Want to Study Business and Finance? Try These 5 Summer Courses for High School Students

Business strategy, investing, and personal finance are critical skills for success in any field or any role.

Rising juniors and seniors in high school can explore these interesting and important subjects this summer in the Arthur M. Blank School Summer Program at Babson College, the No. 2 Best College in the United States, according to The Wall Street Journal.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Apply by March 15 to secure preferred courses for the Blank School Summer Program.

Babson undergraduates in the Class of 2025 recently reported an average starting salary of $77,642, which is 13 percent more than the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Winter 2026 Salary Survey projected average for business majors. The Babson salary also is on par with the College’s record-setting starting salary reported last year.

Here are five pre-college summer courses for students interested in business and finance:

Personal Finance: Dollars and Sense

• Program faculty: Glenn Migliozzi, CFA, associate professor of practice, who teaches Personal Finance and was named Faculty of the Year by the Classes of 2023 and 2021; and Mark Potter, professor and the Barefoot Term Chair in Finance, who has taught more than 100 courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive education levels since arriving at Babson College in 1995.
• Course description: The five pillars of personal finance are Earning, Spending, Saving, Borrowing, and Protecting. Together, they help you take care of your money now and prepare for the future. When you understand these areas, you can make smart choices, avoid money problems, and build financial security over time. The course will provide pre-class videos of each topic to be reviewed in advance of the daily classes. Successful completion of the assignments earns the Personal Finance Warrior Certificate.
• If this course intrigues you, also consider … Finance for Real Life: Money, Markets, and Informed Decisions, taught by Ahmed Ahmed, assistant professor of finance, who was named to Poets & Quants’ list of 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2025.
• Read more: Babson Experts on How to Recession-Proof Your Finances

Intro to Business Strategy and Consulting

• Program faculty: Richard Wang, associate professor of management, who teaches business strategy courses at the undergraduate and MBA levels.
• Course description: Step into the world of consulting and business strategy through real-world cases and team-based problem-solving. Students will learn how companies assess markets, analyze competitors, and make strategic decisions. You will practice breaking down complex problems, synthesizing insights, and presenting recommendations—building skills valued in business, consulting, and entrepreneurship.
• If this course intrigues you, also consider … The Art & Science of Negotiation: Skills for Life, College, and Career, taught by Amanda Weirup, assistant professor of management.
• Read more: Hands-On, All-In: Babson’s Retailing Management Students Create Unforgettable Pop-Up Experience

Inside Wall Street: How Investors Find Winning Stocks

• Program faculty: Patrick Gregory, CFA, professor of practice and the managing director of the Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance, as well as the director of the Babson College Fund
• Course description: Think like an analyst and pitch like a professional investor in this immersive finance course. Led by a former equity analyst and portfolio manager, you’ll explore how investors evaluate companies, value stocks, and interpret markets. Using accessible versions of industry tools, you’ll practice sourcing data, modeling competitive dynamics, and synthesizing insights from earnings calls and filings. You’ll see how today’s investors use AI to accelerate research while strengthening—not replacing—critical thinking. The week culminates in a team-based stock pitch modeled on real investment-fund practices. Ideal for students curious about finance, economics, or markets.
• If this course intrigues you, also consider … Commodities Trading by Ryan Davies, professor of finance, who teaches advanced undergraduate and graduate finance electives.
• Read more: Generating a 28% Return: Investment Advice from Students with the Babson College Fund

Vibe Coding for Business

• Program faculty: Zhi Li, assistant professor of practice in the Operations and Information Management Division 
• Course description: Build and deploy real digital products with AI—no prior coding experience required. In this future-facing, hands-on course, students use AI as a development interface to create websites, automate workflows, and prototype business ideas simply by describing what they want to build. Vibe coding is a natural-language-driven way of building with AI that helps students focus on product behavior, iteration, and outcomes rather than programming syntax. By the end of the course, students will have a portfolio of deployed projects to share with colleges, clubs, or future collaborators.
• If this course intrigues you, also consider … Real Estate Market Moves: Unlocking the Secrets to Investing, taught by Erin Degnan Escobedo, associate professor of practice, the George E. Sly ’53 Term Chair in Real Estate Management, and the faculty director of the TARCO Institute of Real Estate and Entrepreneurship 
• Read more: Technological Literacy: The Must-Have Skill for the Future of Work

Pitch Perfect: Master the Communication Behind Million-Dollar Ideas

• Program faculty: Olga Birioukova, who teaches research and writing in the Arts & Humanities Division
• Course description: Why do some pitches get funded while others flop? It’s not what you say—it’s how you say it. But how do you master that? This course decodes the psychology and linguistics of persuasion, revealing the secrets successful entrepreneurs use to win investors, customers, and teams. Through hands-on analysis and practice, you will craft and pitch your own business concept, mastering the same communication strategies Babson founders use to overcome objections, win rooms, and raise capital.
• If this course intrigues you, also consider … The Entrepreneur’s Edge: How to Speak Up and Find Your Voice, taught by Keri Thompson and Sharon Sinnott, director of the Babson College Speech Center
• Read more: I Won $100,000 for My Business Pitch—and 3 Simple Strategies Helped Me Do It

More Summer at Babson

• Want to Be an Entrepreneur? Try These 5 Summer Courses for High School Students
• Summer at Babson Introduces New Opportunities for High School and Babson Students
• An Entrepreneurial Summer: How Babson Impacts Communities Year-Round
• Why Is Babson No. 1 for Entrepreneurship? Here Are 30 Reasons