Molecular Engineering Major Info?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Can anyone tell me what the molecular engineering major at UChicago is like? What kind of classes do undergrads take, and what kind of projects/research do undergrads work on?

Also are there any advantages/disadvantages to studying a relatively new major at UChicago?

2

Course offerings will be a mix of physics chemistry and biology depending on which theme you pick. Themes include things like water technology to medical technology so you can pick whatever interests you the most.

Advantages:
Not only is this new for Chicago, the ME major is one of the first of its kind in the nation. Schools like Harvard are following suit, and MiT and Stanford have looked into similar plans for creating a major like this one. So you’ll be on the forefront of research if that is what interests you.

  • The facilities are brand-new. I visited them with the director of the institute and he told us that the school has poured around 300 million dollars into buying the latest in nanofabrication equipment and clean room technologies. This is all in a facility underground. Below these clean rooms are other labs with lasers and sensors designed for a wide variety of research.
  • There will be plenty of research opportunities as an undergrad since the major is so new and you'll likely get a lot of attention from grad students and professors.
  • There are national labs right nearby where you can intern and do research in conjunction with the University. Disadvantages
  • The facility is not to full strength, the school has hired 13 facility members from excellent backgrounds (Berkeley ect.) but the program isn't up to full strength yet.
  • Lots of interest, before classes even started for the first time the ME major was the 8th most requested, demonstrating just how backed up interest has become for engineering at Chicago. So it might become competitive with weeder-esqe courses.
  • It's so new that the future of the program is uncertain, though it is very unlikely that it fails (nanotech and quantum research is likely to explode in the next few decades), you are taking the risk the major is not that employable in the future.

Final thoughts:
I was incredibly impressed with the facilities and the willingness of the director to engage with us on questions. The tour of the facility wasn’t planned, a girl at the overnight admitted students program asked him to take her after his model class was done and me and a couple of other kids tagged along. The major is designed to get you interested in a specific theme or problem to solve, and you get to craft your own research around that even as an undergrad. Thing is, you can still major in physics or Chem and be able to use the facilities and faculty without impairment so you might want to hedge your bets, major in a solid science program at Chicago and mitigate the risk inherent with a new program.

This was all on my phone so I apologize for any mistakes.

3

wow thanks for all the info!!

Do you know if people in the Molecular Engineering Major graduate as an accredited engineer by the ABET? Also would it be helpful if one chose to apply to a graduate program in a different engineering field (like mechanical engineering)?

4

We were told only 30 students can major until they reach full capacity and they apply during 2nd year. There is no limit on minors though. No not ABET accredited and don’t plan to go that route as they want to be able to keep the liberal arts slant.

5

@acdchai They are only letting 30 students major in that next year? Who gave you that information?

Also, I was waitlisted but put down Molecular Engineering as my intended major. Would this hurt my chances given the fact that the school does not want too many ME majors yet?

Thanks in advance!