Academic Programs Off Campus
Academic Opportunities|Off Campus Experiences
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The College affords students the opportunity to study off campus through a variety of courses and programs. This experience can help students apply what they have learned outside the classroom, or study at partner institutions.
Academically Based Community Service Courses (ABCS) are service courses rooted in, and intrinsically linked to, teaching and research. With an emphasis on student and faculty reflection, ABCS is committed to linking theory and practice through activities that make a significant difference in the community of West Philadelphia and at Penn.
Supported by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses involve hands-on, real-world problem solving and work to build a sustained engagement that transforms students into active community members and citizens. Through their work with West Philadelphia public schools, communities of faith and community organizations, ABCS faculty and students work to solve critical community issues in a variety of areas, such as the environment, health, arts and education. Over 160 ABCS courses from diverse schools and disciplines across the University have engaged in work in West Philadelphia through the Netter Center for Community Partnerships.
The Penn in Washington program’s main goal is to encourage Penn students to consider careers in public policy. In addition to providing internship placement assistance throughout the year, during the summer in Washington they organize speakers and networking events and match interested students with alumni mentors who are willing to share career advice. Penn in Washington also helps Washington Semester Program students find internships during the academic year, and organizes several day trips to Washington for students who are considering Washington for the summer or their first job. The day trips serve as an introduction to Washington and an opportunity for students to speak to Penn alumni about their work. Alumni who would like to help can hire a Penn intern, mentor a student, or sponsor an event. Students in the College are encouraged to use the resources on the website, including an extensive database of internships in Washington and more limited options for New York City and elsewhere.
Visit the website or contact the program director, Deirdre Martinez, for more information.
The Washington Semester Program offers Penn students an opportunity to learn from first-hand experience in the political and governmental process while taking courses taught by Penn faculty in the nation's capital.
Although designed primarily to fit the needs of social science majors, the program may be suitable for science and humanities majors with serious interest in public policy, politics and government.
The program features 4 c.u. of study, a research project, and an internship in an organization or agency related to the student's career and research interests. This program operates in many respects like a semester abroad.
Penn students may enroll in courses at Bryn Mawr, Haverford or Swarthmore College during the fall and spring terms of the academic year. The four schools constitute the Quaker Consortium and have a reciprocal agreement for course credit and tuition, i.e., grades will appear on the student's Penn transcript, and no additional tuition will be charged.
The TriCollege Course Guide lists course offerings at the three schools.
