General Information
Announcements: Graduate Programs in the Divisions provides an overview of all graduate programs at the University of Chicago in the Divisions of the Biological Sciences, the Humanities, the Physical Sciences, the Social Sciences, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the William B. and Catherine V. Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. Professional schools in the University are closely integrated into the wider University; their programs are briefly described here. An individual issue of the Announcements is also available from each professional school which describes its programs and requirements in detail.
This volume is organized in a way that reflects the organization and functioning of the University. Each department, program, or degree granting committee in the divisions of the University conducts its own admissions and aid competition, and sets its own degree requirements within a framework that is set by the University and by each division. However, divisions, departments, and programs engage in a substantial number of cooperative efforts, as evidenced by the large number of interdepartmental and interdivisional programs, committees, centers, and research groups in the University. Therefore, this volume contains a section for each division, and a separate section for interdivisional programs, centers, committees, and other organizations in which students may participate and, in some cases, earn a degree. The introductory section, which you are now reading, contains information about the University that is relevant to all students and applicants. A final section contains information for those interested in one of the professional schools.
Readers of these Announcements are advised that the policies and degree requirements of academic units that are set forth herein may change at any time without prior notice, or may represent a summary of more detailed policies and requirements. Students and applicants who wish the most up to date information regarding courses and degree requirements should review the division, department, or program website or contact the department, program, or the dean of students in the relevant division. The provisions of these Announcements are for informational purposes only and are not intended to create a contract or agreement between the University and any applicant or student.
History and Purpose
The University of Chicago is a private, nondenominational, coeducational institution of higher learning and research. It is located in the community of Hyde Park-South Kenwood, a culturally rich and ethnically diverse neighborhood seven miles south of downtown Chicago. Hyde Park-South Kenwood encompass one and one quarter square miles of commercial and residential districts that extend from 47th Street on the north to 61st Street on the south and from Cottage Grove Avenue eastward to the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The neighborhood is a stimulating blend of the urban and small town.
The University of Chicago includes the undergraduate College; four graduate Divisions (of the Biological Sciences, the Humanities, the Physical Sciences, and the Social Sciences); six graduate professional schools (the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the Divinity School, the Law School, the Pritzker School of Medicine, the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, and the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice); the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; the libraries, laboratories, museums, clinics, and institutes; the William B. and Catherine V. Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies; and the University of Chicago Press.
The University was founded by John D. Rockefeller. William Rainey Harper was its first president. Classes began on October 1, 1892, with an enrollment of 594 students and a faculty of 103, including eight former college presidents. In 1930 the undergraduate College and the graduate divisions were created by President Robert Maynard Hutchins to foster interdisciplinary study and encourage interdepartmental cooperation. Such cross fertilization continues to characterize the University.
Since its founding, the University has earned a reputation for recruiting a faculty committed to scholarly distinction and intellectual innovation. The faculty is represented in more than seventy honorary and professional societies, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Education. Eighty-seven members of the faculty, former students, or individuals who did research at the University have been named Nobel laureates, and seven are currently members of the faculty. Notable is the faculty’s tradition of developing cross disciplinary fields of study, such as Law and Economics, Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science, Ecology and Evolution, and the Institute for Mind and Biology. A leader in higher education, the University of Chicago has had a major impact on the nation’s colleges and universities.
The graduate programs in the University aim to send out graduates who have begun to develop mastery of the content and methods of their chosen field of study and who are equipped to continue to learn and to produce new knowledge. To that end, the University of Chicago offers an unusually free environment for graduate study, one that encourages both faculty and young scholars and researchers to develop their interests and talents by working with colleagues throughout the University.
In addition to its Ph.D. programs and the master’s degrees offered through them, the University offers a number of special degree programs for students who have completed a bachelor's degree or the equivalent. These free standing master’s degree programs, which may be departmental and multidisciplinary, or offered in conjunction with a master’s degree in a professional school, are carefully tailored for students whose goal is a master’s degree. Some students who successfully complete these programs subsequently decide to apply to doctoral programs at the University or elsewhere. However, these special degree programs are conceived as self-contained. These programs are listed below:
Division of the Biological Sciences
- Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences
- Master of Science in Precision Health
- Master of Public Health
- Master of Science in Public Health Sciences
Division of the Humanities
- Master of Arts in Digital Studies of Language, Culture, and History
- Master of Arts Program in the Humanities
- Middle Eastern Studies
- Visual Arts (M.F.A.)
Division of the Physical Sciences
- Master of Science in Applied Data Science
- Master of Science in Computational and Applied Mathematics
- Master of Science Program in Computer Science
- Master of Science Program in Financial Mathematics
- Master of Science Program in Statistics
Division of the Social Sciences
- International Relations
- Master of Arts Program in Computational Social Science
- Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences
- Middle Eastern Studies
Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
- Master of Engineering
Application to the Programs in the Divisions and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
Applicants for admission to graduate programs in the divisions at the University of Chicago should address their inquiries to the Office of Graduate Admissions, or to the dean of students of the graduate division or to the program to which application is being made. Applications are submitted electronically; applicants should consult the appropriate divisional or program website for information and instructions, or visit http://grad.uchicago.edu/admissions.
