising juniors, seniors or recently graduated high schoolers. They allow rising sophomores to apply but note that priority is given to juniors and seniors. 

You must be between 15 years before the start of the program and 17 years on the last day of the program. If you are 18 (or turning 18 during the program), you will not be considered for the program, as residence halls are only open for students between 15 and 17.

If you opt for a commuter or residential program, you must also have health insurance from a U.S.-based provider. 

For your academic prerequisites, you will have to:

• Have a mix of As and Bs in high school math or science classes.

• Completed Algebra II

• Completed a course where trigonometric functions are taught. 

• Completed a full high school chemistry/physics year, including a lab. 

Do note that the academic prerequisites differ from course to course, and this is just a general preview!

Pros and Cons:

Pros: 

• It is an excellent opportunity to explore college-level classwork - The curriculum for all courses was developed by Johns Hopkins faculty, and they emulate actual college classrooms with a focus on discussions and hands-on applications of a subject! Opting for this program is an excellent opportunity to explore and understand the rigors of college-level coursework.

• You will be taught and mentored by current faculty at JHU - JHU is one of the best universities in the world, and opting for a program with faculty is an excellent networking opportunity. You can use these connections for a future research opportunity with a professor. 

• You will get credits for all programs - An added bonus is that successfully completing all programs will give you 3 JHU college credits. 

• You will complete hands-on coursework in your subject - All the residential and commuter programs have some degree of practical application through experiments or independent projects. You can mention this in your college applications, as the ability to apply theoretical concepts in practical situations is a skill highly valued by admission officers! 

Cons: 

• Limited scholarships - While this program does offer need-based scholarships, these are only limited to online or commuter programs. Moreover, there is a preference from students in the Baltimore of Columbia district area. In comparison, other summer schools, such as the Harvard Secondary Summer Program, offer scholarships to all U.S. citizens with excellent academic records. 

• Residential or commuter programs might be too time-invasive - Opting for the residential or commuter programs might hinder you from participating in other opportunities as they are highly time-intensive. 

• Might be more beneficial to opt for a more selective research program - While summer schools are excellent opportunities to explore your desired subject, other programs that allow you to produce any output (such as a research project or a coding project) might be more beneficial. 

Our Review 

This program is a solid option for anyone who is looking to explore college-level coursework and exploring engineering and its applications as a field. In particular, some aspects that we really liked were the focus on conducting experiments (even sending lab kits for online students) and the smaller cohort sizes (12:1). 

We’d highly recommend this program for anyone in the Baltimore or Greater Columbia area as you can opt for commuting and even benefit from the scholarships offered! 

However, if you’re looking for any summer program, we’d suggest you also look at alternatives and those with residential programs that provide scholarships. We think that the lack of scholarships for residential students might be a huge financial hurdle, and other universities also offer a similar experience. 

If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!

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