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Badger Precollege Classes

Think like a Badger. Badger Precollege offers in-person and online programs in humanities, music, business, psychology, government, STEM, college prep and more — all designed to help students in grades 1–12 find their passion, meet new friends and explore their future.

Use the search filters to find the class, program or workshop that matches your interests.

If you are looking for information about sports camps, field trips and other youth programs offered by our UW–Madison partners — including Badger Sports Camps, Wisconsin 4-H, the Language Institute and others — view campus programs.

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Classes (69)

(FULL) Game of Economics (Grades 3-4)

Game of Economics will spark your curiosity about one of the driving factors in the world today — economics. Through critical reasoning, creative problem-solving and hands-on learning, you will construct your own games to help you understand large economic concepts such as scarcity, supply, demand, opportunity costs and diminishing returns.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 17–21, 2024
    Registration fee: $35
    Tuition: $470 per session $20 multi-session registration discount available.
    In-person

(FULL) Matter Matters: Exploring Science (Grades 2-3)

This class will spark your curiosity about the objects in the world around you. Did you know that everything is basically made of the same three ingredients? Participate in hands-on experiments, make observations and learn how to communicate your findings like a scientist.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 17–21, 2024
    Registration fee: $35
    Tuition: $470 per session $20 multi-session registration discount available.
    In-person

(FULL) Mayor Madness (Grades 2-3)

Students in this class will think deeply about the design elements necessary to create a livable city. They will become urban planners who consider how a city is shaped by its natural borders and what impact urban sprawl will have on the surrounding environment. They will consider the needs of their citizens and look for innovative solutions to meet them, in every area from public transportation, to public space and cultural identity. Students will examine cities from around the world, as well as study urban space in Madison to think critically about what ultimately makes a city livable. By the end of the course, students will have used this knowledge to create a model city.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 17–21, 2024
    Registration fee: $35
    Tuition: $470 per session $20 multi-session registration discount available.
    In-person

Summer Music Clinic Senior

Summer Music Clinic offers the opportunity to: learn from experienced educators from around the country, develop new music skills and enhance existing ones, meet and collaborate with those who share your interests, develop and express your unique, creative style, and enjoy new experiences in a welcoming, supportive community.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 23–29, 2024
    Residential tuition: $1,170
    Commuter tuition: $820
    International tuition: $1,310
    Application Fee: $75
    In-person

EducationUSA Academy

This three-week, immersive program invites all international students seeking a higher education experiential learning opportunity. Students will experience college life as a student on UW–Madison's extensive campus. The program offers interactive workshops and presentations in sustainability, college preparation, admissions, financial aid, leadership and development. Students will participate in excursions and community outreach activities that sample the culture, traditions and values of the Midwest. After completing this program, participants will have finished an exceptional educational program with all the benefits of studying abroad that will prepare them for their future endeavors in higher education learning.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 29, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Tuition: $4,900
    In-person

(FULL) Engineering Fundamentals and Design

Engineering is a problem-solving profession that is both academically rigorous and creatively demanding. This course will introduce you to a broad spectrum of engineering fields and provide a strong foundation for understanding its key tools and concepts.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

(FULL) Introduction to Computer Science

Computer programming impacts social media, digital games, and music, and leads to medical breakthroughs, business innovation and engineering marvels. Using real-world examples from Google, Netflix and other corporate trendsetters, you'll use programming principles and applications in final projects.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Art, Activism, and Advertisements: Introduction to Visual Culture Studies

Is art capable of influencing social change? How have artists used their work as a form of activism? In this class, students will explore how art and visual culture uphold or challenge systems of power and social norms, and learn how to recognize these forces at work in visual media. Students will think expansively about what shapes the visual, and how the visual shapes us. Students will develop the skills to critically analyze the visual materials we encounter in our everyday lives. We will engage with a wide array of media including art, comics, animation, television, performance, social media, activism and exhibitions. Students will read scholars from art history, visual culture studies, media studies, LGBTQ+ studies, critical race theory, and disability studies, and participate in field trips to local museums and galleries.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Contemporary Astronomy: Journey Through the Cosmos

From the birth of the cosmos to the mesmerizing death of stars, this course offers a comprehensive exploration of space that will leave you with a profound understanding of the celestial wonders that surround us.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Economics and Society

