Penn's Intellectual Mission

Conceived by Benjamin Franklin in 1740, Penn was the first college in the country to teach the sciences, economics, modern languages, public law, and applied mathematics. More than 250 years later, Franklin's spirit of clear-headed practicality inspired by unfettered intellectual inquiry is alive and well here, where students measure themselves against ideas that give meaning to the human adventure as they prepare for their work in the world.

The Spirit of Academic Freedom

Penn's four undergraduate schools offer a remarkable amount of educational freedom. Students in one school have opportunities to take advantage of courses and programs in the other schools. You'll have tremendous flexibility to tailor a program that fits your intellectual interests and professional goals.

As to their studies, it would be well if they could be taught everything that is useful and everything that is ornamental: But art is long and their time is short. It is therefore proposed that they learn those things that are the most useful and the most ornamental.
– Benjamin Franklin

Penn's stature as one of the world's preeminent research universities adds depth and breadth to the opportunities available to you. Working with senior researchers from throughout the University, you'll be able, if you wish, to benefit from first-hand learning experiences in virtually any field.

One University: A Revolutionary Idea

Making the most of the academic flexibility available to you at Penn goes hand in hand with the somewhat revolutionary idea of seeing Penn as one university, rather than as 12 separate undergraduate and graduate schools. As a student here, you'll be part of an entire university, not simply a participant in a particular school or program or major. We'll ask you to be flexible (and somewhat revolutionary) in the way you view your life at Penn—to think of everything you do inside and outside the classroom as an around-the-clock, indivisible adventure in learning, discovery, and self-expression.

Somewhere in each of us is the unabated love of learning for its own sake. Students throughout the University have the singular opportunity to explore virtually any aspect of the human experience with some of the world's most knowledgeable, thoughtful, and highly respected teachers as their guides. In our culture (and in our hearts) we hold the conviction that knowledge deepened to critical, integrated understanding in these areas is the hallmark of the well-educated man or woman. To those who have the foresight to build a career on such a foundation, and to those who seek merely to know and understand, Penn extends a warm welcome.