Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars offers several course models for high school students ages 14-17 who are in 9th-11th grades in Spring 2025. Dates are defined as first class to last class day. 

• Classic, a two-week residential academic program (9 instructional days with the second Friday off)
• Hybrid, consisting of one week online and one week on campus (5 days online, 5 days in person)
• Academic with Adventure Component, 7 instructional days plus 2 days of field-based learning experiences at Moosilauke Ravine lodge

• Bioscience/Medicine/Pre-med
• Engineering (any field)
• Economics
• Math (such as number theory, cryptography)
• Physics/Astronomy
• Environmental science
• Legal studies/Pre-law
• Engineering (any field)
• Business/Finance
• Conflict resolution/public discourse
• International Relations
• Political science/Government
• Philosophy
• Persuasive writing
• Social sciences
• Psychology and Brain Sciences
• Computer science/Data science

Each class day will equate to around 5 hours of structured academic time, which should be a mix of instructor-led teaching, supervised assignment/project work (which participants can work on independently or in groups), and other co-curricular activities (local field trips, guest speakers, etc.).  Some portion of the last day is usually dedicated to final project presentations.

Morning classes run from 9-12 and afternoon classes run from 2-4.

Current Dartmouth affiliates including tenure-track and non-tenure track/teaching faculty, post docs, adjuncts, alumni and emeriti are welcome to submit a proposal.  Due to various policies at select schools that may impact eligibility, tenure-track faculty are encouraged to contact their supervisor and/or Summer Scholars staff for more information before submitting a proposal.

Qualified non-Dartmouth employees must apply for the Summer Pre-College Scholars instructor position on the Careers at Dartmouth website in addition to submitting a course proposal. Please email us at summer.scholars@dartmouth.edu and we will share the direct link to apply.

Dartmouth centers may also propose a course through an agreement with the Summer Scholars office.

As a condition of hire, all candidates whose courses are selected must:

• successfully complete a background check and minors compliance training
• agree to the Dartmouth Code of Conduct for Interacting with Minors
• be eligible to work in the U.S.

Required

• Master's degree, or equivalent
• Previous curriculum development and teaching experience at the college or high school level
• Enthusiasm for teaching high-achieving high school students and a commitment to their academic growth
• Written approval from their supervisor (Dartmouth affiliates only) to teach for Summer Scholars if your course proposal is selected

Preferred

• A terminal degree in your field, or equivalent combination of education and teaching experience
• Documented record of teaching excellence
• Previous teaching experience with academically ambitious high school students
• Familiarity with academic standards and culture at a selective liberal arts institution

Attend our Information Session

Those interested in teaching for Summer Scholars are encouraged to attend the August 21 information session before submitting their proposal. This recording provides more information about the course proposal process, teaching pre-college students, overall program plans, as well as the opportunity to ask questions of program staff.

The Info Session will be held August 21 from 12-1pm EST. Join here.

How to Submit a Proposal

• Submit your course proposal through our online Course Proposal Form.
• Non-Dartmouth applicants and those without an active Dartmouth appointment in Summer 2026 will also be required to apply to the Precollege Summer Scholars instructor position posted on the Careers at Dartmouth website. Please email summer.scholars@dartmouth.edu and we will email you the link to apply.

• Your name
• Course title
• Date availability
• Course description (around 100 words): Describe the course in non-technical language accessible to the proposed audience of precollege students. Be sure to address WHO the course is for (“This course is for students interested in …), and WHAT the course covers (“The course will include….”).
• Learning outcomes (around 100 words): Please describe participant learning outcomes. What will participants learn, understand, be able to do, etc. as a result of completing this course?
• Course prerequisites, if any: Prerequisites should be reasonable for high school students currently in 9th - 11th grade, and can be defined by course type (such as “AP/Honors Biology”) or specific knowledge (such as “experience coding in Python, Java, or C++” or “object-oriented programming”).
• Field trips or experiential components: Our most popular courses include field trips to different labs or centers around campus, guest speakers and hands on learning activities such as labs, simulations, team challenges, and more. What learning experiences would your course include?
• Final project/assignment: Because our programs are not for credit, a final assignment, presentation, or other capstone project is helpful to keep participants motivated. Please describe ideas for a final project or presentation for your course. 

If your proposal is selected...

• You will be notified by September 20. We will confirm the dates that your course will be offered and ask you to provide written approval from your supervisor to proceed.
• Courses will be advertised and applications opened beginning October 1.

Course Minimums

• Each course must have a minimum of 10 students in order to run, by March 1. We are happy to provide you enrollment updates on a monthly basis and encourage you to share your course with your network!
• If your course does not reach 10 students by March 1, it will be cancelled.
• If your course has reached the minimum of 10, we will process your hire in early March, including your background check and requesting your code of conduct for interacting with minors.

Course Maximums & Course Assistants

• While we do not have course maximums, it is our goal to reflect Dartmouth's dedication to personalized undergraduate teaching in the experience our precollege students have. If your course exceeds 30 students you are eligible for a course assistant, a current undergraduate student at Dartmouth with expertise in your field.
• We will create a job listing and share it with you, in case you have students you wish to invite to apply. We will share applications with you and you select the course assistant you wish to work with. Dartmouth Precollege will hire the Course Assistant directly. If you have not selected a course assistant by 30 days before the start date of your course, we will select one for you.