We encourage students at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering to get to know their surroundings and to discover all the learning opportunities the University, its neighborhood, and the city have to offer.
Our Campus and Hyde Park
The University of Chicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering is housed at the William Eckhardt Research Center, in the north sector of the campus of the University of Chicago. The University's main campus is in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, seven miles from downtown, near Lake Michigan.
Explore Life on Campus, including Athletics and Recreation, Arts and Culture, Student Centers, UChicago Dining, and more.
UChicago’s Architecture page features maps, photos, and videos about the historic buildings and spaces on campus designed by architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, and Jeanne Gang.
In addition to architecture, the University of Chicago campus has been recognized as a Botanic Garden by the American Public Garden Association, with numerous display gardens located throughout campus. These gardens elevate the campus landscape character and display a variety of design influences from naturalistic to formal gardens.
Once an independent town, Hyde Park has a rich history of social activism, political leadership, and community life. It’s also the site of prominent museums, architectural landmarks, and the recently revitalized 53rd Street community, close to campus. The Office of Campus and Student Life offers transportation links and other resources to help you explore the University, Hyde Park, and beyond.
Consistently ranked in the U.S. News 10 Best Colleges in America, UChicago is also home to a safe campus. UChicago’s Department of Safety & Security provides services for the convenience and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and community.
Chicago
Situated near the southern tip of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the third-largest city in the United States. Chicago is famous for its modern architecture, green spaces, thriving commercial center, and flourishing arts community.
During your time in Chicago, we encourage you to take advantage of exploring all that the city has to offer. The organizations listed below offer free or reduced entry to students with proof of their student ID or have free admission days city-wide:
- UChicago Arts Institutions & Programs
- Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures
- Free museum days in Chicago
- UChicago discounts in Hyde Park
To learn more about the city we call home, explore the City of Chicago website, the Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago, and our recommended reading list with fiction and nonfiction works set in Chicago, many by writers who studied or taught at the University.
- Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the Make (1951)
- Saul Bellow (X’39), Humboldt's Gift (1975) and The Dean's December (1982)
- Gwendolyn Brooks, A Street in Bronzeville (1945) and Annie Allen (1949)
- William Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis (1991)
- Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie (1900)
- Stuart Dybek, I Sailed with Magellan (2003)
- James T. Farrell, Studs Lonigan trilogy (1932-1935)
- Aleksandar Hemon, Question of Bruno (2000)
- Erik Larson, Devil in the White City (2003)
- Achy Obejas, Memory Mambo (1996)
- Bayo Ojikutu, 47th Street Black (2003)
- Sara Paretsky (AM'69, MBA'77, PhD'77), V. I. Warshawski detective novels (1982-present)
- Studs Terkel (Ph.B., '32, J.D., '34), Division Street America (1967)
- Richard Wright, Native Son (1940)