Pre-College

June 15 – 20 | June 22 – 27

Weeklong summer immersion programs at UNC Asheville offer high school students a deep dive into academic topics and hands-on experience.

UNC Asheville’s Pre-College Programs introduce high school students to college-level study, university life, and career options in a dynamic learning environment. Each one-week program offers deep immersion into an academic topic, challenging activities, and the opportunity to engage with industry professionals.

Dates: June 15-20 and June 22-27, 2025

Format: Pre-College Programs run from Sunday to Friday, and each day is filled with both classroom and recreational activity. All programs include hands-on learning and projects, and many programs will feature off-campus excursions. All students live on campus to fully experience university life and the surrounding community.

Eligibility: Pre-College Programs are open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Living on Campus: Double occupancy in a shared suite. Residence halls are airconditioned. Meals will be in Brown Dining Hall.

Tuition: Programs start at $1,440 and include lodging, meals, all course materials, activities and excursions.


Student Testimonials


Art Programs:

Film Scoring & Sound Design

June 15-20, 2025

Music is an important part of the storytelling process in films. Learn how to compose cinematic music that evokes emotion using Hollywood film scoring techniques In this class, we will develop a score concept, work with virtual instruments and compose music for an animation film. Sound design is taught by using textures and effects to enhance dynamics for visual impact. Musicians, non-musicians and film students are welcome.

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Music Composition & Songwriting

June 22 – 27, 2025

Develop creative and performing skills through composition, song-writing, and improvisation exercises. Create original music individually, and compose music collaboratively with other students. Perform original and improvised music on your instrument/voice. The week will culminate in a performance of a new, original musical work.

Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop: Developing Voice & Fiction Writing

June 15 – 20, 2025

Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works-in-progress and critique works of others in a collaborative workshop setting.

Developing Voice

Fiction is woven together from a multitude of voices: omniscient authors, first person narrators, each individual character all have distinctive manners and (hopefully) recognizable traits. What does it mean to have a “voice”? How do you distinguish between voices and maintain a cohesive style? This course will address these issues, looking at authorial and character voice as an integral part of storytelling. We’ll analyze a range of examples of voice in fiction and drama, and then work on our own developing voices. Students will receive feedback from the instructor and fellow writers, revising towards 5-8 pages of prose focusing on some form of voice.

Entering the Portal of Story

Ever wonder what it would be like to step through a portal, out of this reality and into another? The spark of an idea can transport us to other realms, but what do we as writers do once we get there? In this class, we’ll be exploring some techniques for how to move from that initial spark into a story—with fully-drawn characters, meaningful settings, and scenes that propel your reader forward. The focus of this class will be on speculative genres—fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism, etc.—but you don’t have to have experience writing in these genres to join.

Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop: Nature-Based Poetry & Worldbuilding 101

June 22 – 27, 2025

Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works-in-progress and critique works of others in a collaborative workshop setting.

Nature-Based Poetry

What does it mean to be a nature-based poetry writer? In this creative writing workshop, participants will learn how to incorporate aspects of nature into their poems through prompts. They’ll read samples from established poets to explore the techniques that writers have used to create compelling works. In addition to craft, participants will gain knowledge in using their senses not only to write well, but also to pay close attention to the non-human beings teeming with life or endangered in the natural world.

Worldbuilding 101

You’ve got your characters developed, with compelling backstories and witty banter. You have a compelling plot, sure to keep your readers breathlessly turning pages. All that’s left is everything else: the physical, cultural, socio-economic, and temporal setting. When and where does this story take place. This class will work on world building, the process of creating a believable setting for your story. This might mean creating whole cultures and political systems for a fantasy or sci-fi story, or the intricacies of a local high school for a realistic YA. But the process and techniques are the same. We’ll analyze a range of examples of setting in fiction, and then work on our own world building skills. Students will receive feedback from the instructor and fellow writers, revising towards 5-8 pages of prose focusing on setting.

Ceramic Pottery

June 15 – 20, 2025

Gain hands on experience in the ceramics studio and learn new techniques. Express creativity while learning to manipulate clay into sculpture and pottery. Create vessels by wheel-throwing and coil building. Learn to paint with underglazes. Form plates & shallow bowls by rolling out clay and carving. Take home your creations!

Ceramic Pottery

June 22 – 27, 2025

Gain hands on experience in the ceramics studio and learn new techniques. Express creativity while learning to manipulate clay into sculpture and pottery. Create vessels by wheel-throwing and coil building. Learn to paint with underglazes. Form plates & shallow bowls by rolling out clay and carving. Take home your creations!


Science Programs:

Climate, Robotics, Rocketry and Aerospace Engineering

June 15-20, 2025

Interactively learn about robotics, rocketry, climate science, and aerospace and satellite engineering. Participate in numerous hands-on robotics and engineering tasks such as how to design a robotic rover, and building and launching a model rocket with ​ sensors on board. The student teams will launch the model rockets they build in camp on the UNC campus. Build an Arduino controlled mini weather station and launch them on drones, and analyze the data you collect. Learn from STEM professionals about all the opportunities STEM fields have to offer.

