At the NSLC on Architecture, you’ll explore how creative vision meets structural design to shape the world around us. Through hands-on workshops and collaborative projects, discover how architects balance aesthetics, function, and sustainability to solve real-world design challenges. Develop your ideas through sketching, modeling, and digital design as you explore the creative and technical processes behind architecture.
High School Summer Architecture Program
Build a career in architecture.
Official Program Partner
American Institute of Architecture Students
The NSLC is proud to partner with the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), a nonprofit, student-run organization dedicated to advancing leadership, design, and service among architecture students.
Program Highlights
Inside Architecture at NSLC
Explore architectural design firsthand this summer. NSLC pre-college programs combine academic learning with real-world opportunities, giving you the experience and perspective to make more confident decisions about college and your future career.
Explore through hands-on learning.
Develop the skills and knowledge you need for a future career in architecture with experiential simulations.
Explore SimulationsLearn from industry leaders.
Get real-world perspectives and insider knowledge straight from the experts.
Explore Guest Speakers
Go behind the scenes.
Discover the inner workings of the field through immersive trips and tours.
Explore Trips & ToursIt was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I got to meet so many new people that completely changed my perception of the world.
Marianne, Costa Rica
Hands-on Simulations
Experience architecture
through hands-on workshops and collaborative design projects that challenge you to imagine, create, and build. Explore how architects transform ideas into physical spaces, balancing creative expression with the practical demands of structure and function. From your first sketches to detailed models, discover how thoughtful design can shape the spaces we experience every day.
Studio Project
Over multiple sessions, you’ll design a conceptual satellite art museum that explores how architecture shapes the way people engage with art. Guest judges from the AIAS will provide real-time feedback on your final presentations, helping you refine and elevate your work.
Computer-Aided Design
Explore the programs that can digitally test your designs before you begin the physical build process.
Model Making
Work with a variety of materials as you learn tips and tricks for creating clean physical models of your designs.
Sketching & Drafting
Learn the fundamental terms and techniques that will develop your design skills and bring your ideas to life.
Earthquake Challenge
Design and build a tower that puts your structural engineering skills to the test, challenging your creation to withstand a simulated earthquake.
Portfolio Design
Assemble a portfolio displaying the work you've completed during the program, and learn what colleges are looking for in the application process.
Guest Speakers
Gain industry insights.
Interact with guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds that bring practical knowledge and real-world experiences to the Architecture program.
See Past Guest Speakers
Downtown SF Architecture Tour
Construction Site Tour
Trips & Tours
Go beyond the classroom.
Gain a new perspective on architecture through field trips that uncover how the industry works behind the scenes. A mix of educational and sightseeing tours allow you to explore the city surrounding the university.
See Trips by Location
Leadership
is in our name.
Each NSLC program contains a leadership curriculum designed to teach skills that can apply to all areas of life. Workshops on personality styles, communication and listening, resilience, and empathy set the foundation for a successful future, no matter where it may lead.
Watch VideoLife on a College Campus
Dates, Locations, & Tuition
NSLC provides an immersive pre-college experience that prepares students for life beyond high school, allowing them to study in university classrooms, learn to navigate a campus, and experience college life firsthand. When submitting an application, students will select a residential or commuter option: residential students stay on campus in supervised dormitories, while commuter students follow daily arrival and departure times designated by their chosen location.
University of California, Berkeley
San Francisco, CA
$4,595 Residential
$3,845 Commuter
Summer 2027
Jun 13 - Jun 21
Jun 25 - Jul 3
Tuition Resources
Earn College Credit
NSLC has partnered with American University to offer an online college credit opportunity for students across all our programs and locations. AU’s faculty-taught courses are completed at home outside the dates of your program and tailored to complement your area of study.
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FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Wondering if NSLC’s Architecture program is right for you? Explore below, read our general FAQs, or reach out to our team. We’re happy to help!
Yes! You don’t need previous architectural training to participate. You’ll be introduced to design concepts through sketching, model making, and digital design activities, with opportunities to apply what you learn to a studio project. Whether you’re exploring architecture for the first time or already interested in studying it in college, the program gives you a chance to develop your ideas and learn from the design process.
Drawing is an important way for architects to communicate ideas, but you don’t need to be an accomplished artist to begin exploring the field. Architecture also involves spatial reasoning, creative problem-solving, technical knowledge, and an understanding of how people use spaces. At NSLC, you’ll explore different ways of developing and presenting designs, including physical models and digital tools.
Architecture focuses on designing buildings and spaces that meet people’s needs, balancing appearance, function, and the surrounding environment. Architectural engineering concentrates on the technical systems that make buildings work, including structural, electrical, and mechanical systems. The fields often work together, but they emphasize different skills and responsibilities. At NSLC, you’ll explore creative design alongside structural considerations, helping you discover which aspects of the built environment interest you most.
NSLC’s Architecture program includes portfolio design, giving you an opportunity to organize and present work developed during the program. You’ll explore how sketches, models, and design concepts can communicate your creative process. College architecture programs have different portfolio requirements, so the work you create at NSLC is best viewed as a starting point that you can continue developing rather than a guaranteed complete admissions portfolio.
Architecture focuses on the overall design of buildings and spaces, including their structure, function, and relationship to their surroundings. Interior design concentrates on how spaces inside buildings support the people using them, considering elements such as layout, lighting, materials, and accessibility. The two fields often overlap, but they involve different areas of expertise. Understanding these distinctions can help you decide which design-related subjects you’d like to explore further.
Consider whether you enjoy combining creative ideas with practical problem-solving. Studying architecture involves more than designing how buildings look. You’ll also consider how spaces function, how materials behave, and how design decisions affect the people who use them. Through NSLC’s studio project and design workshops, you’ll experience several parts of that process and begin deciding whether architecture is something you’d like to pursue in college.
Your future starts here.
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