Global Environment

For students entering Wharton prior to fall 2017

3 required CUs

Given today’s global business environment, an international perspective international is an essential part of a student’s undergraduate education. To that end, Wharton students are required to take 3 CUs that have substantial international content.

The following policies apply to Global Environment courses:

  • Global Environment courses may not be taken pass/fail.
  • Two of these courses may double-count with General Education courses.
  • A maximum of one business course may be used to satisfy a Global Environment requirement. This business course may not double count with any other requirement.
  • International students are not permitted to fulfill this requirement with courses about the United States.

Courses that may be used to fulfill the requirement include:

  • Courses that discuss international issues, including courses focusing on particular regions of the world
  • Courses about non-American cultures, including courses in art, history, literature, music, and religious studies
  • Upper-level language courses designated as “business,” “commercial,” or “professional”
  • Business courses on international topics, such as multinational management or international public policy. These courses may not double count with any other requirement
  • Freshman Seminars, which provide an excellent introduction to academic life at Penn. More information about Freshman Seminars >>

Courses that may not be used to fulfill the requirement include:

  • Language courses that are not titled “business,” “commercial,” or “professional”
  • Methodology courses, such as demography and ethnography
  • Courses about immigrant populations in the United States
  • Courses taken abroad that do not fit into the categories in the section above

If you have questions about Global courses, please meet with an academic advisor in the Undergraduate Division.

NOTE: Students in the Management and Technology, Nursing and Healthcare Management, and Life Sciences and Management coordinated dual-degree programs may only take liberal arts (non-business) courses to fulfill the Global Environment requirement.