Academics
There’s always something new going on at Penn’s four undergraduate schools and 12 graduate schools. Look here for information on upcoming academic initiatives, new classes and research conducted by professors and students.
Wharton will offer five specialized tracks within the finance concentration this fall
Undergraduates concentrating in finance will have the option to choose from five tracks, including corporate finance, capital markets and banking, private equity and venture capital, investments, and quantitative finance.
Wharton launches new group that will focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives
The Wharton Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Group will begin operation in fall 2020 as the first group to solely focus on issues of currently underrepresented communities within the school.
Professors adjust course plans as fall semester details remain uncertain
Professors are adapting their courses to prepare for each of the four scenarios listed in the May 21 email regarding possibilities for the fall semester.
Live updates — Penn's response to the coronavirus outbreak
Provost Wendell Pritchett wrote in an email to all graduate school professors on Sunday evening that researchers must discontinue all non-essential on-campus research activities by March 17 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
New Wharton initiative will introduce students to the world of artificial intelligence
The program aims to inspire teaching and research in the field of AI and will be led by professor Kartik Hosanagar.
Africana Studies and English prof. Herman Beavers appointed Civic House faculty director
Beavers will succeed Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History Walter Licht, who served as the Civic House faculty director since 2002, and the founder of its Civic Scholars program.
Wharton coronavirus course taken by over 2,400 people deemed a success by students, faculty
Guest lecturers included Penn President Amy Gutmann, National Bureau of Economic Research Fellow Kent Smetters, and Wharton Dean Geoffrey Garrett, among others.
Here’s how Philadelphia-area colleges are planning for the fall semester
Institutions in the Philadelphia region are considering many variations of college life, including full in-person instruction, hybrid in-person and virtual instruction, and a fully virtual semester.
Penn adds 300 seats to summer courses to compensate for 70% increase in enrollment
Each undergraduate school will likely continue to add more courses, seats, and sections for Summer Session II as students continue to demonstrate interest to their academic advisors.
Nursing students worry missed clinical hours, online replacements leave them underprepared
Although Nursing students were initially told they could continue their clinical rotations, the School of Nursing announced on March 13 that Penn Medicine and its affiliates placed an indefinite hold on clinical placements at their facilities.
Engineering students find online classes less engaging, worry about a remote fall semester
Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science emphasizes a hands-on approach to education and after a semester of online labs and lectures, students are concerned by the possibility of more virtual classes.
From the studio to a virtual exhibition: Fine Arts majors adjust to online education
Fine Arts students and professors were forced to create work and instruct classes without access to the University's high quality multi-media equipment.
Penn ranked eighth best U.S. university by Quacquarelli Symonds
The University ranked fourth in the Ivy League, behind Harvard University, Columbia University, and Yale University.
In new summer video series, SAS professors lecture on music, philosophy, and physics
The Big Ideas for Strange Times series launched on May 15, and includes five-minute lectures on "ideas that transcend the immediate crisis of the pandemic." One video lecture will be broadcasted each week throughout the summer.
In a new course this fall, students will create and study the history of digital fakes
The English and Cinema Studies departments are offering a new course this fall, titled "Fakes, Forgeries, and Forensics in Digital Media."
LPS launches free online course to teach resilience and increase optimism during pandemic
The course, titled “Resilience Skills in a Time of Uncertainty,” launched on the online learning platform Coursera in April.
Students and professors grapple with unprecedented remote finals season
Many professors had to change the format of their final exams to accommodate for students’ varying time zones, lack of proctoring methods, and other at-home difficulties.
Penn Global Seminars plan to operate as normal despite uncertainty of fall semester
Penn Abroad will monitor the pandemic and international travel policies in the coming months, but is optimistic students will be able to travel safely by winter break.
Disillusioned students consider gap semesters if fall courses are held online
University administration said they have no plans to amend the current leave of absence policy for the fall semester.