Resources
Undergraduate Research and Honors
Students majoring in Chemistry are strongly encouraged to participate in research with a faculty member. Research can either be independent or taken for course credit. To participate in research coursework, a student is required to have the consent of a faculty sponsor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), and to submit the College Reading/Research Course Form. For more information on research opportunities, the Honors Program in Chemistry, and/or how to fill out The College Reading/Research Course Form, please visit the Department of Chemistry website. Research funding opportunities can be found here.
Excellent students who pursue a substantive research project with a faculty member of the Department of Chemistry should plan to submit an honors thesis based on their work. Honors thesis work constitutes a sustained and in many cases multi-year project, with students typically beginning no later than their third year and continuing through the following summer and their fourth year. Students who wish to be considered for honors are expected to complete their arrangements with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) before the end of the third year and to register for one quarter of CHEM 29900 Advanced Research in Chemistry or one year of CHEM 29600 Research in Chemistry during their third or fourth years.
To be eligible to receive honors, students in the BA or BS degree program in Chemistry must write a creditable honors paper describing their research. The paper must be submitted before the deadline established by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) and must be approved by the Department of Chemistry. In addition, an oral presentation of the research is required. The research paper or project used to meet this requirement may not be used to meet the BA paper or project requirement in another major.
University of Edinburgh Chemistry Exchange Program
The College’s Chemistry Exchange Program at the University of Edinburgh builds on historic strong ties between University of Chicago and University of Edinburgh Chemistry faculty. This program affords qualified Chicago Chemistry students beginning their third or fourth years an opportunity to complete a summer research project and autumn semester coursework toward the Chemistry major at Scotland’s pre-eminent university. You can read more about his opportunity here.
Joint Degree Programs
Students who achieve advanced academic standing through their performance on placement examinations or accreditation examinations may consider the formulation of a four-year degree program that leads to the concurrent award of the Joint BS and MS degrees in Chemistry. For more information, consult Vera Dragisich at vdragisi@uchicago.edu or the Chemistry Department at chem-dus@lists.uchicago.edu.
Other Relevant Links