Course & Session Information

Is it your desire to attend Texas A&M?
Want to spend Saturday sawing ’em off at Kyle Field? Want to stroll through campus saying “Howdy” to your fellow Aggies? Dreamed about participating in traditions from Midnight Yell to Muster? If so, this class will help you meet your goal of getting into one of the preeminent universities in Texas and the most prestigious school in the SEC. Especially designed for rising 11th and 12th graders beginning the college application process, this course is structured to educate and equip students with the knowledge, skills, and resources to enhance their college readiness level and plan and prepare for entrance into higher education. This high-impact college readiness course includes: customized writing workshops; assistance with a writing coach in the development of resumes and generation of responses to the “Apply Texas” college application essays; scholarship information; and in-depth camp activities and events that help students experience the “overall” Spirit of Aggieland.
Note: Exclusively offered for rising seniors for Fall 2026

Students enrolled in the BioForce course will partner with the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) at Texas A&M University which introduces Texas high school students to the rapidly evolving biomanufacturing industry. Students will participate in engaging lectures by industry professionals, tour Texas biotechnology research and production facilities, and perform hands-on activities such as cleanroom gowning, liquid chromatography, and bacterial transformation. Lectures and labs build upon biology and chemistry concepts taught in high school curricula to highlight the process of how medical research is translated into new drugs and treatments before being used with patients. BioForce is designed to ignite a passion for the biological sciences and encourage students to consider a career in this underrepresented industry

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/6/26 to attend this course

Designed to get a true “reaction” from participants as they explore the fun-damental elements of Physics and Chemistry, this class is programmed full of exciting laboratories and interactive demonstrations led by two of the most notable teaching professors at TAMU. Viral TikTok sensation Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova (@tamuphysastr) will magnetically attract students to the Physics domain through hands-on exploration of both cutting-edge and fundamental concepts related to motion, matter, and cryogenics. Dr. Jim Pennington (TAMU Chemistry Road show) will engage participants in explosive activities related to chromatography, color, and alchemy. This class will highlight all of the scientific aspects that “matter” and serve as a “catalyst” for anyone interested in a career in scientific research through direct “interface” with the concepts that form the “base” of these two fields.

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/6/26 to attend this course

Interested in a career in Kinesiology or sports medicine? The “MVP”articipants who take this class will work with faculty and staff in the TAMU Dept. of Kinesiology & Sports Management and Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance to connect scientific principles and practices to the Sports Medicine field. Clinical, Sport and Exercise physiology concepts will be demonstrated as students learn modern techniques of monitoring and measuring health related fitness testing on state-of-the-art equipment (and smart watches!). Gain insight about professional practices in sports medicine while practicing various approaches to athletic training (treatment and rehabilitation). Feed your mind with concepts related to sports nutrition and use this knowledge to “work out” a sports-specific dietary plan that you’ll then consume at the Slocum Nutrition Center. Go for the gold at the end of the week with a case study presentation to TAMU coaches, Aggie athletes, and KNSM faculty on how to train, test, fuel, condition and coach elite athletes who are prepping for the 2028 Olympic games.

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/6/26 to attend this course

Learn the basics of how the oceans and atmosphere work and how to observe these two related fluid masses of our planet. Students in this course will be immersed with O&M at A&M including a hands-on operation of our Aggie Doppler Radar (ADRAD), launching and interpreting data from weather balloons, reading and analyzing satellite data, and even venturing to Galveston Bay for a mini-cruise featuring oceanography water sampling and marine life observation.

Students will be “blown away” with their new understanding of severe and hazardous weather including the combined power of the ocean and atmosphere in nature’s fury: the hurricane. After participating in this course, students will “H2Know” if a career in Oceanography and Meteorology is right for them!!

NEW for YAP 2026!

Calling all characters! (literally). From concept to creation, this class invites campers to design outside the box and bring original characters to life. Campers will explore how professional artists design characters for animation, video games, and comics by learning how shape, color, and visual storytelling work together to communicate personality and narrative. Through hands-on sketching, research, and iteration, campers will develop their own character using both traditional drawing tools and digital illustration platforms such as Adobe Photoshop and Procreate. Along the way, they learn how artists refine ideas through feedback, revision, and creative problem-solving. By the end of the week, campers will “level-up” their design skills and produce a fully rendered character concept sheet that showcases costume, color palette, and character identity – proof that great characters don’t just spawn by themselves, they’re designed!

