Summer Session

Summer Session Instructional Employment

Every summer, some of UChicago’s best teaching talent can be found in the classroom with our own College students as well as academically talented high school and visiting undergraduate students from around the world. Offerings include:

  • Undergraduate Summer Quarter and September Term courses, drawn from the existing College curriculum that primarily serve current College students
  • Pre-college courses, specially designed for academically advanced high school students from around the world who are ready to tackle undergraduate-level material
  • Summer Language Institute courses, crafted to cover the same content provided in a quarter-long course or year-long sequence in 3 to 8 weeks  

The proposal period for Summer 2024 will be announced in early September 2023 and proposals will be due October 20, 2023.

Summer Session 2024 Employment Information

    Successfully run courses from 2023 do not need a new proposal, they will go through our renewal process.  Contact Stephanie Friedman (sfriedmn@uchicago.edu) if your course was cancelled or low enrolled and you want us to consider renewing it for 2024.  

    Who Can Propose a Course?

    • Current UChicago faculty, instructional professors, senior lecturers, and lecturers are invited to propose courses for all Summer Session offerings (including September Term).
    • Current UChicago graduate students and staff should consult with their home departments about their eligibility to teach during the summer before proposing a course.
    • Students who will graduate during the 2023-2024 academic year and others whose affiliation with UChicago will end before June 10, 2024 may still propose courses. If your proposal is accepted, Summer Session will notify you about any additional steps required as part of the appointment approval process.

    All applicants must have experience teaching at the undergraduate level, including those proposing pre-college courses. For pre-college teaching, previous experience working with high school students or in an intensive summer program is a plus but is not required.

    Come to Our Information Session

    We invite you to attend an information session on Summer 2024 teaching and the course proposal process. 

    Submitting a Proposal

    The Guide to Course Proposals 2024 page contains more information about the types of courses most in-demand with our students, feedback from long-term Summer Session instructors, the steps needed for both current affiliates and external candidates, and the link to the proposal submission form.

    Questions, even after reading our proposal guide? Contact us at summersession@uchicago.edu

    Current UChicago Affiliates

    For those current UChicago affiliates on 9-month appointments (meaning that you do not have contractual obligations during the Summer Quarter, even if you are paid over 12 months) at UChicago, all Summer Session teaching is considered extra service, whether you are a senior lecturer, lecturer, or faculty member. This means that it does not count towards contractual teaching obligations for the academic year. It does mean that you will receive additional compensation for your teaching, above and beyond your annual salary or stipend. Individuals should ensure that they are aware of any possible restrictions placed on their ability to take on additional summer teaching obligations that might be stipulated by their grant funding, university status, or other considerations. If you are going to engage in any paid activities in addition to summer teaching, you must disclose that as soon as possible so that the university can assess your maximum summer earnings.

    Those on 12-month appointments should consult with their department supervisor and HR staff regarding summer teaching, which may not be compensated as extra service. 

    For Summer Quarter Undergraduate courses (100 units), in Summer 2023, the standard per course compensation rate for faculty, senior lecturers, and full-time lecturers was 1/9 regular academic year salary, with a minimum of $7,538 and a maximum of $10,000 per course. Those who were hired as temporary, part-time lecturers (lecturer 1-B) were paid $7,538 in Summer 2023.

    Graduate student instructor pay varies. Contact Summer Session for more information. 

    Pre-college Instructional Salaries

    Because they involve more contact hours, pre-college Immersion courses provide remuneration at a rate of 1.5 times that of standard Summer Quarter undergraduate courses. 

    Course Cancellations

    Instructors will usually be notified at least 21 days before the course is scheduled to begin if the Summer Session Office decides to cancel a course due to low enrollment. Such decisions are final and not subject to appeal. Instructors who must cancel an individual class session due to illness or another emergency should contact us immediately at summersession@uchicago.edu or 773-702-2149. They should also use Fast Message in Faculty Access to reach their students.

    In Summer 2024, we will be offering courses that are designed to be either in-person or remote.  Remote instructors and course assistants must be able to perform their responsibilities from a remote location, and their remote work arrangements are their responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, an adequate internet connection and an adequate working space.

