Does your teen light up when rolling up their sleeves to dig into hands-on projects? Do they learn more deeply by applying developing skills to real projects and problems? 

If so, check out these hidden gem hands-on-learning schools:

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

At RIT, creativity and innovation rule with an acclaimed co-op program, state-of-the-art studios and labs, and 90% of students completing hands-on research.

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

With cooperative education requirements, your student will gain 18 months of real-world experience in five years through Drexel's experiential learning focus.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY

Is your student an environmental steward? At SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry, they can get their hands dirty in over 2 million acres of Adirondack and Catskill forests while conducting real field research.

WPI, Worcester, MA

WPI's project-based curriculum emphasizes hands-on collaboration and problem-solving. “Through a project-based education, students discover the value of learning by doing. They take the hypothetical and make it real, applying skills and concepts from the classroom to real problems, leading to real-world experience and impact. “

RPI, Troy, NY
RPI’s School of Engineering is a leader in experiential learning with initiatives and innovation spaces for hands-on engineering projects including The O.T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory and the Manufacturing Innovations Learning Laboratory. 

Rose-Hulman, Terre Haute, IN

Rose-Hulman integrates practical lab work into engineering coursework. “At Rose, it’s the hands-on work where students feel they learn the most. From creating a self-sustaining greenhouse to researching coffee and chocolate in a food lab, to designing a prosthetic hand that cuts a slice of pizza, Rose students are innovators.”

Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA

According to their website, learning by doing is woven into the curriculum. “Whether it’s a journalism student interning for a local newspaper, a political science major placed at city hall for a special project or an animal science student with the opportunity to birth a foal, Cal Poly Pomona students learn by doing.”

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME

COA students design their own hands-on programs blending sciences, arts, and humanities tailored to sustainability challenges.

Champlain College, Burlington, VT

Champlain emphasizes career-focused, hands-on work across majors in its innovative upside-down curriculum, where students dive into classes in their major in the first semester to better prepare them for internships in their fields of interest.