Top Online Business Courses for High School Students
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Why Learn Business Skills Early?
It's never too early to invest in your future! Developing strong business skills early on can give you a significant advantage in both college prep and your future career. By exploring business strategy from various angles – like entrepreneurship, finance, and management – you can build confidence and hone abilities that will benefit you throughout your academic journey and beyond. This knowledge can be put into practice by exploring various senior project topics, giving you a taste of real-world business experience.
High school students interested in business have a wealth of student resources at their fingertips. Online business courses offer a flexible and accessible way to gain valuable knowledge. Consider exploring business internships and business research opportunities to gain practical experience. Additionally, summer programs in economics and competitions in finance, business, and entrepreneurship competitions can further enhance your college application.
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Advantages of Online Courses for Business Education
Online business courses come with several advantages over in-person classes. Performing a quick cost-benefit analysis, online business courses tend to cost less than on-campus options. Removing housing and transportation allows participants to save money and time while learning the same material. In addition, online courses are more flexible. Students can learn from anywhere there’s an internet connection and, with asynchronous options, can learn on their own schedule, making them ideal for busy professionals seeking continuing education or high school students enrolled in summer programs.
Featured Online Business CoursesEntrepreneurship and Innovation Courses
UPenn Wharton Global Youth Program: Future of the Business World
Brown Pre-College: Leadership in Changing Business / Social Entrepreneurship
Finance and Investment Courses
Marketing and Management Courses
Course Details
Key Features and Benefits of Each Course
(1) The Wharton Global Youth Program at the University of Pennsylvania offers online and in-person courses for high school students from around the world. Their 100% online course “Future of the Business World” is taught by industry experts Scott Rameika and Sophie Edgar with the help of current undergraduate and graduate students at Wharton. During the two-week courses, students participate in class sessions and small group discussions via Zoom, all while developing a final project to present at the end of the program.
(2) Georgetown Pre-College’s entrepreneurship course is open to students 13 years and older. Participants may choose between a one-week intensive course, a two-week course, or a four-week course format. Flexibility is a huge benefit of this summer program, which is structured to enable asynchronous learning via recorded video lectures that can be watched at any time. In addition, participants meet with undergraduate mentors from Georgetown University to discuss the lectures and develop their capstone projects.
(3) The Innovation and Entrepreneurship course through Stanford Pre-College teaches the principles of building a healthy business from scratch. Throughout the two-week course, students and instructors meet online for two hours of live lectures and discussions, followed by one hour of online “office hours.” Outside of the group classes, students work on homework assignments as well as independent and group projects.
(4) Brown Pre-College’s course, “Leadership in Changing Business: Social Entrepreneurship,” focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship in education, health, and other non-profit / socially oriented fields. The course is offered in person and online. The online version of the course combines live classes with asynchronous learning over a four-week period. The live components include group classes with Brown University faculty, and at least two hours (total, throughout the length of the program) of 1:1 guidance from the course instructor and/or teaching assistant.
(5) Also through Georgetown Pre-College, this investment course is open to middle school students (13 and up) with an interest in stock markets and financial systems, fintech, accounting, and/or building investment portfolios. Similarly to Georgetown’s entrepreneurship course, this program prioritizes flexibility; students get to select the schedule (1, 2, or 4 weeks) that best suits them, while asynchronous learning activities enable participants to choose their own class times on a daily basis. The lectures are taught by Georgetown Professor James J. Angel, while the teaching assistants are industry experts and current Georgetown students.
(6) The Business Management for High Schoolers program at UC San Diego consists of three online courses:
Organizational Behavior
Elements of Marketing
Business Decision Making
Each business program is online and asynchronous, within a cohort structure. That is, participants take all three courses in order, sticking with the same cohort of peers throughout the program.
The “Organizational Behavior” course explores human behavior among individuals, interpersonal relationships, and groups. Case studies and discussions will focus on how different management styles can promote or prevent effective collaboration in various scenarios.
The second course, “Elements of Marketing,” focuses on the fundamentals of effective marketing campaigns. Students learn about marketing strategy through case studies and simulated challenges.
The third course in the program, “Business Decision Making,” requires students to integrate what they learned in the first two courses to solve real-world management problems. Students learn about effective leadership while gaining technical and interpersonal skills to help them succeed in future management roles.
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Costs and Access to Financial Aid
The average cost of the online business courses featured in this article is $2,816. Each program offers a limited number of scholarships and financial aid packages.
