4 Week Practicum

These intensive, hands-on and field-driven programs are intended to give students an in-depth research experience. Learn cutting-edge techniques in biological research with Research in the Biological Sciences, and take your learning further by going into the field in Wyoming and exploring behind the scenes at the Field Museum with Stones and Bones.

Research in the Biological Sciences

Immerse yourself in biological research! Furthering the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, discovering how to preserve blood, laying the mathematical foundations for the theory of genetic evolution—the University of Chicago is a leader in these and in many other areas of research. This summer, learn the techniques used in cutting-edge biological research and work in person at lab facilities at a premier research university.

Stones and Bones

Join the Field Museum for a four-week intensive practicum in paleontology in Chicago and Wyoming. Go into the field and behind the scenes at the Field Museum to learn how fossils are collected, analyzed, and conserved, as you work alongside museum scientists in the lab and in the field. Stones and Bones gives you a unique opportunity to participate in the paleontological study carried out by the museum.

Details

• Current high school students in 10^th or 11^th grade are eligible. Students must be at least 15 years old.

• 4 Week Practicum take place on the UChicago campus. All participants are required to live in residence, in campus housing; there is no hybrid or remote option. Stones and Bones students will spend most of their class time at the Field Museum while in Chicago, and will spend about ten days in the field in Wyoming.

• Research Practicum are four weeks in length. They are graded courses which carry 200 units of credit (equivalent to two undergraduate course).

How to Apply

• Applicants should review Application Instructions before starting an application.

• Pre-College students must complete and submit the Summer Session application (including the email of a teacher who will write a recommendation for you), upload a complete high school transcript, and submit a short essay.

• Financial aid (covering some or all of the program fee) is available for students who qualify. Please refer to our Costs & Aid page for more information.

• There is one deadline to submit your application: Priority (January 22, 2025).