Minors

Explore additional disciplines and complement your current area of focus by adding to your educational repertoire a minor from any of the Penn Engineering departments (with the exception of Bioengineering) or one of the many subject areas in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Departmental Programs

Interdisciplinary Options

In addition to the minors associated with specific Penn Engineering departments, several minors are offered which intersect several departmental boundaries.

DATA SCIENCE MINOR (DATS)
Data Science applies core concepts in computer science, statistics and mathematics to problems in a wide variety of fields, from physical, social, biomedical, and behavioral sciences to arts and humanities. The minor targets students with strong analytical abilities and some existing programming experience, and requires courses in statistics, data-centric programming, data management, and data analysis. It also points to courses across the University that deal with data in areas of importance to Data Science. To apply for a DATS minor, students should complete the Application for a Minor form online. If you have questions about the minor email: (datsmast@seas.upenn.edu) Learn more.

Energy and Sustainability (ENSU)
Penn Engineering offers a Minor in Energy and Sustainability, providing students with a broad coverage of technical and societal issues confronting the world and in-depth treatment of selected topics in technical areas relevant to energy and sustainability. The ENSU Minor will require that students use some or all of their free electives to satisfy course requirements. Energy policy courses will be used solely to satisfy SEAS degree requirements in the “Technology in Business and Society” (TBS) category.  Learn more.

Engineering Entrepreneurship (EENT)
Penn Engineering offers a Minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship (EENT), complementing the core engineering disciplines. This minor is designed for students majoring in engineering and applied science. However, it is open to all University undergraduates subject to available class space. Non-engineering students should check with their home schools to determine their eligibility to take the EENT minor. All courses for the EENT minor must be taken for a grade (no pass/fail). Minor approval forms for EENT must be approved by Dr. Thomas Cassel.

Cognitive Science
Penn Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences together offer a special minor in Cognitive Science. This minor is aimed at a wide range of students in either the College or Penn Engineering, and permits a number of options. Students must choose at least six courses corresponding to the parent disciplines of computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. Students must take a prescribed number of Introductory and Foundational courses, but they are free to choose one of the five tracks and also to choose their advanced courses.

Applying for a Minor – Engineering Students

Process: An Engineering student who wishes to minor in a special subject area should complete an “Application for a Minor” form (also available in 109 Towne Building) and have the proposed selection of courses approved by the undergraduate chairperson of the department in which you wish to obtain your minor. The completed form should be returned to the Research and Academic Services Office, 109 Towne Building. Should the selection of courses you wish to take to complete the minor change, an approved and updated form must be submitted so the transcript reflects the approved selection of courses for the minor area. The minor form must be submitted and the courses completed by the end of the student’s final undergraduate semester.

Requirements: Engineering minors consist of at least 6 course units, all of which must be taken for a grade. No more than two courses in the engineering minor may be double counted with courses specified on the student’s Course Planning Guide. Any course accepted in the engineering category for a major may be accepted as a course to fulfill a minor in that field.

Applying for a Minor – Non Engineering Students

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences, Nursing, or Wharton may also pursue a minor in the School of Engineering. The “Application for a Minor” form is used to apply for the Engineering minor. After approval by the minor department, the form should be submitted to the Office of Research and Academic Services, 109 Towne Building. Non-engineering students are also advised to speak with their academic advisor regarding how the courses for the Engineering minor will be counted in their overall course plan. Please note that engineering minors consist of at least 6 course units, ALL of which must be taken for a grade.