Costs by program
(1) UPenn Wharton Global Youth Program: Future of the Business World: $4,099
(2) Georgetown Pre-College Program in Entrepreneurship: $1,795 (same for 1, 2, and 4-week formats)
(3) Stanford Pre-College: Innovation and Entrepreneurship: $3,050
(4) Brown Pre-College: Leadership in Changing Business / Social Entrepreneurship: $5,108
(5) Georgetown Pre-College Program in Investing: $1,795 (same for 1, 2, and 4-week formats)
(6) UC San Diego: Business Management Program for High Schoolers: $1,050 total ($350 x 3 courses)
In order to be considered for financial aid, read the application details carefully and submit your scholarship request along with your application to the program (in some cases, they are combined in one online application). You may be asked to provide documents related to your family’s income.
In addition, to have the best shot at a generous financial aid package, we recommend submitting your applications well in advance (ideally, at least a month ahead) of the regular submission deadline for your chosen program. In some cases, programs specify a priority deadline that scholarship applicants must meet, while other programs provide financial aid on a rolling basis.
Finally, be sure to follow the tips below in order to send a strong and successful application.
How to Enroll
Application Deadlines and Requirements
(1) UPenn Wharton Global Youth Program: Future of the Business World
Priority deadline: March 6, 2024
Final deadline: June 1, 2024
Required application components:
High school transcript
Recommendation letter from a teacher or counselor
Essay/short answer responses
Proof of English language proficiency (for some applicants)
(2) Georgetown Pre-College Program in Entrepreneurship
The application deadline is one week before the start date of your program
Required application components:
Contact information for you and your parent or guardian.
Response to the following prompt: “Why you wish to take this course, and a bit of your story, through writing, video, photos—any media you prefer.”
(3) Stanford Pre-College: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Admissions deadline: March 29, 2024
Required application components:
Unofficial high school transcript
At least one work sample from the past year of studies
(4) Brown Pre-College: Leadership in Changing Business / Social Entrepreneurship
Admissions deadline: May 10, 2024
Required application components:
Completed application form
Unofficial high school transcript
Writing requirement: short (250-500) essay response to one of two prompts
Proof of English language proficiency (for some applicants)
(5) Georgetown Pre-College Program in Investing: $1,795 (same for 1, 2, and 4-week formats)
The application deadline is one week before the start date of your program
Required application components:
Contact information for you and your parent or guardian.
Response to the following prompt: “Why you wish to take this course, and a bit of your story, through writing, video, photos—any media you prefer.”
(6) UC San Diego: Business Management Program for High Schoolers: $1,050 total ($350 x 3 courses)
Multiple deadlines to enroll throughout the year
Required to enroll:
Proof of high school student status
Tips for a Successful Application
Online business courses have a limited number of spots. There is no easy way to gain admission to a program, and the most important factor is usually your high school transcript. However, there are steps you can take to maximize the strength of your application:
As with all academic programs, starting the application early is the single most impactful choice you can make to improve your chances of admission. Particularly for competitive programs, as soon as the application form becomes available, we recommend starting on those essays, requesting letters of recommendation, and getting on your way to submitting the materials. Leave yourself plenty of time to revise your admissions essays as needed.
Keep it simple. When admissions officers read your essays, they will be hoping to make a decision as quickly as possible. Think of them as the customer. As with marketing and communications, you should be aiming to deliver a clear and focused message.
Present yourself well. These are business courses, and your application materials are your business card. Consider formatting, spacing, and font consistency throughout your application.
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Strategies for Effective Online Learning
Just like with in-person classes, learning material through 100% online activities can, at times, be challenging. The most successful online learners are the students who deploy strategies to maintain their focus and energy throughout the course. This means different things for different learners, but in general, you can set yourself up for success by:
Minimizing distractions in your environment
Maintaining a high level of self-organization
Finding opportunities to connect one-on-one with your virtual peers and mentors
Applying Business Concepts to Real-World Problems
Connecting individually with mentors is one of the keys to effective virtual learning. At Polygence, we pair business-oriented high schoolers with experienced mentors — like Chris or Eddy — to help guide them through independent business projects that solve real-world problems. Past Polygence projects have explored digital marketing in the makeup industry, corporate social responsibility, and finance models. Polygence students get ten 1:1 sessions with their mentor — an advanced graduate student or industry expert — all of whom are dedicated to steering you towards success in business.
To learn more about opportunities for high schoolers to find their niche in business, check out Polygence’s core program here!