The following courses can be used as Engineering Courses - all undergraduate and 5000-level graduate courses (including ENGR, TCOM, and NETS courses) offered by Penn Engineering. (Exceptions are listed below.) *The following course is also counted in the Engineering category: Naval Science 3010.

The following courses DO NOT COUNT:

• Any engineering course numbered 2960 or 2970*
• BE: 5130
• CIS (CSE): 1050, 1060, 1070, 1250, 1600,  2610, 3333, 4230, 5230, 7980
• EAS: Any courses
• ENGR: 5020
• ENM: Any courses
• ESE: 2030, 3010, 4020, 5300, 5670
• IPD: 5090, and courses cross-listed with ARCH, EAS or FNAR
• MEAM: 110, 147
• MCIT: MCIT courses may not be taken for credit by SEAS Undergraduates.
• MSE: 2210 cannot be used as an engineering course.

Notes:

• For students who entered Fall 2019 and earlier: dual and joint degree BAS students are allowed to count up to two non-engineering linking courses in the engineering category. At present the only linking courses approved for this substitution are MGMT 2350 and MGMT 2370. Others may be approved by petition.
• Students in the VIPER program can use VIPR 1200/1210 as an Engineering Requirement, subject to any other conditions or restrictions in a major (Also, this fulfills the Ethics Requirement for VIPER students for any major.)
• CIS 2620 counts as an Engineering course for those entering Fall 2020 and later.
• IMUN 6090 and REG 6180 are included as specific options for the BE concentration they are affiliated with only; and would count as either an engineering elective or tech elective.

* All engineering courses numbered 2970 (e.g., ESE 2970) denote engineering course credit received from study abroad that do not qualify for the "Engineering" category. These courses may NOT be used in the "Engineering" category. They may however be used in the "Technical Elective/Application Focus" category. (Please note that many engineering course credits may be earned from study abroad that count as "Engineering" category credit. In cases where no exact equivalent credit is given, a course number of 2980 will be assigned and these may be used in the Engineering category.)

*Credit  will not be issued for The Green Program (TGP) study abroad/ credit away.

*All engineering courses numbered 2960 (e.g., BE 2960) denote engineering course credit received from study abroad that do not qualify for the "Engineering" category. These courses may NOT be used in the "Engineering" category. Also, they may not be used in the "Technical Elective/Application Focus" category. 2960 numbered courses may be counted as Free Elective. Also, via petition, they may be considered as Social Science.

** EAS courses below 0800 may be used only as free electives.

EAS 0097 is not counted in the Engineering category, but where appropriate, may be counted (up to one course unit) in the Technical Electives category. It may also be counted as a free elective.

Any course offered by the University to undergraduates may be taken as a free elective unless it is in the No Credit list.

No Credit List:

Penn Engineering undergraduates may not use courses on this list toward their degree:

• Astro 0001
• CHEM 1011, 001 (Note: not permitted for students entering Fall 2018 or later)
• CIS (CSE) 100/101
• EAS 5030 (SEAS UG students may register for EAS 4030 for TBS credit)
• EAS 5050 (SEAS UG students may register for EAS 3010 for TBS credit)
• Education (inter-session courses)
• Math 1510, 1700
• MCIT courses
• MEAM 091, 092, 093, 094, 095
• Military Science
• Naval Science (except 102, 201, 2020, 301*, 401, 4020)
• Organizational Dynamics (DYNM) courses
• Physics 1100, below 140 except PHYS 0500, 0510, 093, 094
• Statistics below 4300 (Note: effective Fall 2021 STAT 4050 and STAT 4220 can only be used as free electives)
• Perelman School of Medicine (MED courses)
• Wharton Global Youth Pre-Baccalaureate courses
• The Green Program (TGP) study abroad

* Also counts as engineering

The following courses can be used to fulfill the mathematics requirement:

• CIS ⁽⁴⁾: CIS/ENM 1600, CIS/ENM 2610, CIS 3333
• ECON: 2300
• ENM: All courses. ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾
• ESE: ESE 2030⁽⁵⁾, ESE/ENM 3010, ESE 4020⁽¹⁾, ESE 5300
• MATH: Any course from MATH 1400 or above ⁽⁵⁾, except the following: 1700, 1720, 1800, 2100⁽³⁾, 2800,
• PHIL: 1710, 4723
• STAT⁽¹⁾: 4300, 4310, 4320, 4330

GENERAL NOTES:

• Students may not receive credit for two courses at the same level where the content is similar. Several forbidden pairs of courses are listed in the MATH Course Catalog.
• Students who wish to take an honors math class should consult with their department/program to determine if an honors math class will fulfill their degree requirements (e.g., MATH 1610 instead of MATH 1410 or MATH 2600 instead of MATH 2400).
• Freshman Seminars may not be used to fulfill the SEAS Mathematics Requirement.

FOOTNOTES:

(1) STAT 4300/4310, ENM 3750, and ESE 3010/4020 are considered equivalent courses. Students should consult with their department/program on the appropriate course, as only one may be taken.

