Wharton offers students a broadly designed program in which business and management education is combined with the liberal arts and sciences throughout the undergraduate years.  General studies help students to understand themselves, society, and the physical universe, providing an enduring basis for critical thinking, personal judgment, and social action.  The curriculum’s more specialized studies provide the particular knowledge and specific understanding that will enable graduates either
to enter a meaningful career or to undertake graduate
or professional study.  Additional information on
degree requirements can be found in the Wharton undergraduate student handbook, online at http://undergrad.wharton.upenn.edu.

General Education Requirement (3 courses)

The General Education requirement includes three arts and sciences courses designed as the foundation for business courses.  The following courses should be finished by the end of the first year in preparation for sophomore year core business courses.

Economics 010 and Business and
Public Policy 250:  Introductory Economics  

All students are required to take a one semester course combining the fundamentals of microeconomics and  macroeconomics (ECON 010).  In the second semester, students take BPUB 250, an intermediate course in microeconomics. Economics provides a basis for understanding what markets are and how they function.

Math 104:  Calculus, Part I  

All students are required to take the first semester of Calculus.  Math 104 assumes that students have had the equivalent of AB Calculus in high school and are familiar with concepts through applications of differentiation and basic integration techniques.  Math, like economics, is an important tool in approaching business courses.  Calculus will provide the student with the background for other quantitative work in business courses.  

Leadership, Teamwork, and Communication  
(1 course)

Management 100:  Leadership and Communication in Groups

Because the development of leadership and communication skills is one of the central objectives of the Wharton undergraduate curriculum, this required course provides a very important forum for a student to understand his or her current abilities in these areas and how to improve them.  All incoming students are required to take this course.  First-year students should take it in the fall of the first year.  In general, transfer and dual

Writing Requirement  (1 course)

Writing Requirement

Another avenue for developing communication skills is the writing requirement.  All students must take a Writing About course to fulfill this requirement.  These courses generally are numbered as English 001- 009 and English 125.  English 011, English for International Students, may also be used to fulfill the requirement if you are a student whose first language is not English.  

In addition, other departments, such as Philosophy and Women’s Studies, offer Writing About courses, usually numbered 009.  AP credit in English cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.  The Fiction Writing Workshop, the Creative Writing Workshop and Writing Across the University do not satisfy the Wharton writing requirement.  Consult http: //www.college.upenn.edu/ curriculum/requirements/writing.html for more information.

Business Fundamentals  (9 courses)

By the end of freshman year, the five courses listed above should be successfully completed, as they will provide you with the tools you need to succeed in subsequent semesters.  Starting in the fall of the sophomore year, most students begin to take the business fundamentals.  The nine courses that comprise the business core will provide you with the foundation needed for understanding how organizations function.

Accounting 101 and 102:  
Principles of Accounting

Usually taken in the sophomore year, these introductory courses in financial and managerial accounting provide a broad-based understanding of how an organization reports on its financial position and the decisions leaders must make when creating financial reports.  Accounting has been described as the “language of business.”  A thorough knowledge of its principles is necessary for all business professionals.

Statistics 101 and 102:
Introductory Business Statistics  

Two semesters of Statistics is required, following completion of the Calculus requirement.  These courses are focused on statistical methods used in many upper-level courses, especially Finance.  First-year students who have already completed Math 104 may enroll in Statistics 101. Statistics 430 and 431, a more theoretical approach to business statistics (or ESE 301 and 302, offered through the School of Engineering and Applied Science), may replace Statistics 101 and 102 and are usually taken by those students who have a strong