Meteorology

June 22 – 27, 2025

Interactively explore the wonders of our atmosphere and experience the joys of a career in meteorology. Learn the fundamental principles of the atmospheric sciences through hands-on demonstrations and study the relationship between pressure, temperature, and elevation in the mountains. Build your own research-quality weather station. Visit the National Centers for Environmental Information, a permanent weather station, and a local media outlet to learn about careers in professional meteorology. Become a broadcast meteorologist for a day and present your forecast in a real television studio.

Wildlife Wonders: Appalachian Zoology

June 15 – 20, 2025

Aspiring biologists and naturalists will learn about the animal life of the southern Appalachian Mountains through discussions and workshops, hands-on lab experiments, and local field trips. Learn to identify local species by searching for salamanders at a private nature reserve, snorkeling in crystal clear mountain streams, and learning to use microscopes and zoology museum collections. We will learn the proper use of zoological field and laboratory equipment such as aquatic and insect nets, binoculars, dissecting microscopes, and compound microscopes. Field trips will focus on learning how to observe and identify vertebrate wildlife in the different habitats of Western North Carolina. Finally, we will wrestle with challenging questions through readings and discussions, such as trying to figure out which species of wolves used to live in the mountains.

Pre-Med

June 22 – 27, 2025

Work with a team on a simulated patient case, run microbiological and biochemical tests, debate treatment options and navigate the patient-doctor relationship. Learn about heart anatomy and function through a hands-on pig heart dissection.

Video Game Design

June 15 – 20, 2025

Learn the fundamentals of game development using industry-standard Unreal Engine software. Playtest games in UNCA’s Esports Center and transform from consumers of video games into creators as you start to think about games from a developer’s perspective

UNC Asheville Esports Center

Esports

June 22 – 27, 2025

Esports Bootcamp for League of Legends and Rocket League. Learn the tools and strategies involved in taking gameplay to the next level by two collegiate and professional coaches from both games. Get individualized and personally tailored coaching that works on micro and macro play as well as a toolkit for further development once the Bootcamp is over.

Geology & Adventure

June 15 – 20, 2025

Learn about the geology of the Southern Appalachians while hiking and rafting to scenic landmarks. Practice field-based learning while rock climbing and rappelling on the beautiful granite bodies of western North Carolina. Experience the geology of caving systems while spelunking. Enjoy time outdoors, build lifelong friendships, participate in adventure experiences, and see what it is like to be a geologist for a week!

Geology & Adventure

June 22 – 27, 2025

Learn about the geology of the Southern Appalachians while hiking and rafting to scenic landmarks. Practice field-based learning while rock climbing and rappelling on the beautiful granite bodies of western North Carolina. Experience the geology of caving systems while spelunking. Enjoy time outdoors, build lifelong friendships, participate in adventure experiences, and see what it is like to be a geologist for a week!

River Ecology & Adventure

June 15 – 20, 2025

Explore and discover our natural, aquatic world. Engaging field-based learning will pair with outdoor skills and trips. Learn about Southern Appalachian stream ecology while canoeing sections of pristine rivers, hiking to wilderness swimming holes and investigating local aquatic species, and be challenged to think critically about human impact on the environment while rafting exciting whitewater.

River Ecology & Adventure

June 22 – 27, 2025

Explore and discover our natural, aquatic world. Engaging field-based learning will pair with outdoor skills and trips. Learn about Southern Appalachian stream ecology while canoeing sections of pristine rivers, hiking to wilderness swimming holes and investigating local aquatic species, and be challenged to think critically about human impact on the environment while rafting exciting whitewater.

Frequently Asked Questions

Participants enrolled in both Pre-College weeks will need to check out on Friday, June 20 and check in again on Sunday, June 22, as we do not have the ability to house students over the weekend in-between sessions.

Participants with a roommate request, please have both parties email precollege@unca.edu

There are some need based scholarships available for Climate, Robotics, Rocketry & Aerospace Engineering. Email info@destinationspace-stem.org for more information.

Check-in will be on Sunday from 3:30pm – 5:00pm and check-out will be on Friday at 11:00am.

○ Students will have a closing session on Friday from 9:00am-11:00am where they are presenting material they learned over the week. All parents and guardians are invited to the closing session.

Linens are not provided, so you’ll need to bring your own. Bed size is extra-long twin. We recommend 1 twin sheet set (xl twin), pillow with case, bath towel, and wash cloth

For participants that live outside of a reasonable driving distance, you may fly into the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL).  Upon registration, please choose the appropriate “add on” shuttle option.

Have additional questions? Please contact us at precollege@unca.edu.