7 required CUs
The Wharton undergraduate curriculum is structured to combine the study of business with the study of the arts and sciences to ensure that students:
- Are exposed to the intellectual activities and diverse perspectives of scholars from a wide array of disciplines
- Develop critical-thinking skills
- Are prepared to be actively engaged as informed global citizens
In addition to the foreign language requirement, a total of 7 CUs from the categories listed below are necessary to fulfill the liberal arts and sciences component of the curriculum. Please also note the following:
- Any course used to fulfill the Cross-Cultural Perspectives (CCP) requirement or a minor must be taken for a grade. Please refer to the pass/fail policy for more information.
- A maximum of 2 CUs of credit transferred from outside Penn or a Penn-approved study-abroad program may be applied to Humanities, NSME, and Social Science.
- Management and Technology coordinated dual-degree students may not take NSME or FGE courses to fulfill their liberal arts and sciences requirements.
- Nursing and Health Care Management coordinated dual-degree students must take 1 CU of Social Science and 1 CU of Humanities and 3 CU of CCP courses to fulfill their liberal arts and sciences requirements.
To see which requirements a course will fulfill you can check the “section attributes” of the course in Path@Penn as well as consult the Liberal Arts and Sciences Course List.
Humanities (H)—at least 1 CU
The Humanities category includes introductory courses that focus on works of creativity. These courses may include, but are not limited to, those which analyze art, cinema, literature, music, and theater. These courses also include those focused on language acquisition and analysis.
Note that courses taken at Penn that satisfy the Foreign Language requirement may double-count as Humanities or FGE.
Natural Sciences, Math, and Engineering (NSME)—at least 1 CU
The Natural Sciences, Math, and Engineering category includes introductory courses that focus on scientific methods of inquiry and interpretation.
Social Science (SS)—at least 1 CU
The Social Science category includes introductory courses that focus on the relationship between individuals and institutions, methods of social observation and analysis, tools for historical analysis and inquiry, and issues of civic life and public policy.
Cross-Cultural Perspectives (CCP)—at least 3 CUs
Given today’s global business environment, a cross-cultural perspective is an essential part of a student’s undergraduate education. To that end, Wharton students are required to take three courses that have substantial cross-cultural content.
The following policies apply to Cross-Cultural Perspectives courses:
- Courses may not be taken pass/fail.
- Two of these courses may double-count as Humanities, Social Sciences, NSME, or Flex Gen Ed.
- Up to one course may be on U.S. cultural diversity.
- International students are not permitted to fulfill this requirement with courses about the United States with the exception of courses on U.S. cultural diversity.
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
- Courses on U.S. cultural diversity (note policy above)
- Intermediate and advanced-level language courses
- Certain First-Year Seminars (depending on the course content)
Courses that may not be used to fulfill the requirement include:
- Methodology courses, such as demography and ethnography
- Courses taken abroad that do not fit into the categories in the section above
If you have questions about Cross-Cultural Perspectives courses, please consult with an academic advisor in the Undergraduate Division.
Flex General Education (FGE)
These courses may be used to fulfill the overall liberal arts and sciences requirement of 7 CUs.
Note that courses taken at Penn that satisfy the Foreign Language requirement may double-count as Humanities or FGE.