Academic Opportunities

Studying the Humanities at UChicago prepares students for a highly diverse range of careers and graduate programs. Aspiring humanists can take advantage of faculty expertise across disciplines and a wide variety of academic and career resources.

Below is a sample of the types of opportunities for Humanities students at UChicago:

• Careers in the Humanities Day: immerses students in the many different career fields available to humanists. Students engage with alumni and employers representing a wide breadth of industries, including digital media, film, journalism, music, publishing, theatre, and more. At the most recent event, alumni and employer mentors had professional experience from 30 leading organizations, including Browne and Miller Literary Associates, Disney, Electronic Arts, Google, Netflix, Turner Networks, Warner Brothers Records, and W.W. Norton Publishers.
• The College Summer Institute in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences provides selected undergraduates the opportunity to undertake intensive intellectual training and research with accomplished scholars and peers at the University of Chicago. Summer Institute Scholars collaborate closely with a small cohort of faculty across humanistic disciplines in an environment that encourages creative academic inquiry, rigorous discourse, and helps them to develop the research tools necessary for further engagement with their own disciplines.
• The College Summer Research Fellows Program provides grants to support summer research opportunities for undergraduate students who plan to pursue a doctoral degree in a liberal arts or science field.
• The Digital Media Exploration Program gives incoming first-year students the opportunity to explore the multifaceted world of digital media and visit with top employers in Austin, TX.
• JAMGrants provide funding for students to pursue unpaid opportunities in journalism, arts, and media during both the academic year and the summer.
• The Journalism, Cinematic Arts, and Media Exploration Program gives incoming first-year students the opportunity to explore the current media, entertainment, and storytelling landscape through visits to film studios, television networks, and broadcast outlets in Los Angeles, CA.
• The Liew Family College Research Fellows Fund provides grants to support undergraduate students who have secured unpaid research opportunities during Winter and Spring Quarter with UChicago faculty members. 25% of all grants are reserved for humanities majors.
• The PRISM Research Grant funds summer research projects for students majoring in select humanities and social science disciplines.
• The Seidel Scholars PRISM Grant funds nontraditional experiential projects for students majoring in select humanities and social science disciplines.
• The Smart Scholars Program supports research opportunities at the Smart Museum of Art in close collaboration with curatorial and research staff and affiliated faculty.
• Summer International Travel Grants offered by the Study Abroad Office provide funding for students to pursue summer research and language study outside of the United States.
• UChicago Arts Grants provide funding to support arts practice, exhibition, and performance across campus.
• UChicago Careers in Journalism, Arts, and Media (UCIJAM) prepares students to launch careers in these fast-changing and interdisciplinary fields. With support from expert career advisers, networking opportunities with industry leaders, and hands-on experiential learning opportunities, UCIJAM allows students to channel their creativity into career success.

As a global leader in the social sciences, UChicago prepares students for the most competitive social science careers, graduate programs, and fellowship opportunities. With support from UChicago’s world-class social sciences faculty and campus resources such as Career Advancement, social science majors pursue employment and advanced study across a wide range of disciplines.

Below are just a few of the opportunities UChicago offers for aspiring social scientists to help them prepare for academic and career success:

• The Merriam Scholars Program provides merit grants at the time of admission to students who demonstrate strong interest in the social sciences. Merriam Scholars receive funding for an internship in the summer after their first year, specialized career advising, and research mentoring from faculty in the Social Sciences Division. All students who apply to the College are considered for the Merriam Scholars Program.
• The College Summer Institute in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences provides selected undergraduates the opportunity to undertake intensive intellectual training and research with accomplished scholars and peers at the University of Chicago.
• The College Summer Research Fellows Program provides grants to support summer research opportunities for undergraduate students who plan to pursue a doctoral degree in a liberal arts or science field.
• The Fried Public Policy and Service Program is a pre-professional program that serves students interested in public interest careers, including government, nonprofits, public policy, and social service organizations. Students benefit from personalized advising with industry experts, skill-building workshops, and networking opportunities.
• The Health Policy Scholars Program is a selective track for students interested in pursuing a broad range of careers in health policy.  Health Policy Scholars will participate in a series of focused seminars on topics central to policy design and implementation, as well as workshops devoted to cultivating the competencies necessary for success in health policy-related careers.
• The Liew Family College Research Fellows Fund provides grants to support undergraduate students who have secured unpaid research opportunities during Winter and Spring Quarter with UChicago faculty members.
• The Pat Rosenzweig Fellows Internship Fund provides grants for students who have secured unpaid internships with organizations aiming to make an impact on the world through public policy or social service.
• The PRISM Research Grant funds summer research projects for students majoring in select humanities and social science disciplines.
• The Public Policy Explorer Program gives incoming first-year students the opportunity to explore policy careers in government agencies, nonprofits, and other organizations in Washington, D.C.
• The Public Policy Leaders Program is a selective track of the Fried Public Policy and Service Program for students who are ambitious about pursuing public sector and social impact careers. Selected students have access to funded internships, career treks, and trainings in both technical and soft skills. In addition, students participate in exclusive programming offered by experts from the Harris School of Public Policy, the Institute of Politics, the Social Sciences Division, the School of Social Service Administration, and graduate student mentors.
• The Rosenzweig Scholars Program is a selective track that provides exceptional fourth year students with extended career counseling to achieve maximum potential in their first post-graduation experience.  The program provides intensive 1:1 coaching, interactive skill-building workshops, and numerous other resources to help launch a career in the public policy and service sector.
• The Seidel Scholars PRISM Grant funds nontraditional experiential projects for students majoring in select humanities and social science disciplines.
• The Summer Institute in Social Research Methods combines classroom instruction, workshops, and hands-on research experience. This five-week session offers accelerated training in theoretically-grounded research methodologies to better understand and develop more informed policy and program solutions to real-world problems, including challenges in public health, criminal justice, economics, human development and other areas.
• Summer International Travel Grants offered by the Study Abroad Office provide funding for students to pursue summer research and language study outside of the United States.
• The Tobin Undergraduate Research Scholars Program provides competitive research fellowships for undergraduate researchers to support the ongoing, public-facing research of scholars working in one of the networks of the national Tobin Project. The Tobin Project specifically seeks to relate specialized academic research in law, politics, economic, policy, history, and allied fields to pressing policy challenges of the day—without losing the rigor of academic research.
• The UCIHP Potter Fellows in Community and Social Medicine program is a ten week, summer research program that provides students with a structured opportunity through which they can investigate issues in community health, social sciences, and the social context of health and medicine.

