The business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, is called the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (/hwrtn/ WHOR-tn; sometimes spelled Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, and Wharton). The Wharton School, which is among the most famous business schools in the world and the oldest college business school in the world, was founded in 1881 thanks to a gift from Joseph Wharton.
In February, Wharton placed No. 1 on Financial Times’ list of 100 business schools globally. The ranking followed Wharton’s exclusion from the FT’s top business schools ranking in 2023 — its first absence in 25 years — due to the school failing to reach the alumni survey respondent threshold.
The undergraduate degrees offered by the Wharton Institution include the Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in economics unique to the school and the Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in core management, general business, and international studies.
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program offers combined studies leading to other schools’ graduate degrees at the graduate level (e.g., law, engineering, government). Similar to how the PhD and post-doctoral programs collaborate with other schools within the University to co-sponsor a number of diploma programs, in addition to their tracks in accounting, finance, operations, and statistics. The college was a pioneer in the field of what is now known as “Executive Education,” which consists of personalized learning opportunities that augment academics but have no official status.
The graduate program at Wharton has continuously been regarded among the best since journalistic rankings were first created. According to the Financial Times and U.S. News & World Report rankings for 2023, its MBA program is ranked No. 1 in the world and No. 1 in the country. In the meantime, Wharton’s MBA for Executives and undergraduate programs are ranked No. 2 and No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, respectively. The highest of all prestigious schools, Wharton’s MBA graduates make an average first-year base salary of $159,815 before bonuses. [11] With an average GMAT score for its incoming class of 732 (97th percentile), Wharton’s MBA program is tied for the highest in the country [12].
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania and was established as the first collegiate business school in 1881. This prestigious business school in US has played an important role in transforming the study of business from a trade to an intense and respected profession.
The organization consists of a beautiful campus that offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in nearly 20 disciplines. This deemed business school comprises approximately 5,000 students from all across the world and has an international population of over 30% in its MBA course which is one of the unparalleled, highly coveted programs for international aspirants to study in the USA.
Admissions at the Wharton School are available in multiple rounds throughout the year and observe different deadlines for its varying range of courses. All the applicants are charged a nonrefundable application fee of 265 USD when applying at the institute. It is a highly selective school in the country with an acceptance rate of merely 9%.
Students can choose from over 19 undergraduate concentrations, 19 MBA majors, and 9 doctoral programs. It has awarded more than 200,000 certificates from Wharton Online. The school accepts applications for early decision by November 01, 2023, and for regular decision by January 05, 2024. It has a highly selective admission process that results in an acceptance rate of 9%.
The Wharton School Rankings
University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) is ranked No. 1 (tie) out of 124 in Best Business Schools. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
- The Wharton School, USA is ranked 5th in terms of Best US Business Schools 2021 as per the Forbes Ranking List.
- As per the rankings of The Times Higher Education, this Business School is ranked 10th in terms of top Business Schools.
Wharton offers a broad slate of academic programs for every stage from the Global Youth Program to Executive Education. And with focus on teaching excellence, Wharton creates transformative educational experiences for all our students.
List of Degree Programs Offered by Wharton Business School
Wharton is famous for its business and corporate finance research, while Harvard is known for its business management and leadership research.
Accounting
Business analytics
Finance
Management
Law
Marketing
Applied Economics
Statistics
Individualized major
Real Estate
Communication
Public policy
Health care Management
Major Areas of Study
Explore the breadth and depth of knowledge within the degree programs – 19+ undergraduate concentrations, 21 MBA majors, and 9 doctoral programs.
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: World Ranking
UPenn is recognized as one of the top research universities in the USA. UPenn is also one of the first institutions to follow a multidisciplinary model of education consisting of several elite faculties under a single roof.
Keeping innovation of education as one of their key motto, the University of Pennsylvania has secured its place among the distinctive schools according to various ranking institutes. The following University of Pennsylvania rankings in the world will give a better understanding of the quality of the institution.
| Ranking Agencies | Latest International Rank |
|---|---|
| CWUR National Ranking, 2020-21 | #8 |
| THE US College Rankings, 2021 | #13 |
| US News Rankings, 2021 | #14 |
| QS US University Rankings, 2021 | #16 |
| ARWU Ranking, 2020 | #19 |
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: QS Rankings
The QS Ranking 2021 has discovered the top 1000 universities in the world from 80 distinguishable locations. UPenn has procured the rank 16th in the QS World University Rankings in 2021. The University of Pennsylvania has an overall score of 88.3 in terms of the latest QS Graduate Employability Ranking.