(2) Students who take ENM 2510 cannot take MATH 2410 since the courses are considered equivalent. Note: If your major requires you to take MATH 2410, you can replace it with ENM 2510 without a petition since both are equivalent (and vice versa).

(3) MATH 2100 may not be used to fulfill a Math requirement.

(4) CIS 2620 counts as an Engineering (not Mathematics) course for those entering Fall 2020 and later.

(5) Students can’t take both ESE 2030 and MATH 2400. Students should consult with their department/program on which course is appropriate.

The following courses can be used to fulfill the natural science requirement:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics: 1211, 1212, 1250, 3392
  • Note: Astronomy 0001 may not be taken by Penn Engineering students.
  • Note: Other courses numbered below Astronomy 0011 can be taken as free electives only.
• Biochemistry: Any course
• Bioengineering: 3050, 5130
• Biological Basis of Behavior: Any course
• Biology: 0992 and any course numbered above 1000 except 2510
• Biophysics: Any course
• Cellular and Molecular Biology: Any course
• Chemistry: Any course except CHEM 1000, 1011, 1200, 0250
  • Note: AP credit for Chemistry (CHEM 091 or EAS 0091) is equivalent to CHEM 1012. Some departments may not accept AP credit for Chemistry - see individual curricula.
  • Note: Students are permitted to take CHEM 1012 or CHEM 1151, but not both.
• Computer and Information Science: CIS 3980 (Only CIS Majors may count this as a Natural Science or Engineering elective).
• Earth and Environmental Science: EESC 1000, 1030.  Any course above 2000 pending approval by faculty committee (Currently approved: EESC 2120, 2500, 3300, 3600, 4200, 4320, 4360, 4440, 4630). EESC 3003 does not count as a Natural Science
• Electrical and Systems Engineering: ESE 1120
  • Note: If ESE 1120 is taken, PHYS 0151 is not allowed.
• Genomics and Computational Biology: Any course
• Materials Science Engineering: MSE 2210
  • Note: MSE 2150, 2210, 2600, 3300, and 4300 may be counted as Natural Science or Engineering if taken prior to Spring 2015.
• Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics: 1100, 1470
  • Note: If MEAM 1100 and MEAM 1470 are taken, PHYS 0150 is not allowed since these are equivalent.
• Neuroscience: Any NRSC course- except NRSC 0050, 0060, 1159, 1160, 2217, 2227, 2249, and 4417
• Physics: 0050, 0051, 0140, 0141, and courses numbered 0150 and above.
  • Note: PHYS 1100, 3314, 3360, and 5500 are not allowed.
  • Note: If you take the honor's equivalent of a required Physics course, there is no need to petition for it (e.g. you can take PHYS 0170 in place of PHYS 0150; or PHYS 0171 instead of PHYS 0151 without having to petition).
• Psychology: 1210

Freshman Seminar courses can not be used to fulfill the natural science requirement.

To ensure breadth, you are required to select two courses in the social sciences and two in the humanities.

Please note that below the Humanities list, there is a separate list of courses offered in programs that are cross-listed with "SS" or "H" departments.

All Departmental-based topics courses must be approved for use in this category.

NOTE: The policy requiring two social sciences and two humanities courses within their General Electives category only applies to SEAS Curricula with 40 CU requirements. Students with the 37 CU requirements need an overall 7 CUs from social sciences and humanities. Please consult your worksheet and/or department for specifics.

Social Sciences

Courses which qualify for Social Science (SS) include any course numbered below 6000 from the following departments, except where noted. Freshman Seminar courses offered by these departments can be used to fulfil the requirements.

• ASAM – Asian American Studies (except where cross-listed with AMES, ENGL, FNAR, HIST, or SARS)
• COMM – Communications
• CRIM – Criminology
• ECON – Economics (except ECON 2300 and ECON 2310)
• GSWS – Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies (formerly GSOC)
• HSOC – Health and Societies
• INTR – International Relations
• Linguistics (LING) (except language courses which can be used as Humanities electives and LING 0700 which can be used as a free elective)
• PPE – Philosophy, Politics and Economics
• PSCI – Political Science
• PSYC -Psychology (except statistics, probability, math, and natural sciences courses)
• SOCI – Sociology (except statistics, probability, and math courses)
• STSC -Science, Technology and Society
• URBS – Urban Studies

The following individual courses may also be counted as social science:

• Anthropology (ANTH) 0330
• Business Economics & Public Policy (BEPP) (formerly BPUB) 1000, 2010, 2020, 2030, 2080, 2110, 2140, 2200, 2300, 2330, 2500*, 2610, 2630, 2650, 2800, 2840, 2890, 3050
• Education (EDUC) 2140
• Eng & Applied Science (EAS) 2030
• Earth and Environmental Science (EESC) 1060, 2300, 3003
• Energy Management & Policy (ENMG) 5120
• Environmental Studies (ENVS) 4250
• Finance (FNCE) 1010
• History and Sociology of Science (HSSC) (taken prior to Fall 2004)
• Legal Studies (LGST) 1000, 1010, 2120, 2150, 2200
• Neuroscience (NRSC) 1159, 2227, 2249, 4417
• Nursing (NURS) 3130, 3150, 3160, 3300, 5250
• Operations, Information, and Decisions (OIDD) 2900

* Note: BPUB 2500 may be used as SS Depth along with ECON 0110

Humanities

Courses which qualify for Humanities (H) include any course numbered below 6000 from the following departments, except where noted. Freshman Seminar courses offered by these departments can be used to fulfill the requirements.