Division of the Biological Sciences
Doctoral Programs
Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
924 East 57th Street, Suite 104
Chicago, IL 60637 5416
(773) 834-2105
bsdadmissions@uchicago.edu
http://biosciences.uchicago.edu
Master's Programs
Master’s Programs Director
Office of Master’s Education
5841 S. Maryland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
bsd-masters@uchicago.edu
https://biologicalsciences.uchicago.edu/education/office-masters-education
Division of the Humanities
Dean of Students
Division of the Humanities
Walker Museum 111
1115 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-1552
humanitiesadmissions@uchicago.edu
http://humanities.uchicago.edu
Division of the Physical Sciences
Applicants should consult the website of the program to which they intend to apply for up to date admission materials.
http://physical-sciences.uchicago.edu
Division of the Social Sciences
Dean of Students
Division of the Social Sciences
1126 East 59th Street, Room 101
Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-8415
ssd-admissions@uchicago.edu
http://socialsciences.uchicago.edu
Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
Eckhardt Research Center 207
5640 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 834-5549
mailto://pme-admissions@uchicago.edu
http://pme.uchicago.edu/
An applicant who holds a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited institution is considered for admission on the basis of (1) an undergraduate record, (2) a well organized plan for graduate study, (3) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and English proficiency scores, where required, and (4) recommendations from individuals acquainted with the ability, potential, qualifications, and motivation of the applicant. The number of letters required varies by program. In the case of applicants to doctoral programs, these should generally be from faculty members who have supervised the applicant in research or advanced study. For certain programs, professional references, such as work supervisors, may be allowed or preferred, and individuals who have been out of school for a number of years may also consider using such individuals as a reference.
Certain departments of the University require additional credentials; details concerning these additional credentials are available as part of the online application, or will be sent to candidates for admission after they have submitted their applications.
Unofficial transcripts of all academic work and contact information for your recommenders must be submitted with the application. More detailed instructions are included with each division's application. Every applicant is asked to study the general statement of the division he or she plans to enter and the specific requirements of the proposed field of graduate study.
International Students
Students who require visa support from the University will be required to submit, if admitted, documentation of all sources of financial support for any expenses not covered by any funding provided by the University.
Application Deadlines
Applications for admission and for aid must be submitted by the appropriate deadline. Application deadlines can be found on the online applications and may be as early as December 1 for the following autumn. Incomplete applications may be reviewed at the discretion of each program, but such review is not guaranteed.
Part-Time Study
Part-time study is more feasible in some programs than in others. The dean of students or admissions office can answer questions about opportunities for part-time study in particular programs. Student loans based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are available to eligible students enrolled at least half time. Applicants who wish to enroll on a part-time basis in a program without a stated part-time enrollment option should contact the program admissions office or dean of students office prior to submitting an application for admission.
Applicants who wish to begin their studies on a part-time basis should contact the divisional dean of students or admissions office.
Decisions
Most admission and aid decisions for doctoral programs beginning the following autumn quarter are sent by mid-March. Decision timelines for master's programs vary, depending upon the application round the candidate applies under.
All doctoral and many master’s programs at the University participate in the Council of Graduate Schools’ “April 15 Resolution.” Programs that do participate in the April 15 Resolution include this information in offers of admission. Offers of admission are accompanied by a full list of terms and conditions, and acceptance of an offer of admission or funding from the University of Chicago indicates your understanding of and agreement to these terms.
Students with Disabilities
As soon as possible after having been admitted, students should contact their divisional dean of students and the Student Disability Services office.
Application to Professional Schools
Students interested in the University’s professional schools (the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the Divinity School, the Law School, the Pritzker School of Medicine, the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, or the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice) should contact the admissions office of each school. Applicants to the Divinity School, the Harris School, and the Crown Family School may also contact the Office of Graduate Admissions in UChicagoGRAD. Students interested in general courses, courses as a student-at-large, returning scholar, the Master of Liberal Arts, the Master of Science in Threat and Response Management, or the Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics program should contact the William B. and Catherine V. Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies.
Being a Student at the University of Chicago
From healthcare services to cultural programming, the University of Chicago is dedicated to supporting and enriching the life of its graduate students. To that end, there are many offices and programs that exist to create a healthy, safe, and productive environment for students both inside and outside the classroom. You can find a list of resources available to graduate students at http://grad.uchicago.edu/. Additional information is also available from the Office of Campus and Student Life, 5801 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637.
Chicago is a vibrant and exciting city that you will want to explore. As a world class city, Chicago also presents all of the typical challenges of a complex modern urban society. While the University takes measures to ensure a safe campus environment, there are also many things you can do to ensure your own safety. The University’s campus safety report is designed to help equip you to navigate the city successfully and offers information about the University offices that provide services related to security and safety. The report is available online at securityreport.uchicago.edu. Hard copies of the report are available upon request from the Office of Campus and Student Life, Behar Family House, 5711 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (or via phone to (773) 702-5243).
As a member of the University of Chicago community, there are University policies and regulations you are responsible for knowing. These policies protect your rights and outline your responsibilities as students. For instance, the Graduate Student Parents Policy grants academic accommodations to graduate students who are also new parents, and Registration for Students in Ph.D. programs defines the status of such students as they progress through their studies. A complete statement of policies and regulations can be found at http://studentmanual.uchicago.edu/