Integration of Knowledge

A broad education trains students for more than a particular profession, it prepares them to do anything. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences experience a truly comprehensive education that prepares them for life in the 21st century where everything is increasingly interconnected. Our faculty designed a curriculum that encourages students to explore important topics through multiple lenses so that they understand how to approach complicated issues facing the world today.

This integration begins with the College’s General Requirements, which constitute the foundation of the Arts and Sciences degree. Courses ranging from Indian philosophy to modern biology and its social implications allow students to tailor their own liberal arts education to fit their interests. This flexible curriculum is designed to frame opportunities for them, and after exploring course offerings, many change directions and begin a course of study they never considered before. That’s why a broad education is so fulfilling: it will change and empower you to make an impact on the complex world in which we all live.          

The variety of major and minor offerings in the College complement this interdisciplinary exploration. More traditional majors such as History and English encourage learning from other disciplines including political science and sociology while the explicitly interdisciplinary majors such as Biological Basis of Behavior; Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies; and International Relations integrate courses from multiple fields of knowledge as core components.

Students in the College also have the option to take courses from other undergraduate schools at Penn including Engineering, Wharton, and Nursing, and have access to many of the graduate schools including the Schools of Design, Education, Law and Social Policy and Practice. All of these opportunities enable students to create their own degree in a thoughtful way so they can explore their interests, build skill sets, engage their intellects and learn from a variety of fields.