The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
Led by UChicago faculty with support from experienced graduate instructors and alumni, the SDG Challenge Program for High School Students is a three-week, holistic, and engaging research immersion program. It is prepared for highly motivated high school students who aspire to learn how to make a social impact and become informed leaders and future decision-makers.
Throughout the program, participants will delve into the fundamentals of policy research, applying their skills to address real-world inquiries related to the UN SDGs. Beyond the classroom, students will connect with UChicago alumni and produce work deliverables to showcase their critical thinking and presentation skills.
Subjects
|
Public Policy and Research, Sustainable Development Goals, Academic and Career Preparedness |
Level
|
High School Students |
Duration
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3 weeks, 15–20 hours per week |
Dates
|
July 28 - August 15, 2025 |
Cost
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$3,000 with various discount types |
Format
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Virtual Online |
Associate Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy
This course gives you a solid understanding of the basics of public policy and the key methods needed for quantitative social sciences research. It introduces fundamental concepts and techniques and how they are applied in real-world policy work, promoting evidence-based policymaking.
Module 2.1: Self-Exploration Workshop
People unleash their potential in the areas where their passions align with their strengths. During this workshop, you will be guided to conduct a series of self-exploration and career-exploration exercises to define your personal brand of leadership and learn how to take intentional steps toward your goals in life.
Module 2.2: UChicago Perspectives on Academic and Career Preparedness
Gain insights about academic preparation. Following this session, you will leave with increased motivation and clarity about your academic goals.
Module 2.3: Writing with Your Authentic Voice
To prepare for the SDG Policy Challenge and policy memo writing, students will participate in a Persuasive Writing Workshop dedicated to honing academic writing skills. This workshop emphasizes grammar, clarity, and fluency, with a specific focus on crafting well-organized paragraphs and essays, especially in the context of writing longer papers.
In the SDG Policy Challenge module, you will collaborate with Austin Wright, Assistant Professor and SDG Challenge Program Faculty Director, and a group of peers, on a real-world problem and design a policy recommendation.
There are two distinctive tracks you can select from: the Education Policy track and the Urban Policy track. The Education Policy track aligns with Goal 4 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The Urban Policy track is structured around Goal 11 of the SDGs, which focuses on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
You will harness the skills of research design, policy analysis, and team collaboration to conduct a research project using open-source or faculty-provided datasets. There are elements of data collection, analysis, and visualization, which will result in a comprehensive policy memo.
The policy memo becomes a portfolio piece that highlights your academic readiness for college admissions or for applications for internships. The skills gained in the project are transferable for further research in your area of interest.
All times shown in Central Daylight Time (UTC-05:00)
| Week 1 | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu |
| 8:30 - 10:30pm |
Program Orientation (8:30-9:30 pm) & Module 1 - Introduction to Public Policy and Research Method (9:30-11:00 pm) |
Module 1 - Introduction to Public Policy and Research Method | |||
| 10:30 - 11:00pm | Optional: Live Office Hours |
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| Week 2 | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu |
| 8:30 - 9:30pm | Module 1 - Introduction to Public Policy and Research Method | ||||
| 9:30 - 10:30pm | Module 2.1 - Self-Exploration Workshop | Module 2.2 - UChicago Voice Workshop | Module 2.3 - Writing Workshop | ||
| Week 3 | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu |
| 8:30 - 10:30pm | Module 3 - SDG Policy Challenge |
SDG Policy Challenge Presentation & Program Closing Ceremony | |||
| 10:30 - 11:00pm | Optional: Live Office Hours |
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Instructor Profile
Austin Wright is the Faculty Director for the SDG Challenge Program, ensuring the holistic curriculum is designed and taught to meet student needs. Wright is an Associate Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, and faculty affiliate of The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the University of Chicago.
"The goal with our credential programs is to find ways to enable a broader set of learners to have access to the UChicago tools and resources and help them achieve their ultimate goals of improving the world around us."
Instructor Profile
Fanmei Xia, MPP’21, is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Yale University. Coming from a Psychology and Education background, she has abundant experience teaching and mentoring students. Prior to graduate school, Fanmei worked at the Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on education and human development, particularly how to maximize people’s potential in development contexts.
Instructor Profile
Shilin Liu is the Executive Director of Partnerships and Credential Programs at Harris. She is also a professional coach certified as Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) by the International Coach Federation (ICF). She is experienced working with curious minds to take an ambitious leap and expand their impact by being their best authentic selves.
The program fee is $3,000. We offer partial discounts to early action and round 1 applicants, UChicago community members or group-registered applicants. In addition, we encourage applicants to explore funding sources from your academic institution or external scholarships.
|
Audience |
Fee |
|
General Applicant |
$3,000 |
|
Early Action Applicant |
$2,700 |
|
UChicago Network Affiliated |
$2,300 |
Once being admitted, participants will secure the seat by submitting a $1,000 USD enrollment deposit, which is non-refundable and applies toward your total program fee. The remaining program fee balance will be paid before the program starts. Detailed payment instructions will be provided to admitted participants via email.
If the participant decides to cancel their Program enrollment, the participant must submit a request in writing at least 30 days prior to the program start date to harriscredential@uchicago.edu to receive the paid amount less the non-refundable enrollment deposit. Requests received 14 to 30 days before the Program start date are subject to a payment of 50% of the Program fee. Requests received within 14 days of the Program start date are subject to full payment of the Program fee. If the participant is unable to join the Program due to circumstances that the participant has no control or influence over, the refund amount will be considered on an individual case-by-case basis.
SDG Challenge Program content is rigorous, but there are no prerequisites for this program. We welcome high school students from all backgrounds to apply for the SDG Challenge Program.
The Policy Challenge is a key aspect of the SDG Challenge Program, offering students the opportunity to engage in hands-on policy research. Under the guidance of SDG Challenge Program faculty, including Austin Wright, Assistant Professor and SDG Challenge Program Faculty Director, students collaborate in small groups and access proprietary or open-source data to address pressing policy challenges around the Education Policy track or the Urban Policy track. The goal of this project is for students to harness the skills of research design, policy analysis, and team collaboration to conduct a research project. The policy memo becomes a portfolio piece that highlights academic readiness for college admissions or for internship applications. The skills gained in the project are transferable for further research in your area of interest.
The program is a non-credit program. You will receive a shareable certification from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy upon completion to showcase your academic rigor.
There are no scholarship offerings for SDG Challenge Program participants. Details about the possible discount types can be found in the “Program Fee and Payment” section.
Please feel free to reach out to us at harriscredential@uchicago.edu.
You can also book a 20-minute online appointment with the admissions team to talk through your questions directly.
