The College Curriculum

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View: Why a curriculum?

With over 2,000 courses from which to choose, more than 50 majors and a wide array of additional academic options, students could easily be overwhelmed by the range of available choices.

The College's curriculum draws the student toward two distinctive goals: toward general education across the wide range of the arts and sciences and toward specialized education in a major. A commitment to holding these two together-general and specialized education-has been the genius of American higher education since the early part of the last century. The College continues to believe that these two elements constitute an education best suited to enabling intelligent people to live fulfilling and productive lives in the 21st century.

The College Curriculum

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences follow one of two possible sets of requirements, depending on the class cohort they belonged to when they first matriculated. The two curricula are designated as "Class of 2009 and earlier" and "Class of 2010 and later."

College Class of 2010 and Later

The options, regulations and requirements for this curriculum are followed by:

• Students who entered the College of Arts and Sciences with the Class of 2010 and later.
• Students who transfer into the College of Arts and Sciences (from other Penn schools or from other institutions) and who were designated Class of 2010 or later when they transferred.

NOTE: Students admitted with the Class of 2010 and later follow this curriculum regardless of their eventual date of graduation.

College Class of 2009 and Earlier

The options, regulations and requirements for this curriculum have not changed and continue to be followed by:

• Students who entered the College of Arts and Sciences with the Class of 2009 and earlier. These students follow the curriculum that was in place when they matriculated.
• Students who transferred into the College of Arts and Sciences (from other Penn schools or from other institutions) and who were designated Class of 2009 or earlier when they transferred.

NOTE: Students in these classes who have taken a leave of absence or who for other reasons will graduate after 2009 continue to follow this curriculum regardless of their eventual date of graduation.

Students still enrolled in the Pilot Curriculum, a small subset of those who matriculated in the College from 2000 to 2004, continue to follow the rules and regulations of the Pilot Curriculum.