The criteria based score of the University of Pennsylvania QS World Ranking is tabulated here:
| Criteria | QS Score 2023 | Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.6 | 100% |
| Faculty Student Ratio | 100 | 40% |
| Academic Reputation | 96.1 | 10% |
| Employer Reputation | 91.5 | 20% |
| Citations per faculty | 63.8 | 20% |
| International Faculty Ratio | 88.7 | 5% |
| International Students Ratio | 65.3 | 5% |
Check out this chart representing the QS World University Rankings of the University of Pennsylvania in the recent years:
The score obtained by the university is listed here:
| Ranking Criteria | QS Score 2023 |
|---|---|
| Overall | 95.5 |
| Academic Reputation | 100 |
| Employer Reputation | 79.9 |
| Hi-index Citations | 97.2 |
| Citations per Paper | 94.5 |
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: Graduate Employability
The University of Pennsylvania has ranked 20th in the world in Graduate Employability Ranking. UPenn students have a potential of achieving excellent career options in the USA after graduation. The major factors responsible for the University of Pennsylvania rankings in employability and it’s score in each sections are listed below:
| Ranking Criteria | QS Score 2021 |
|---|---|
| Overall | 88.3 |
| Alumni Outcome | 100 |
| Employer Reputation | 91.8 |
| Partnerships with Employers | 79.6 |
| Employer-student Connections | 49.1 |
| Graduate Employment Rate | 93.4 |
According to the QS US UNI (university) Rankings, the ranking of University of Pennsylvania is 8th among the nation’s top educational institutions. The scores in the individual parameters are given below:
| Criteria | QS Score 2023 |
|---|---|
| Overall | 76.1 |
| Learning Experience | 96.8 |
| Research | 66.7 |
| Diversity and Internationalization | 78 |
| Employability | 66.6 |
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: US News Rankings
US News ranks the universities on a diverse set of measurements. The University of Pennsylvania has acquired its individual position in multiple criteria. The overall score of UPenn according to the latest records of the US News is 94/100. Check out this chart showing the eligibility criteria and up to date rankings:
| Criteria | Ranking in 2023 |
|---|---|
| National Universities | #8 |
| International Universities | #14 |
| Best Undergraduate Teaching | #39 |
| Best Value Schools | #17 |
| Most Innovative Schools | #25 |
US News has used 13 indicators to calculate the University of Pennsylvania rankings in the Global Best University Rank. Here’s a tabular form of the institution’s rank for each indicator:
| Ranking Criteria | Relative Rank | Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Global Research Reputation | #17 | 12.5% |
| Regional Research Reputation | #12 | 12.5% |
| Publications | #16 | 10% |
| Books | #18 | 2.5% |
| Conferences | #214 | 2.5% |
| Normalized Citation Impact | #52 | 10% |
| Total Citations | #11 | 7.5% |
| Number of Publications that are among the 10% most cited | #11 | 12.5% |
| Percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited | #24 | 10% |
| International collaboration – relative to country | #934 | 5% |
| International Collaboration | #1020 | 5% |
| Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited | #11 | 5% |
| Percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited | #62 | 5% |
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: THE World University Rankings
According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the University of Pennsylvania has achieved the 13th position across the world. The THE rankings of UPenn are:
- 13th World University Rankings 2023
- 13th US College Rankings 2023
The University of Pennsylvania has a wide variety of programs and offers excellent subject combinations to the students. The following table will give a brief note on the scores of the university based on some key factors. Times Higher Education has determined the ranking of the University of Pennsylvania depending on these vital elements:
| Criteria | Scores |
|---|---|
| Overall | 88.9 |
| Teaching | 85.4 |
| Research | 89.9 |
| Citations | 98.1 |
| Industry Income | 77.9 |
| International Outlook | 66.3 |
The following chart represents the positions of the University of Pennsylvania at the THE World University Rankings in the recent years:
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: WUR
CWUR, the UAE based organization makes the largest academic rankings of international universities around the globe. The Center for World University Rankings segregates the top 2000 universities in the world from a survey of nearly 20,000 universities in the world.
UPenn proudly obtained the 8th rank in the world according to CWUR 2020-21 with an overall score of 91.6/ 100. The rankings of UPenn in different criteria are arranged here:
| Criteria | Ranking in 2023-24 |
|---|---|
| National Rank | #6 |
| World Rank | #8 |
| Alumni Employment | #9 |
| Research Performance | #12 |
| Quality of Education | #14 |
| Quality of Faculty | #43 |
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: Academic Ranking of World Universities
The University of Pennsylvania has occupied its space in the 19th rank of the Academic Ranking of World Universities by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, 2020. The university has scored an overall of 46.2% and 33.5% score on alumni.
