Return to First Page
Joint & Dual Degree Programs
Sub-matriculation Programs
Cross-Disciplinary Majors

The Biological Basis of Behavior, the largest cross-disciplinary major in the College at Penn, combines courses from anthropology, biology, chemistry and psychology in a program that provides a broad view of human nature, human biology and human behavior. Students are exposed to faculty from the schools of Arts and Sciences, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. One of the strengths of the Biological Basis of Behavior is the opportunity for students to pursue individualized research. Areas of specialized study within the major include cellular and molecular neuroscience, neurochemistry and neuropharmacology, cognitive and computational neuroscience, behavioral genetics and behavioral medicine and behavioral neuroscience.



The School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Annenberg School for Communication and the Graduate School of Fine Arts offer Digital Media Design, an undergraduate major that deals with computer-generated imagery, including animation and the simulation of three-dimensional environments. Students receive a foundation in the theoretical, artistic and aesthetic aspects of Digital Media Design as well as theory and research on viewers' responses to and uses of visual media, including individual psychological reactions and broader socio-cultural effects. Each student is expected to participate in one or two summers of real-world experience in a major multimedia industry and will interact with a variety of multimedia and communications industry leaders through a special seminar series.

The College at Penn offers Molecular Life Sciences for exceptional undergraduates interested in pursuing careers in the biological sciences, including medicine and biological research, who are known as Vagelos Scholars. Students must complete the Vagelos Seminar, a two-semester freshman seminar; complete requirements for a biochemistry or chemistry major and a second science major chosen from among biology, biological basis of behavior, environmental sciences, geology mathematics, physics or psychology; complete additional courses in biology, mathematics and physics. Vagelos Scholars also participate in summer research internships, for which they receive support, during at least two, and ideally four, summers. Students are exposed to faculty and scientists from the schools of Arts and Sciences, Medicine, Dental Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. An alternative is to earn simultaneously a Master of Science (sub-matriculation) in chemistry or biotechnology and a Bachelor of Arts in either biochemistry or chemistry. Those who are interested in more breadth will choose the dual major, while those who are interested in more depth will sub-matriculate and complete the Master of Science degree in the four years.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics in the College at Penn is an integrated approach to the analysis of social, political and legal norms and values. Students take a common core of courses in philosophy, political science and economics, then concentrate their advanced course work in one of the three participating departments. All students conclude their work with an integrative capstone seminar.


Applied Science within the School of Engineering and Applied Science combines a knowledge of technology with an understanding of the human and social aspects of mankind, stressing breadth of basic technological concepts and depth in an area pertinent to the student's career goals. It allows each student optimal use of the University's diverse academic resources - its undergraduate, graduate and professional strength - to formulate individualized general education programs having a strong technological base. Applied Science is aimed at students intending to go on to graduate work in professions other than engineering, including Applied Science in combination with one of the following areas: computer science, biomedical science, cognitive science, computational biology, digital media design and environmental systems.


Biochemistry in the College at Penn is an cross-disciplinary major that prepares students for advanced study in biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology, molecular biology, molecular genetics, structural biology, genetic engineering, neurobiology and cell biology. It also provides the basic science background for applicants to health professional schools and for prospective science teachers. All majors are required to participate in independent research in a research laboratory, with opportunities in the School of Medicine, the Wistar Institute and the Monell Chemical Senses Center.


 

Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science applies the technologies and methodologies of engineering to problems in medicine and biology, focusing on such topics as injury research and rehabilitation, neuroengineering and biotechnology. Students take courses in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics and courses in engineering that emphasize applications of these disciplines.

The scientific study of intelligent behavior, Cognitive Science, is a new field that includes diverse topics, like arthropod locomotion, visual systems, language, problem-solving behavior, reflexive actions and theories of mind.

This cross-disciplinary major combines coursework offered by the departments of linguistics, mathematics, philosophy and psychology in the College at Penn with the Department of Computer and Information Sciences in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Cognitive Science within the College at Penn places emphasis on the empirical and theoretical foundations of cognitive science, the basic science of cognitive processing by biological entities, especially humans. Students also have another option: Computer and Cognitive Science within the School of Engineering and Applied Science, with emphasis on the construction of computational devices that emulate cognitive processes for purposes of both research and practical application.

Communication, offered by the School of Arts and Sciences and the Annenberg School for Communication, is designed to enable students to understand the nature, process and institutions of communication in a media world. Students explore how messages are created and adapted to audiences as well as how to examine the implications of those messages for individuals and society. Students must choose from one of three clusters -Communication and Culture, Communication and Behavior or Communication and Commerce - in which to take their major-related courses.

International Relations in the College at Penn is designed to explore the ways in which people, private groups and governments from differing sovereign states relate to each other in global political and economic systems. Majors receive a firm grounding in the methods of analysis used in the disciplines of political science, history and economics. Students also are provided maximum flexibility to specialize in disciplines, issues and areas of the world of their own choosing.


Urban Studies in the College at Penn offers students an opportunity to think and learn about cities in an informed, disciplined and integrated way. Majors take courses which introduce them to a variety of perspectives on the origins, development and nature of cities. The program stresses the application of theory to practice with an internship in which students work closely with community groups, public agencies nonprofit or private organizations. Majors also gain competence in a discipline and in conducting research.

The College at Penn and the Graduate School of Fine Arts offer Design of the Environment, an cross-disciplinary studio-based liberal arts program of study that prepares students for graduate study in architecture, landscape architecture and related fields that require creative thinking and visual skills; and Fine Arts, which provides students with opportunities for intellectual growth through studies in visual formulation and articulation.


The College at Penn and the Graduate School of Education offer Elementary Education and the School of Engineering and Applied Science offers Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer and Telecommunications Engineering.

The Wharton School and the Annenberg School for Communication offer a dual concentration in Marketing and Communication that allows Wharton students who are concentrating in marketing the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge of communication theory and practice.

There are many other cross-disciplinary programs for students enrolled in the College at Penn, including African Studies, Afro-American Studies, Ancient Studies, Asian-American Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Biophysics, Classical Studies, Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, Environmental Studies, Film Studies, History and the Sociology of Science, Italian Studies, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Religious Studies, Romance Languages, South Asia Regional Studies, Theater Arts and Women's Studies.



"BBB definitely fosters and encourages that you do research more than any other science major"

Maggie B. Hymowitz, '99 (Manhasset, N.Y.)
Biological Basis of Behavior

"Since BBB offers a large mixture of courses, it prepares you for not just one specific profession, but allows you the opportunity to work in a wide variety of fields that combine all of your knowledge."

Shonda M. Feaster, '99 (Philadelphia, PA)
Biological Basis of Behavior

"Being a designer is a point of reference from which one enters the entire world. It is not a profession you leave at the office, it is a way of living, one that constantly seeks to translate itself into form so as to influence the way others live, love and linger."

Elissa M. Brown, '00 (Castleton, Vt.)
Design of the Environment

"Not only is the program cross-disciplinary across two schools, but it's also cross-disciplinary within each school. Computer science combines logic, mathematics, programming, and psychology; the College component allows you freedom of choice between majors."

Judy A. Evans, '01 (Westwood, Mass.)
Cognitive Science

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam Era Veteran or disabled veteran in the administration of educational policies, programs, or activities; admissions policies; scholarship and loan awards; athletic, or other University administered programs or employment. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to Executive Director, Office of Affirmative Action, Suite 228, Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106, (215) 898-6993 (voice) or (215) 898-7803 (TDD).