• Any foreign language course
• ANTH – Anthropology
• ANCH – Ancient History
• ARTH – Art History
• ASAM – Asian American Studies (cross-listed with AMES, ENGL, FNAR, HIST, and SARS only) — 1520
• ASLD – American Sign Language
• BIOE – Bioethics 
• CLST – Classical Studies (ANCH, CLST, LATN, GREK)
• COML – Comparative Literature and Literary Theory
• DSGN – Design 0010, 1010, 1020, 1030, 2010, 1040, 2030, 2040, 5001, 2510, and 1050
  • Note these courses were previously approved FNAR
• EALC – East Asia Languages and Civilizations
• ENGL – English
• FNAR – Fine Arts
• FOLK – Folklore
• HIST – History
• HSSC – History and Sociology of Science
• JWST – Jewish Studies
• LALS – Latin American and Latino Studies
• MUSC – Music
• MELC – Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (formerly NELC)
• PHIL – Philosophy (except 5710, 4723, and all other logic courses)
• RELS – Religious Studies
• South Asia Studies (SARS and SAST)
• THAR – Theatre Arts
• VLST – Visual Studies

The following courses may also be counted as humanities:

• AFRC – Africana Studies 2321
• ARCH – Architecture 1010, 2010, 2020, 3010, 3020, 4010, 4110, 4120
• CIMS – Cinema and Media Studies: 1002, 2850
• CIS – Computer & Information Science 1060 (ANTH 2580)

Courses From Academic Programs With All Multi-Listed Courses

The following programs offer courses that are ALMOST entirely cross-listed with other academic departments. Students taking courses offered in these programs must use the “SS” or “H” designations according to their cross-listed academic department as listed above. Courses without a cross-listing will be determined as SS or H on a case-by-case basis. Students should contact their Undergraduate Coordinator (in their Major/Department) to start the review process.

• AFST – African Studies
• AFRC – Africana Studies
• AAMW – Art and Archeology of the Mediterranean World
• CIMS – Cinema Media Studies
• GSWS – Gender, Sex, and Women’s Studies

Writing Seminar Course

Writing Seminar (WRIT) courses offered may be used to satisfy “SS” or “H” requirements according to this list.

On October 8, 1998, the Undergraduate Affairs Committee approved the following change in the SSH depth requirement. This is in effect for classes graduating after August, 1999. In order to demonstrate depth, a student must take a second course in any of the departments used to satisfy one of the other six SSH requirements. The usual strictures on what constitutes a humanities and social science apply.

NOTE: This policy only applies to SEAS Curricula with 40 CU requirements.

Students interested in the relationships between technology, business, and society may choose to substitute up to two of the required social science and humanities courses with approved courses from the Technology in Business and Society course category. If a course is not on the list below as an approved TBS course, do not assume it will count as a TBS course. If you are considering a new course to count as a TBS course, please consult with the OAS Office and/or the undergraduate chair in your department prior to taking the course.

Note that students who choose this option are still required to take at least two social science and two humanities courses and must fulfill the depth and writing requirements for their major. Courses in this category may not be counted as engineering courses.

This category includes:

• CIS (CSE): 1070, 1250, 4230, 5230
• DSGN: 0020
• EAS:  0010, 2020, 2040, 2200, 2210, 2220, 2230, 2240, 2250, 2260, 2270, 2280, 2900, 3010, 3060, 3200, 4010, 4020, 4030, 4080, 5010, 5020, 5050*, 5070, 5100, 5120, 5410, 5430, 5450, 5460, 5470, 5490, 5900, 5950
• ENGR: 5020
• ENVS: 3700, 5810
• IPD: 5090, 5450 (cross-listed with EAS)
• LGST: 2220, 2440
• LAWM: 5060
• MGMT: 2370, 2640, 2650
• MKTG: 2270, 2470
• NURS: 3570
• OIDD: 2360, 2340 (.5 cu)*, 2550, 3140, 3150
• PFP Free (approved for entered Fall 2020 and later)
• WH: 1010 (.5 cu)*

*OIDD 3990 (.5 cu) + WH 1010 (.5 cu) count for one CU of TBS for M&T.

*EAS 5050 cannot be applied toward Accelerated Master's.

*EAS 2420 will no longer count as TBS starting in Spring 2025.

The writing requirement should be completed by the end of freshman year (and no later than the second semester sophomore year).

The following courses can be used to fulfill the writing requirement:

Read More about The Writing Requirement.