The University of Pennsylvania combines
tradition and innovation. From modest beginnings in 1740
as a college for the “complete education” of youth,
the University has become one of the foremost research and
teaching institutions in the world. Its four
undergraduate and twelve graduate and professional Schools now
comprise more than 20,000 students and 1,700 faculty, working
in scores of disciplines and fields. Despite the
extensive evolution Penn has experienced since graduating its
first class of seven students, the fundamental purpose of the
University has remained the same: the continued improvement of
the human condition through the pursuit of knowledge.
The intellectual curiosity that sustained
and nourished Benjamin Franklin, Penn’s founder, can be
seen today in each of the University’s academic programs.
The University is unique among its peers in that all of
its undergraduate, graduate, and professional Schools are
located on its 262-acre campus in West Philadelphia.
Every course of study Penn offers is pursued within this
ten-block radius, all integrated to create a unique
intellectual milieu in which faculty, graduate and
undergraduate students foster a culture of enrichment and
exploration.
The spirit of interdisciplinary
collaboration pervades all of the University’s programs.
The academic strength and vitality of each of its Schools
is augmented by those around it, fostering synergies among
undergraduate programs and with the graduate and professional
Schools. This is an educational environment that prepares
students to contribute to an increasingly diverse and
challenging world.
This Academic Bulletin details programs
and requirements for each of the four undergraduate Schools, as
well as academic options available to all undergraduates at
Penn. It also provides brief descriptions of all of the
courses offered to undergraduates. We invite you to use
this Bulletin – as well as our webpage, www.upenn.edu – to
explore the richness that is a Penn education.