    Instructors
    Instructors of remote courses must be in the United States when teaching for the program, specifically in California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, or Wisconsin for tax purposes.

    Course Assistants (CAs)
    CAs (which include Teaching Assistants, Lab Assistants, Lectors, Graders, etc.) in remote courses who are current UChicago students must be in the United States when working in the program, unless they are enrolled in a UChicago Study Abroad program. 

    CAs in remote courses who are not current UChicago students must be in the United States when teaching for the program, specifically in California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, or Wisconsin for tax purposes.

     

    Updated on November 8, 2023

    All Candidates 
    Your cover letter should address a specific course that is listed in the Courses with Staffing Needs section, below, as seeking instructors, as well as your qualifications to teach that course; without this, your application will not be considered.  Courses will be listed and the page will be updated, as needed- he date of the most recent update is listed at the top of the Courses with Staffing Needs section for those that want to check back periodically.

    Internal UChicago Candidates
    Please contact your/ the offering department if you are interested in teaching a course listed.

    • Special note for current UChicago Humanities and Social Sciences Ph.D. students:
      • All summer teaching (as an instructor or as an assistant) in UChicago undergraduate curriculum courses must be a part of your MTE/PTP.  Please check with your department to see if this would be approved.  Immersion and Summer Online courses are only open to pre-college students are not part of the UChicago undergradaute curriculumAs such, they are the only programs in which you can teach outside of your MTE/PTP and you would be compensated.

    External Candidates

    1. Visit our program pages (above) to learn more about the program and the specific course for which you are interested in applying. Make sure that you are available to teach during the scheduled dates and times posted for the course before you apply
    2. Submit your application at the links below for the Primary Instructor position through the University of Chicago’s Interfolio jobs board.  You will be required to upload a copy of your cover letter, CV, and reference contact information for current or previous teaching supervisor and/or department chair. 
      1. Immersion and Summer Online pre-college programs: https://academicjobs.uchicago.edu/positions/128164 
      2. Summer Quarter and September Term: https://academicjobs.uchicago.edu/positions/128165 
      3. Stones and Bones: https://academicjobs.uchicago.edu/positions/128166 
      4. Summer Language Institute: Posting Number TBD
    3. Completed applications will be reviewed beginning December 8, 2023. Applications will still be accepted after this date until all positions are filled.

    This information will be updated for Summer 2024 in January 2024.

    All candidates: please apply only if you are interested in a course listed in the Courses with Staffing Needs section, below, and tailor your cover letter to that course.  The staffing needs section will be updated periodically throughout the spring, as needed. The date of the most recent update is listed at the top of that section.

    In the first paragraph of your cover letter, specify the course(s) for which you are applying.  Your letter should also highlight the skills and experiences relevant to the disciplinary area(s).  Applications that do not include a specific course listed in the Courses with Staffing Needs section, below, will not be considered. 

    Completed applications will be reviewed beginning March 29, 2023. Applications will be accepted after this date until all positions are filled.  If a course is listed in the Courses with Staffing Needs section below, the position has not yet been filled.

    Internal UChicago Candidates

    • After reviewing the list of courses currently hiring (below), visit the program pages to learn more about the program and the specific course for which you are interested in applying. Make sure that you are available to teach during the scheduled dates and times posted for the course before you apply
    • Submit your application for the Course Assistant position (this includes Teaching Assistants and Language Assistants) through UChicago Handshake or UChicago GRAD Gargoyle job boards.  You will be required to upload a copy of your cover letter, CV, and reference contact information for current or previous teaching supervisor. 
    • Each posting covers all courses listed within that program- list the course(s) for which you are interested in applying in your cover letter.  If you would like to apply for courses in different programs, please submit an application for each program posting.
    • Apply via Handshake (undergraduates)
      • Applications have now closed.
    • Apply via UChicago GRAD Gargoyle (graduate students)
      • Applications have now closed.
      • Special note for current UChicago Humanities and Social Sciences Ph.D. students:
        • All summer teaching (as an instructor or as an assistant) in UChicago undergraduate curriculum courses must be a part of your MTE/PTP.  Please check with your department to see if this would be approved.  Immersion and Summer Online courses are only open to pre-college students are not part of the UChicago undergradaute curriculumAs such, they are the only programs in which you can teach outside of your MTE/PTP and you would be compensated.

