Electives

Tailor the curriculum to meet your goals

Your knowledge from Wharton’s core curriculum is supplemented by the broad range of elective courses offered via our ten academic departments. Most majors require 4 Wharton elective credit units for completion. While some majors mandate that all electives be from the same department, others allow for electives ranging from different departments to fulfill the requirements. Many electives build upon core courses and in some instances, other electives, so students should carefully review the prerequisite requirements to ensure they have the knowledge to complete the class. Faculty have the right to deny enrollment to students who have not met the prerequisite requirements for their course. The Course Match optimization process will be used to register for almost all Wharton electives.

MBA students are welcomed to take electives in other programs at the University of Pennsylvania, with permission of that program. Please note that only graduate level credit units (often indicated by Penn courses that are numbered 500 and above, with a few exceptions) count toward the MBA. Listings, schedules and descriptions of Penn electives can be found in various locations including the Office of the University Registrar website, department websites, and Path@Penn.

Please note the following rules regarding electives for the MBA:

  • Students may not count more than four graduate credit units taken outside Wharton toward the MBA.
  • Wharton does not count coursework from other universities towards its MBA degree unless these are taken as part of an approved dual degree program or recognized exchange program.
  • Elective courses that are completed with a passing grade may not be repeated.
  • Coursework completed at the University of Pennsylvania prior to registering in the MBA program does not count towards the MBA degree, with the exception of approved dual degree programs.