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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 provides a nuanced understanding of how Political Science, Public Policy, and Law interplay and shape societal governance. Students will delve into the foundational theories of political science, the intricate processes of policy formulation, and the framework of legal systems.
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.
This course explores various topics in veterinary and animal sciences. The course aims to expose students to diverse career options while exploring scientific and ethical questions.
Delve into the relationships that sports media and business have in our society. Learn how sports impact community pride, express fashion trends through uniform designs, dovetail with entertainment and pop culture, and gender equity and social change.
High school students will be taken on a journey of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) as they chart their own educational and career pathways to become the STEM superstars of the future. Students will investigate their own interests, values and skills, as well as explore the dynamic world of STEM careers and trends.
We will look at writing and ourselves as writers through various lenses. This class will delve into creative writing genres such as poetry and personal narrative, and will allow writers to engage with writing projects that might suit future career paths.
Insight to Medical Fields of Study is designed to help you explore the diverse and exciting world of healthcare professions. This course provides a comprehensive foundation to make informed decisions about your future in medicine
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.
Creative Writing will explore many of the ways that words can express our imaginations and our ideas. Through exercises, reading, feedback from classmates and instructors and other exploratory activities, we will grow as writers together in this class.
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.
This course provides an in-depth exploration of the diverse career pathways within the biological sciences. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how biological science principles are applied in real-world contexts and how these fields contribute to solving global challenges.
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.
