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

View a list of approved Global courses. 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.