Please note: Summer@Brown Online courses do not offer housing or meals. All online courses are taught with the University’s learning management system called Canvas. For that reason, every online course includes a required orientation that familiarizes you with Canvas and the course’s expectations. The orientation will be available to enrolled students one week prior to the course starting and will take approximately three hours to complete. You are expected to complete the orientation by the end of the day on the Friday prior to the start of your course. 

Why

• Join a virtual community of young scholars engaged in the serious fun of learning.
• Learn how to navigate online courses in ways that mirror how many Universities offer online study.
• Explore the breadth and depth of Brown’s undergraduate curriculum and emphasis on student-centered learning.
• Experience the satisfying challenges of college-level academics. 
• Immerse yourself in subjects you choose. 
• Engage in courses that allow you to do independent research.
• Concentrate on learning without the pressure of formal grades.
• All students who successfully complete their online course will receive a  Digital CeCertificate of Completion. Students who complete a 3-week or longer online course will receive a Course Performance Report.

Courses found below are examples of those offered during Summer 2025. Courses for Summer 2026 will be available in early 2026.

When you take a Brown Pre-College Online course, you have the freedom to decide when and where you learn. With time to reflect, read, write, experiment and build, you enhance important critical thinking skills. Brown Pre-College Online provides the opportunity to strengthen your capacity for self-discipline and personal responsibility, skills necessary to excel in all learning environments. By taking an online class, you also become more comfortable with online learning – a format that is becoming increasingly important both in and out of school. Brown Pre-College Online provides the opportunity for you to choose the type of online learning experience that is best for you. 

All online courses include virtual office hours with your instructor and daily asynchronous engagement. Students learn in one of two formats outlined below. In the Course Catalog, each online course section indicates which format instructors will use in that particular offering.  

• Mostly asynchronous: The course will include a majority of asynchronous content and optional, encouraged opportunities for live sessions with your instructor and classmates to supplement course material. 
• Blended: The course will include asynchronous content and 1 to 3 prescheduled, required live sessions each week. These required live sessions are integral to the course experience. The times for these synchronous sessions will be listed in the course meeting time in the course catalog in late April.

Please reach out to a Program Advisor if you need assistance with choosing the right online learning experience for you.

Enroll in Brown Pre-College Online and choose from more than 35 courses across Summer@Brown and Leadership Institute that offer rigorous, active learning experiences, reflecting the breadth of Brown’s Open Curriculum, led by innovative and engaged instructors. You can learn online in one of two ways, depending on the course you choose: mostly asynchronously or blended. Through coursework that inspires curiosity and discovery, you’ll connect with peers from around the world—students who are as enthusiastic, creative and curious as you are.

A typical day in Summer@Brown Online

All online courses are designed for active learning. Plan to spend a couple of hours each day (about 15 hours per week) engaging in a variety of coursework. One day you might watch videos recorded by your instructor and participate in written discussions or peer review sessions with classmates. Another day might involve independent reading, working on a project or experiment, attending a scheduled session with the entire class or attending virtual office hours with your instructor, listening to a guest lecturer, viewing a video demonstration or meeting in small groups. Online courses provide many opportunities to interact synchronously and asynchronously with your instructor and fellow students, depending on the course you select.

Outside of your course, you have the opportunity to meet students taking other online and in-person courses through various programs that support your growth as a student and as a person. See Your Virtual Community for more information.

All over the world, youth are advocating for change both locally and globally. Through the Brown Leadership Institute, you’ll increase your understanding of complex social issues and your ability to advance social justice, no matter your current level of engagement.

Leadership online is a Blended Modality. The course will include asynchronous content and two weekly, prescheduled, required live sessions. These required live sessions, integral to the course experience, will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.

Your engagement includes reading and studying content independently and twice-weekly required live workshops with classmates and 1 on 1 meetings with your instructor. Throughout your online course, you have the opportunity to further enhance your leadership skills, explore socially responsible leadership and work to develop a meaningful Action Plan. Studying online gives you the freedom to decide how and where you learn and entrusts you with the responsibility to manage your time effectively. With time to reflect, read and write, you can enhance important critical thinking skills. You also have the opportunity to strengthen your capacity for self-discipline and personal responsibility; skills necessary to excel in all learning environments. By taking an online class you will become more comfortable with online learning – a format that is becoming increasingly important both in and out of school. Building on this new knowledge, you’ll develop an Action Plan you can take home and apply in your school or community. (Wondering what an Action Plan looks like? View examples here.)

A typical day in Leadership Institute Online

Plan to spend a couple of hours each day (approximately 15 to 20 hours per week) on various activities directly related to the course you are taking.  Most days will include independent reading, engaging in written discussion sessions with classmates, watching a guest lecturer or a video from your instructor, or working on your Action Plan. Twice a week, on  Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., your classmates will come together for required synchronous workshops. You will also meet virtually with instructors for one-on-one support and, throughout the course, engage with students in a cohort of learners committed to effecting positive change in their communities and the world.  

Outside of your course, you have the opportunity to engage with pre-college students through various programs that support your growth as a student and as a person. See Life Outside the Classroom: Your Virtual Communityfor more information.