Overview
There are not many summer programs where students will sit across from a WIRED editor and be asked what they actually think. The WIRED Summer Program is a four-week immersive in New York City, designed in direct collaboration with WIRED — the magazine that has shaped how people think about technology for three decades. The access is genuine and the structure is serious.
Four Weeks, Four Focused Themes
Week one grounds students in the landscape of emerging tech — where AI is actually going, which industries are being reshaped, and why. Week two takes on the harder questions: ethics, regulation, accountability, and the real-world consequences of technology moving faster than policy. Week three turns to how ideas become change, through startups, digital activism, healthcare innovation, and media. Week four lands on the future — climate tech, global AI governance, and the practical skills of pitching and presenting ideas that hold up in a room full of experts.
Students learn through lectures, workshops, hands-on labs, expert panels, and industry visits across NYC's tech ecosystem. That includes time inside WIRED at Condé Nast HQ, the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation, robotics labs working on healthcare applications, Tribeca galleries exploring the intersection of art and activism, a day trip to East Hampton focused on sustainability, and urban farming and climate innovation sites in Brooklyn.
Who This Is For
This one is for the student who has been paying attention. The one who reads about a new AI model and immediately wants to know what it means for their field — whether that's medicine, journalism, design, environmental science, or something nobody has named yet. The program is explicit that no engineering or coding background is required. What is required is genuine curiosity about where technology is going and why it matters.
It is also a strong fit for the undergraduate who feels stuck between disciplines — interested in tech but unwilling to narrow everything down to a CS degree. That middle ground is exactly who this program is built for.
Mentorship by WIRED Editors
This is the part that is genuinely hard to find elsewhere. Weekly mentorship with WIRED editors is built into the program structure — not as a one-time keynote, but as an ongoing relationship across four weeks. Guest lectures come from WIRED editors, AI ethics and cybersecurity specialists, founders of emerging tech startups, leaders in AI-driven design, and members of NYC's startup and hackathon community. The capstone project — an evidence-based proposal on a global technology issue — is presented to a panel of WIRED editors, industry experts, and technology entrepreneurs at the end of the program.
Cost & Information
- Eligibility: Minimum 2.5 GPA
- Duration: 4-week program
- Academic Credit: Eligible to earn four university credits
- Tuition: $4,995 Day · $6,495 Residential · discounted rate for early bird registration
- Scholarships: Limited merit scholarships available