This course is intended to provide a thorough understanding of the relationship between economics and social relationships. Students will become familiar with the basic principles of markets, how economic resources are organized, and how economics and sociology come together.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024.
    In-person

Environmental Studies

Environmental Studies is interdisciplinary, embracing several unifying themes, including The Living World, Global Change and Sustainability. Our focus will be on assessing and promoting the Natural Capital of local ecosystems (deciduous forests, prairies and lakes). We will explore different social science approaches to interpreting the relationship between the environment and society at various scales, from the local to the global. This course will trace the social origins of environmental concerns, their social impacts and the different responses they engender. Students will have an opportunity to interact with UW researchers, educators and campus leaders. In the end, students will grasp the values of the natural world and the tools for protecting it.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Forensic Science

You will learn to collect, analyze and interpret physical and biological trace evidence such as fingerprints, hair, fibers and DNA. This laboratory-based course will allow you to use logical thought processes and scientific inquiry skills to interpret evidence and analyze criminal psychology.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Human Body and Disease

Diseases challenge scientists to unlock the most complex puzzles of illness, disability and the body's response. Beginning with an overview of human anatomy and physiology, students will probe the nature of disease with new understandings of genetics, pathology and epidemiology.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Microbiology: Microorganisms and Health

Did you know there are an estimated 1 billion different species of microorganisms on Earth? Microorganisms play a role in every aspect of the world we live in. As an applied biological science, microbiology deals with many important practical problems in medicine, agriculture and industry. Microbial physiology and genetics will be emphasized along with a survey of applied microbiology in the fields of medicine, agriculture, food safety and ecology. This lab-intensive course will focus on laboratory techniques and procedures used in research and industry including cultivation, identification, enumeration, genetic engineering and aseptic technique. The effect of microorganisms on human health, specifically epidemiology and the microbiome will be explored. The manipulation of microorganisms in ecological bioremediation, food production and preservation, and pharmaceutical development will be investigated. This course is intended to satisfy any curriculum that requires introductory-level microbiology. It will challenge you to use scientific inquiry skills to investigate and analyze data and will allow you to examine the diversity of microbes on Earth and their importance in the biosphere.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Organic Chemistry: Applications in Food Science and Nutrition

This course will investigate the impact that chemical products have on consumers' daily lives. Major topics may include food additives, prescription and non-prescription drugs, fuels, pesticides, detergents, synthetic fibers and plastics.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024.
    In-person

Psychology of Learning and Motivation

Discover the intricacies of your brain, what motivates us to learn and how to become a lifelong learner. The course will delve into the sometimes surprising new research about practical strategies we can use to learn faster, remember more and think more creatively.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 20, 2024
    Domestic tuition: $4,300
    Commuter tuition: $2,650
    International tuition: $4,800
    Application fee: $75 Early bird rates available between Nov. 28, 2023–Jan. 8, 2024
    In-person

Summer Arts Clinic

Summer Arts Clinic offers you the opportunity to: Learn from experienced educators and arts professionals from UW–Madison and around the country. Develop new artistic skills and explore existing ones. Meet and collaborate with a community of peers with multiple and diverse artistic voices and interests. Explore education and career opportunities in the arts. Develop and express your unique, creative style. Learn to tell your story in a variety of ways through the arts.
Upcoming Dates
  • June 30, 2024–July 6, 2024
    Tuition: $820 Application fee: $75
    In-person

(FULL) A Touch of Business (Grades 7-8)

Calling all Entrepreneurs! Or, those who just want to learn about the world of business. This class will give you an introduction to some key concepts of business – product/service creation, marketing, digital creation and finance. We will touch on all sorts of business topics and have plenty of fun doing so. If you are a fan of the show Shark Tank this could be your dream class. 
Upcoming Dates
  • July 8–12, 2024
    Registration fee: $35
    Tuition: $580 per session $30 multi-session registration discount available.
    In-person

(FULL) Classical Mythology (Grade 5-6)

Mythology means more than just Mount Olympus. In this course, you'll expand your horizons beyond Greece to explore the mythology of cultures from around the world. Join us as we travel from continent to continent to compare different types of mythologies and their influence on history, society and culture. Part literature and part geography, you'll be sure to enjoy this literary tour of the world!
Upcoming Dates
  • July 8–12, 2024
    Registration fee: $35
    Tuition: $580 per session $30 multi-session registration discount available.
    In-person