UChicago Undergraduate Programs

September Term Courses

2025 Dates:  August 24 - September 13

In the September Term Courses, students will explore various aspects of the biota of the region surrounding the Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. The focus of the course will be to examine various patterns in the distribution and abundance of the flora/fauna in the islands and associated mainland habitats over the course of 3 weeks through a combination of in class lectures and laboratory sessions, combined with field studies.

Spring Quarter Courses

2025 Dates: March 23 - May 30

In the MBL Spring Quarter, two concurrent programs will be offered tailored to students interested in Biology & Neuroscience. Students take a series of 3-week immersive courses in the Biological Sciences or Neuroscience. The hallmark of coursework at MBL is hands-on experiential learning. In this tradition, all Spring quarter MBL courses will focus on designing and carrying out independent lab research.  

Jeff Metcalf Summer for Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF)

Opportunities available for undergraduate scholars from the University of Chicago to partake in a twelve-week summer research experience hosted at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Massachusetts. Students work collaboratively with scientists to develop research projects that integrate the unique resources available at the MBL.

Semester in Environmental Science (SES)

Spend your fall term doing research in wetlands, bays, and coastal forests on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The MBL’s Semester in Environmental Science (SES) is a 15-week program that provides intensive field and laboratory-based learning opportunities to better understand ecosystem science and the biogeochemistry of coastal forests, freshwater ponds, and estuaries.