Pilot Curriculum Frequently Asked Questions

The Facts

Current Pilot Students

Advising

General Education Requirment

Prospective Students

Why was the pilot curriculum created?
 Why it Was Created. The liberal arts education given at the College at Penn is ranked among the best in the country. The faculty decided that now, while the College is at the top, is the time to make it climb even higher. The pilot curriculum is an exciting experiment in education that will change the way students at Penn will study and could very well change the way people around the country will study.

How it Works. All members of an incoming freshman class receive a letter asking them to choose between the current curriculum and the pilot curriculum. Of the students who chose the pilot curriculum, 200 of them are randomly selected. All students who reply to the May invitation are notified about their participation in early June. Started during fall 2000, the pilot curriculum will be an option for all incoming freshmen through fall 2004.

What it Is. The pilot curriculum offers students a more compact general education requirement that is designed as an interdisciplinary introduction to the opportunities available for them to pursue through their electives and their major. The students will also be asked to create a well-thought out plan for use of their electives that will add breadth, depth and coherence to their education. They will also be required to fulfill an academic skills requirement that will enhance their skills in written communication, promote proficiency in and familiarity with at least one foreign language, and develop skills in quantitative analysis and reasoning.To go beyond the traditional constraints of the classroom and participate in the discovery of new knowledge, pilot curriculum students will also complete a research project or independent study within the context of their major. (back to top)

What is the difference between the current curriculum and the pilot curriculum?

current Curriculum Pilot Curriculum

Major

  • 12 to 20 courses depending on the major
  • Research project encouraged but not required (with the exception of a few majors)

Pilot Major

  • 12 to 20 courses depending on the major
  • Research required: significant research, scholarship, or creative project required

Electives

  • 16 to 20 courses outside the major
  • May include courses for the language, quantitative data analysis and general requirements.
  • Minimum of 5 to 7 courses must be free electives (The number of free electives varies depending on the things like the language requirement, major requirements, etc.)

Pilot Electives

  • 16 to 20 courses outside the major.
  • May include courses for the language, quantitative data analysis and general requirements.
  • Minimum of 8 to 10 courses must be free electives (The number of free electives varies depending on the things like the language requirement, major requirements, etc.)
  • Plan for Use of Electives: No later than second semester sophomore year, students will review a well-articulated plan for the use of their electives with their advisor. The plan will be reviewed and updated at the end of the junior year. (Examples of formal plans for use of electives.

Graduation

  • Total of 32 to 36 credits needed

Graduation

  • Total of 32 to 36 credits needed

General Requirement

  • 10 Courses from Seven Sectors:
    1. Society
    2. History and Tradition
    3. Arts and Letters
    4. Formal Reasoning and Analysis
    5. The Living World
    6. The Physical World
    7. Science Studies
  • Some courses are interdisciplinary.
    Most courses are based in traditional academic disciplines and are taught by one faculty member.
  • It is recommended that the general requirement be completed during the first four semesters.

Pilot General Requirement

  • 4 courses from 4 sectors:
    1. Structure and Value in Human Societies
    2. Science, Culture, and Society
    3. Earth, Space and Life
    4. Imagination, Representation and Reality
  • Most courses are interdisciplinary. Some courses are taught by a team of faculty; each approaches a specific topic through a number of disciplinary perspectives.
  • General requirement should be fulfilled during the student's first four semesters.
  • General Requirement Course Listing

Writing Requirement

  • 1 writing seminar OR 2 Writing Across the University (WATU) courses OR Participation in a year-long residentially-based writing group

Pilot Writing Requirement

  • 1 writing-intensive course in freshman year

Language Requirement

  • Proficiency exam taken after completion of intermediate level of study (0 to 4 courses)

Language Requirement

  • Proficiency exam taken after completion of intermediate level of study (0 to 4 courses)

quantitative data analysis

  • 1 course designated a quantitative data analysis (QS) course anytime during 4 years

quantitative data analysis

  • 1 course designated a quantitative data analysis (QS) course anytime during 4 years
 

Where do I go for advising or questions that I may have about the pilot curriculum?

Should I take the pilot curriculum general education courses in any order?
No, the order that you choose to take the general education courses in is completely up to you. Just remember that you are encouraged to complete them within your first four semesters. (back to top)

Will the same courses be offered next year?
Courses offered this year may be offered again. We expect that most courses will be offered more than once. (back to top)

 If I am majoring in science or preparing for a medical career, will I be required to fulfill the science portion of the general requirement?
Students who believe they will be science majors or who are preparing for medical careers will complete the courses in categories I, II and IV. If by the middle of the sophomore year they are still planning a science major or medical career and have completed a two-course sequence in the physical or life sciences, they can be exempted from course category III. Many of you will still want to take a category III course because of its interdisciplinary breadth. (back to top)

May I take the general education courses pass/fail?
No, you must take your general education courses for a grade. The pass/fail option was created to allow students to explore new disciplines or take a genuinely challenging course. Only free electives may be taken pass/fail. You should consult your academic advisor before you decide whether or not to take a course pass/fail. (back to top)

What is the difference between free electives and electives?
ELECTIVES: In addition to your major, you must take at least twenty electives to graduate. Your electives consist of the general education courses (4 c.u.), the writing requirement (1 c.u.), the language requirement (up to 4 c.u.), the quantitative data analysis requirement (1 c.u.) and your free electives.

FREE ELECTIVES: Free electives are a subset of the electives component. To figure out how many free electives you must take, add up the number of courses that you will need to fulfill the general education requirement, the writing requirement, the language requirement and the quantitative data analysis requirement and subtract that number from 20. (back to top)

How many electives can I take pass/fail?
It is recommended that, at most, you take four of your free electives pass/fail. You should not take more than one per semester. The pass/fail option was created to allow students to explore new disciplines or take a genuinely challenging course. You should consult with your academic advisor before you make the decision to take a course pass/fail. (back to top)

How many credits do I need to graduate?
To figure out how many courses you will need to graduate, add twenty to the number of courses required to complete your major. Majors at Penn range from 12 to 16 course units. So, depending on the major that you choose, you will need 32 to 36 course units to graduate. Those majors that require more than 16 course units, such as Biological Basis of Behavior, which requires 18.5 course units, or Chemistry, which requires 17 course units, you will need only 36 course units to graduate. (back to top)

What do I do if I want to increase my course load?
If you want to increase your course load, you should come to Logan Hall, room 120. The receptionist will direct you to the right person. (back to top)

How many non-College courses can I take?
You may take four non-College courses (Wharton, Fine Arts, Engineering, Nursing, Education) as electives that will count towards graduation. This means that 16 of your twenty electives must be College courses. Any non-College courses that fulfill the General Requirement are considered College electives and do not count towards the limit. Dual-degree students must take 14 of the their electives in the College, allowing 6 non-College electives. If there are non-College courses that can apply towards your major, then they do not count towards the limit -- you still may take four additional non-College electives. You are permitted to take more than the maximum of non-College electives permitted, but they will not count towards graduation. (back to top)

Can I apply for the pilot curriculum?
Students in the class of 2008 will be the last group going through the Pilot Curriculum. We are no longer accepting new students.(back to top)

How were students selected for the pilot curriculum?
Out of the students who chose to participate, 200 incoming freshmen were randomly selected each fall, starting in the year 2000, and continuing for five academic years. (back to top)