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 2–12 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.
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.
With the explosion of innovative technologies and new knowledge about the brain, the neuroscience field remains on the frontier of contemporary science. We will look into the rapid advances in the field as well as unresolved mysteries that future generations of neuroscientists will be tackling.
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.
Learn how to identify and evaluate arguments with the skills of logicians, lawyers and debaters. Examining arguments from popular media and the great philosophers, you will learn to distinguish between deductive and inductive arguments and how to identify and avoid specific fallacies in reasoning.
Exploring the legal frameworks that govern the relationships between states and various entities. Investigate global issues and develop tools to assess international legal issues and understand the forces that shape policy decisions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This course provides a foundational introduction to programming in Python. Learn essential programming concepts, including data structures, control flow, and visualization techniques, while developing an understanding of computational methods used in physics.
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.
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.
Explore the concepts behind the things you see in everyday life such as buildings, roads, and waterways, and how they come to be. Through real-world, global, and local examples, you will study the basics of structural and civil engineering as well as hear from campus experts in the field.
Students will prepare themselves to be college-ready through a variety of interactive online workshops and in-person experiential learning. They will better understand the holistic approach to university admissions in the U.S. and the jargon that accompanies the admissions and educational process. They will identify their weaknesses in study and time management skills essential for college success and develop a plan to improve these habits.
Mix a little bit of reading and whole lot of creativity to dive into the key elements of graphic novels, from character development and plot structure to page layout and illustration techniques. Discover how to blend words and images to craft compelling narratives with a final project.
In this course, we'll explore the process of how an actor can effectively portray a character. Through scene work exercises we'll dive into the motivation of a character and consider the best tactics an actor can use to communicate that to an audience. We'll unleash your creativity through improv exercises as you set your character loose, creating a story on the fly!
Learn about object-oriented programming, and how to write and execute code using the Java programming language, via the Greenfoot programming environment. Students will learn programming fundamentals while participating in authentic coding activities that place an emphasis on problem-solving and creativity. Explore coding by examining a set of interesting scenarios, solving coding problems and competing in a fun coding challenge. Then begin to design your own game or simulation!
Spend each day discovering one of the many art areas on the UW–Madison campus, like theatre, visual art, dance, music or creative writing. Part of our day will be spent delving into the creation of pieces, and the other part of the day will include visits to campus arts hubs.
Explore how the brain works and how it influences thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Focus on cognition and learning, linking brain structure and function to daily life. Learn how neuropsychologists help diagnose and treat disorders that impact brain function.
Join us for a week of adventure through the tales of Ancient Greece and Rome! In this introductory course you will learn about key figures and features in Classical mythology and analyze its widespread influence on the modern art, literature, and culture. If you're a fan of the Percy Jackson series, or fantasy stories in general, this course is for you!