At UChicago, Nobel laureates and leading researchers train the next generation of student leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through rigorous coursework and co-curricular resources, STEM students prepare for a wide range of careers ranging from working at top tech companies to studying pure mathematics at some of the nation’s leading graduate programs.

Below are just some of the opportunities that STEM students can take advantage of at UChicago to support their academic and career success:

• The Biological Sciences Collegiate Division Summer Fellowship supports students interested in conducting biology research during the summer in a University of Chicago campus laboratory. Students meet weekly with a research mentor, participate in a summer seminar series, and present on their research at an annual symposium.
• The Clinical Excellence Scholars Program is a multi-year specialized program designed to prepare students for the realities of a career in medicine while providing guided participation in relevant opportunities on campus.
• The College Summer Research Fellows Program provides grants to support summer research opportunities for undergraduate students who plan to pursue a doctoral degree in a liberal arts or science field.
• The Jeff Metcalf Internship Program provides research internships with all three of UChicago’s affiliated national laboratories: Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Students take on hands-on projects across a wide range of research subjects and gain valuable skills to prepare them for careers and graduate study.
• The Katen Scholars Program supports rising second, third, and fourth year students interested in pursuing careers in health, medicine, and science. Scholars are awarded a $4,000 stipend to complete a summer research project with a faculty mentor. In addition to research responsibilities, the Katen Scholars participate in a weekly seminar to discuss readings on the social context of health, medicine, and science.
• The Liew Family College Research Fellows Fund provides grants to support undergraduate students who have secured unpaid research opportunities during Winter and Spring Quarter with UChicago faculty members. 50% of all grants are reserved for computer science majors.
• The Marine Biological Laboratory Experience introduces incoming first-year students to the innovative scientific work of the MBL in Woods Hole, MA and to New England maritime history and culture, while also providing a venue for students to build strong personal networks with other members of their incoming class.
• The Provost’s Scholarship is awarded at the time of admission to top STEM students. The program provides research-specific funding for three summers and three academic years. All applicants to the College are considered for a Provost’s Scholarship.
• The Technology and Entrepreneurship Explorer Program provides incoming first-years with an opportunity to visit startups, incubators, investors, and corporations with UChicago alums in the technology and entrepreneurship space in Hong Kong.
• The Technology Explorer Program gives incoming first-year students the opportunity to explore careers in technology, software engineering, data analytics and more in New York, NY.
• UChicago Careers in Health Professions is a comprehensive, four-year pre-professional program that provides College students and alumni with the resources and support to develop an individualized portfolio of knowledge, experiences, and competencies required for advanced study in health and medicine.
• UChicago Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (UCISTEM) prepares students for careers and graduate study across all scientific disciplines. Students benefit from individualized career advising from industry experts, networking opportunities with alumni and employers, and hands-on internships and research opportunities.
• The UCISTEM Summer Research Grant provides grants to support students in unpaid STEM laboratory research assistantships over the summer.
• The University of Chicago Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) gives students the opportunity for intensive study and research in mathematics. Students participate in at least one of several courses taught by Department of Mathematics faculty members and are mentored by Department of Mathematics graduate students. This program is especially beneficial for undergraduates who are considering graduate study and research in mathematics.