This program will introduce participants to what it takes to get into vet school, what it’s like once you are in, and what career options you have once you get out. Get a closer look at radiology, see if you can handle herpetology, and get a gut feeling about parasitology fields. Ruminate whether you can stomach a stomach as you get hands-on (and even hands-in) experience with large animals. Sew up your interest in the field by completing a small animal surgery using plush pets as patients. If you love learning about creatures that slither, crawl, bounce, and pounce, this class is for you!

*Must be at least 13 years old by 7/12/26 to attend this course.

NEW for YAP 2026!

Ready Player One? This cutting-edge course invites campers to “press start” on immersive creativity as they explore the world of virtual reality, interactive environments, and game design. Campers will discover how VR works and how designers create engaging digital experiences by experimenting with beginner-friendly creation tools, interactive elements, and block-based coding. During the week, campers will design simple games and virtual spaces that bring ideas from math, science, and storytelling into three-dimensional worlds – no cheat codes required! Using Meta Quest VR headsets and intuitive VR creation platforms, campers will collaborate, test ideas, and iterate on their designs. By the end of the camp, campers will unlock a fully interactive VR scene or mini-game of their own creation, proving that imagination doesn’t just think outside the box – it builds the world around it!

Have you wondered how companies like 23andMe or AncestryDNA can tell you the story of your DNA using only your saliva? This special Hybrid class is designed to expose students to the modern world of Biotechnology. Through specially designed laboratories, experiments, and demonstrations, participants will be introduced to the latest scientific principles behind cutting-edge technologies including genetic profiling, molecular imaging, and DNA technology – all while obtaining hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation. This course goes far beyond what can be learned in traditional teaching laboratories and highlights the exciting aspects of a career in Biotech related fields.

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/19/26 to attend this course

NEW for YAP 2026!

Discover the power of movement and the thrill of making ideas come alive! In Engineering Design: Mechanics, students will take on the role of creative engineers as they design, prototype, and test mechanical systems that turn imagination into motion. Think as an engineer as you prototype simple and compound machines to complete a design challenge. Through a hands-on, team-based approach, campers will learn how real-world designers move from sketch to structure – testing, adjusting, and improving with each build. The week culminates in a Mechanics Showcase, where teams demonstrate their working machines and celebrate the inventive spirit that drives engineering forward. This class is perfect for future engineers eager to discover how movement, mechanics, and imagination come together to make things work.

NEW for YAP 2026!

Have you ever wondered why we think, feel, and behave the way we do? Get ready for a journey into the fascinating world of psychological science! In this week-long course, students will explore core area of psychology such as how the brain influences thoughts and emotions, the remarkable differences in people’s personality, and how people influence one another in social settings. Students will also explore how modern technology affects our thoughts, emotions, and behavior, and how developing a quiet mind may help counter some of the challenges of modern life. Through interactive activities, demonstrations, and applied exercises, students will investigate classic and contemporary questions in psychology. By the end of the course, students will understand foundational ideas in neuroscience, social, personality, and clinical psychology, and how to continue exploring psychology in high school and beyond! 

In this “smashing” course, students will get a closer (microscopic) look at the chemistry behind particle collision. When most people think about doing chemistry, they often picture a scientist mixing solutions, or heating things over a flame to cause them to react, but it turns out that another way to make molecules react is to dramatically crush them together! This type of chemistry is called Mechano-chemistry, where the application of mechanical force can be used to drive chemical reactions without adding heat or the use of toxic solvents, making it a more efficient way to create new materials. Students will learn how to “use the force” to make chemistry happen and will gain hands-on experience with the equipment used for carrying out and studying Mechanochemical reactions ranging from simple mechanical mills to advanced microscopes such as atomic force and confocal fluorescence microscopes that allow us to see how molecules change when we “put the hammer down.”

*Must be at least 15 years old by 7/19/26 to attend this course.

NEW for YAP 2026!

Attention aspiring artists! This class introduces campers to the art of painting with pixels, where creativity meets technology and every brushstroke is just a Ctrl-Z away. Campers learn how traditional art principles like composition, color, light, and texture translate into the digital world while gaining hands-on experience painting with tablets and styluses. Using industry-standard software such as Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, and Krita, campers will experiment with layers, brushes, blending modes, and lighting techniques to turn blank screens into vibrant works of art. Emphasis is placed on creative exploration, iteration, and learning how digital artists build depth and mood one layer at a time. By the end of the camp, campers will export their skills into a fully rendered digital still-life painting of their own design that shows how technology can be used to make gallery-worthy “art”ifacts!