<p>The University of Chicagos Institute for Molecular Engineering will offer its first undergraduate course in the autumn 2014 quarter as part of a newly available minor in molecular engineering. The institute will continuously develop new courses and plans to propose a full bachelors degree program in the 20142015 academic year. - See more at: UChicago</a> to offer new undergraduate minor in molecular engineering | UChicago News</p>
<p>Thank you Grace! That’s great news. When I was searching for courses I was kind of sorry to know that undergrad programs were still “in the near future”.</p>
<p>Plus, I think on this page the “near future” sentence should be changed now. Maybe add a link to the news page you posted above?
[Undergraduates</a> - Institute for Molecular Engineering](<a href=“http://ime.uchicago.edu/prospective_students/undergraduates/]Undergraduates”>Molecular Engineering Major and Minors | Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering | The University of Chicago)</p>
<p>Grace,</p>
<p>What is an “institute”? How is it distinct from a separate school or a department? How, for example, is the Harris School or School of Social Service Administration different from the “Institute” for molecular engineering?</p>
<p>“With an organizational structure that transcends traditional boundaries, IME boasts the unique status of both an academic unit and an interdisciplinary research institute. IME brings together a group of renowned faculty, each with a dual appointment to Argonne National Laboratory, known for its state-of-the-art facilities and researchers. Coming from a myriad of disciplines, each faculty member brings a specialized expertise to our growing team to tackle challenging research goals.”</p>
<p>[About</a> - Institute for Molecular Engineering](<a href=“http://ime.uchicago.edu/about/]About”>http://ime.uchicago.edu/about/)</p>
<p>At about 1:00 in this video, Tirrell explains why IME is called the Institute for Molecular Engineering, not the Department of Molecular Engineering.</p>
<p>[Molecular</a> Engineering with Matthew Tirrell - YouTube](<a href=“Molecular Engineering with Matthew Tirrell - YouTube”>Molecular Engineering with Matthew Tirrell - YouTube)</p>
<p>Very interesting! Looks like the institute has more autonomy (perhaps, say, with hiring decisions) than a department at UChicago.</p>
<p>Hi Grace! According to the article, the institute “plans to propose a full bachelor’s degree program in the 2014–2015 academic year” - could this mean that, if the program is approved then, students matriculating in 2018 will be able to major in the program?</p>
<p>jcxlcc, it is our hope that students matriculating to the Class of 2018 will be able to major in molecular engineering by the time their graduation rolls around, but not a firm promise at this point; students planning to enter the College next year should certainly know that they will absolutely be able to take advantage of the minor and other coursework/research in the area, and that it is likely that they will be able to major in MolecE.</p>
<p>Would that major be considered “ABET Accredited?”</p>