Exploring Undergraduate Majors at the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago, a private research university established in 1890, is renowned for its commitment to academic rigor and the development of influential schools of thought across various disciplines. From economics and law to literary criticism and physics, UChicago has consistently been at the forefront of intellectual innovation. This article delves into the undergraduate majors offered at the University of Chicago, highlighting the academic structure, popular fields of study, and unique aspects of the undergraduate experience.
A Legacy of Academic Excellence
Founded by John D. Rockefeller and the American Baptist Education Society (ABES), the University of Chicago quickly established itself as a leading institution under the leadership of its first president, William Rainey Harper. Harper's vision included attracting top faculty and creating a rigorous academic environment. The university's early adoption of the quarter system and its emphasis on both preparatory and advanced coursework set the stage for its continued commitment to intellectual exploration.
The University of Chicago's motto, "Crescat scientia; vita excolatur" ("Let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched"), encapsulates its dedication to expanding the boundaries of knowledge and enriching human life through scholarly pursuits. With a history marked by groundbreaking research, including the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction achieved at the Metallurgical Laboratory, UChicago has consistently demonstrated its commitment to pushing the boundaries of scientific and academic discovery. As of 2025, the university's students, faculty, and staff have included 101 Nobel laureates.
Academic Structure: Divisions and Degrees
The College of the University of Chicago grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. The college's academics are divided into four divisions: the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division, the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division, the Social Sciences Collegiate Division, and the Humanities Collegiate Division.
Undergraduate Majors: A Diverse Array of Options
UChicago offers a wide range of academic programs to its undergraduate students. The College of the University of Chicago grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 51 undergraduate courses of study (since 2005 known as majors) and 33 secondary courses of study, now known as minors.
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Popular Fields of Study
While UChicago offers a diverse range of majors, certain fields of study tend to attract a significant number of students. Many students go towards Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, Mathematics, General, Computer Science, Biology/Biological Sciences, General, Political Science and Government, and General.
The University of Chicago's Unique Academic Environment
The university runs on a quarter system in which the academic year is divided into four terms: Summer (June-August), Autumn (September-December), Winter (January-March), and Spring (March-June). Full-time undergraduate students take three to four courses every quarter for approximately ten weeks before their quarterly academic breaks.
The University of Chicago is well known for their 15 required general education courses, or Common Core. They also require students to be proficient in at least one foreign language. All core courses are limited to only seventeen students with a professor, allowing for small discussion classes. Students should note that undergraduate classes are considered to have demanding standards with a heavy workload.
Research and Innovation
According to the National Science Foundation, the University of Chicago spent $423.9 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 60th in the nation. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very high research activity". It is a founding member of the Association of American Universities, and was a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation between 1946 and 2016, when the group's name was changed to the Big Ten Academic Alliance. The university operates more than 140 research centers and institutes on campus. Among these are the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa-a museum and research center for Near Eastern studies owned and operated by the university-and a number of National Resource Centers, including the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Chicago also operates or is affiliated with several research institutions apart from the university proper.
The University of Chicago has been the site of various experiments and academic movements. The university has played a role in shaping ideas about the free market and is the namesake of the Chicago school of economics, the school of economic thought supported by Milton Friedman and other economists. The university's sociology department was the first independent sociology department in the United States and gave birth to the Chicago school of sociology. The university was the site of the Chicago Pile-1 (the first controlled, self-sustaining human-made nuclear chain reaction, part of the Manhattan Project), of Robert Millikan's oil-drop experiment that calculated the charge of the electron, and of the development of radiocarbon dating by Willard F. Libby.
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Professional Schools and Institutes
The University of Chicago Divinity School was the first professional school at the University of Chicago, chartered in 1865 and incorporated into the university in 1890. The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice was first established in 1908 as the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy and received its first dean, Edith Abbott, who became the first female dean of any graduate school in the United States in 1924. The Harris School of Public Policy was established in 1988 as the Graduate School of Public Policy Studies. The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering was founded in 2019 following an expansion of the Institute of Molecular Engineering, which was established in 2011. The Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies, originally known as the university-Extens…
Campus and Facilities
The main campus of the University of Chicago consists of 217 acres (87.8 ha) in the Chicago neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Woodlawn, approximately eight miles (13 km) south of downtown Chicago. The northern and southern portions of campus are separated by the Midway Plaisance, a large, linear park created for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Many older buildings of the University of Chicago employ Collegiate Gothic architecture like that of the University of Oxford.
The site of Chicago Pile-1 is a National Historic Landmark and is marked by the Henry Moore sculpture Nuclear Energy. Robie House, a Frank Lloyd Wright building acquired by the university in 1963, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as a National Historic Landmark, as is room 405 of the George Herbert Jones Laboratory, where Glenn T. Seaborg first isolated plutonium. Adjacent to the campus in Jackson Park is the home of the Obama Presidential Center, the Presidential Library for the 44th president of the United States with expected completion in 2026. The Obamas settled in the university's Hyde Park neighborhood, where they raised their children and where Barack Obama began his political career. Snell-Hitchcock, an undergraduate dormitory constructed in the early 20th century, is part of the Main Quadrangles.
The university also maintains facilities apart from its main campus. The university's Booth School of Business maintains campuses in Hong Kong, London, and downtown Chicago. The Center in Paris, a campus located on the left bank of the Seine in Paris, hosts various undergraduate and graduate study programs. The university also maintains the Chicago House, based in Luxor, which serves as the Egyptian headquarters for the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. In fall 2010, the university opened a center in Beijing, near Renmin University's campus in Haidian District. The most recent additions are a center in New Delhi, India, which opened in 2014, and a center in Hong Kong which opened in 2018. In 2024, the university opened the John W. Boyer Center for College Education.
Read also: Navigating the UChicago Alumni Directory
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