    External Candidates

    Applications have now closed.

    Some course assistant positions are open to external candidates- the charts in the "Courses with staffing needs" section, below, indicate which are and are not. External Candidates include UChicago alumni, former employees, or those who have never had an affiliation to UChicago. 

    External Candidates should submit a Summer Session Course Assistant Application and only for positions which are marked as being open to external candidates.

    In September, courses from Summer 2023 that had strong enrollments will be sent to departments and/or instructors for renewal.  Instructors should not submit a proposal form for successful 2023 courses.  If you are interested in adding a second section of a successful 2023 course, contact Sarah Lopez slopez@uchicago.edu

    If you do not receive a renewal form for an offering from Summer 2023 that you would like to have offered again in 2024, you should submit a Course Proposal Form for the offering, accompanied by the rationale for renewing it; we will consider this proposal together with the other proposals for new offerings we receive.

    If you wish to discuss current enrollment trends in your area and other matters that affect what courses should be offered, please contact Stephanie Friedman via e-mail at sfriedmn@uchicago.edu.

Courses with Staffing Needs

Last updated November 8, 2023

    All Immersion pre-college courses will be in-person in Summer 2024; see the Immersion program page for additional course and program details.  External applicants would be anyone who will not have an active status at the University of Chicago after May 31, 2024, including alum, graduating seniors, or those who have no prior affiliation with the university.

    Instructor Openings

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Level Open to External Candidates

    Course Assistant Openings

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants

    All Summer Online pre-college courses will be remote in Summer 2024; see the Summer Online program page for additional course and program details.  External applicants would be anyone who will not have an active status at the University of Chicago after May 31, 2024, including alum, graduating seniors, or those who have no prior affiliation with the university.

    Instructors

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants
    PSYC 21220 96 Talking to Others: The Psychology of Communication Instructor graduate or post-graduate  yes

    Course Assistants

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants

    Stones and Bones, a paleontology program for high school students, is offered in close collaboration with the Field Museum of Natural History.  Applicants must have an established connection with the Field Museum, as two weeks of classes will take place in the museum’s labs and galleries and an additional two weeks will be spent at the Field Museum’s ongoing expedition in Wyoming’s Green River Formation.

    See the Summer Online program page for additional course and program details.  External applicants would be anyone who will not have an active status at the University of Chicago after May 31, 2024, including alum, graduating seniors, or those who have no prior affiliation with the university.

    Instructors

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants
    BIOS 10011 94 Stones and Bones Instructor graduate or post-graduate  yes

    All Summer Language Institute (SLI) courses will be remote in Summer 2024; see the SLI program page for additional course and program details.  External applicants would be anyone who will not have an active status at the University of Chicago after May 31, 2024, including alum, graduating seniors, or those who have no prior affiliation with the university.

    Instructors

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Assistants

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants

    Summer Quarter courses will be a mixture of in-person and remote in Summer 2024; see the Summer Quarter program page for additional course and program details.  External applicants would be anyone who will not have an active status at the University of Chicago after May 31, 2024, including alum, graduating seniors, or those who have no prior affiliation with the university.

    Instructors

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants Instructional Mode
    HIST 10101 91 African Civilization 1 Instructor graduate or post-graduate yes remote
    HIST 10102 91 African Civilization 2 Instructor graduate or post-graduate yes remote

    Course Assistants

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants Instructional Mode

    September Term courses will be a mixture of in-person and remote in Summer 2024; see the September Term program page for additional course and program details.  External applicants would be anyone who will not have an active status at the University of Chicago after May 31, 2024, including alum, graduating seniors, or those who have no prior affiliation with the university.

    Instructors

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Assistants

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Number Course Title Position Open Preferred Applicant Academic Experience Open to External Applicants Instructional Mode

    In September 2023, the College will be offering four courses at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; see the MBL program page for additional details. 

    Instructors

    No positions are currently available.

    Course Assistants

    No positions are currently available.