Curriculum & Requirements>>Policies>>Majors

Policies Governing the Major Requirement

Applies to both the Class of 2009 and Earlier and the Class of 2010 and Later.

Students are subject to the specific policies and requirements of a given major in effect at the time the student declares that major. If the major requirements are subsequently changed, students are generally permitted to complete the major under the older requirement structure. Only the department or program in question can make exceptions to the regulations governing a major program.

Qualifications for admission to the major

Students must have a g.p.a. of 2.0 in major and major-related courses already taken. Some majors require a higher g.p.a.

Some departments and programs (including Architecture, Communication, Economics and International Relations) require specific coursework or other requirements before application to the major .

Transfer credits

Only the department or program advisors determine which credits transferred from another institution can count toward the major.

At least half the courses in the major must be taken at Penn. Some departments require more.

Grade type

All courses taken for a major must be taken for a letter grade, not pass/fail.

Counting courses

Students pursuing two majors must take at least 18 different courses in fulfillment of Major Requirements.

Students in the Class of 2010 and Later may double count no more than one course toward both the Major and the Sector Requirement. Biochemistry, Biological Basis of Behavior and Biology majors may double count two courses toward both the Major and the Sector Requirement: one each in the Living World and Physical World sectors. Students who are double majoring may count one courses from each major toward the Sector Requirement.