About

The Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Academy is a three-week summer program offered through the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences, designed for high school students with prior academic experience in biology who are interested in microbial science, immunology, and infectious disease. Like all of the UPenn Academies it is run in conjunction with Summer Discovery, which oversees the non-academic portions of the program.

The academy introduces students to foundational concepts in microbiology while emphasizing how laboratory research informs public health, medicine, and disease prevention. Instruction combines faculty-led lectures with hands-on laboratory activities, allowing students to engage directly with experimental techniques and data interpretation. While compressed in duration, the program is structured to expose participants to the scientific frameworks and methodologies that underpin modern infectious-disease research rather than functioning as a survey-style enrichment course.

The academy runs full-time over three weeks and is hosted on Penn’s campus as part of its Summer Academies portfolio. Coursework is taught by Penn faculty and affiliated instructors and includes laboratory exercises, guided experiments, and small-group academic discussion. Although the program does not publicly disclose admissions data it is at least moderately rigorous, and along with essays and recommendations, applicants should note a minimum 3.5 GPA, a year of biology (required), and a year of chemistry (strongly recommended). The program is structured into distinct portions: lectures, journal club and peer-reviewed research discussions, wet lab, and computational lab. Students live in Penn residential housing and participate in a structured academic schedule alongside peers from the U.S. and abroad.

Students gain early exposure to laboratory reasoning, microbiological techniques, and the conceptual foundations of infectious-disease research. The program emphasizes how experimental science translates into real-world medical and public-health applications, helping students assess whether further study in biological research or medicine aligns with their interests. While the academy is not research-focused, participants typically leave with a clearer understanding of laboratory science, strengthened academic writing skills, and experience engaging with faculty-level material on a college campus.

The UPenn Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Academy is an engaging, academically rigorous summer program for students interested in microbiology and biomedicine.