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: National Rankings
As UPenn is one of the best universities in the world according to the report of multiple agencies, it is unsurprising that the institute is a top school in the country. Various rankings of the university in the US according to different agencies are:
- QS US University Rankings, 2023: #8th
- US News Rankings, 2023: #8th
- THE US College Rankings, 2023: #13th
- CWUR National Ranking, 2020-23: #6th
- ARWU Ranking, 2023: #15
University of Pennsylvania Rankings: Subject Wise Rankings
Before taking admission to any of the courses offered by the University of Pennsylvania, once can check the subject wise rankings of the university by different agencies.
Several courses offered by the University of Pennsylvania have acquired positions in various rankings. Given below are some of the remarkable rankings of the programs offered by UPennn:
The area of the specifically notable faculties of UPenn in the US News rankings are mentioned below in a tabular form:
| Subjects | US News Ranking in 2021 |
|---|---|
| Business Programs | #1 |
| Computer Science | #6 |
| Biomedical | #10 |
| Undergraduate Engineering Programs | #22 |
| Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects | #44 |
Here’s a table of the significant subject wise rankings of the University of Pennsylvania according to THE World University Rankings, 2021:
| Subjects | THE World University Rankings by Subject 2021 |
|---|---|
| Psychology | #8 |
| Business and Economics | #11 |
| Social Sciences | #13 |
| Education | #13 |
| Arts and Humanities | #14 |
| Clinical and Health | #17 |
| Life Sciences | #22 |
| Law | #27 |
| Computer Science | #32 |
| Physical Sciences | #38 |
UPenn ranks 1st in the QS World University Ranking by subject. Here’s a table of the rankings of some top subjects offered by the University of Pennsylvania according to the QS World University Rankings:
| Subject | QS World University Rankings 2021 |
|---|---|
| Nursing | #1 |
| Accounting and Finance | #6 |
| Business and Management Studies | #6 |
| Communication and Media Studies | #8 |
| Psychology | #10 |
| Economics and Econometrics | #13 |
| Anatomy and Physiology | #13 |
| Life Science and Medicine | #14 |
| Social Sciences and Management | #12 |
| Dentistry | #16 |
| Linguistics | #16 |
| Statistics and Operational Research | #19 |
| Education and Training | #20 |
| Biological Sciences | #23 |
| Laws and Legal Studies | #26 |
The aforesaid rankings reinforces the fact that the University of Pennsylvania is an institution with career building intensity. Further, the University of Pennsylvania offers an excellent opportunity of sports and athletics to its students. The sports arena is well maintained and the university has consecutively ranked among the top 10 in men’s football and many other ranks in different sports across the nation.
Be it science, arts or business, the University of Pennsylvania never disappoints the career aspirants concerning rankings. It can be derived and reasoned that pursuing a top ranking course from UPenn assures a supreme potential of a bright future for the student.
Undergraduate program
Admissions process
Wharton undergraduate students with cohort banners
Prospective Wharton candidates apply in their senior year of high school either through the early decision (ED) process or regular decision (RD) process. Unlike many other undergraduate business programs where students transfer in after their freshman or second year (University of Virginia’s McIntire, Emory’s Goizueta, UC Berkeley’s Haas), Wharton applicants apply specifically for Wharton during their senior year of high school. These candidates are then grouped with a pool of applicants separate from those applying to the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), or School of Nursing.
Each of the other three schools also forms its own separate pool of applicants. The legacy status of applicants, defined as having a parent or another direct relative who attended the same academic institution, may be considered in the admissions process. This correlation has been observed in a number of empirical studies conducted on the nation’s most elite schools, with a particular focus on Ivy League universities. Leading universities in the United States cite stronger alumni connections and continued support as the primary reasons for this practice.
University of Pennsylvania Degre e Programs and Their Acceptance
| Degree Program | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|
Bachelor of Science in Economics (BSE) | 8% |
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) | 6% |
Bachelor of Science in Finance | 7% |
Bachelor of Science in Accounting | 9% |
Bachelor of Science in Marketing | 5% |
Bachelor of Science in Statistics | 10% |
Bachelor of Science in Operations and Information Management | 8% |
Bachelor of Science in Real Estate | 4% |
Bachelor of Science in International Business | 6% |
Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship | 7% |
Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management and Policy | 4% |
Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science | 9% |
Bachelor of Science in Retailing | 3% |
Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies & Business Ethics | 5% |
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Policy Management | 6% |
Bachelor of Science in Health and Societies | 7% |
Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science | 8% |
Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Design | 5% |
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science | 6% |
Bachelor of Science in Engineering | 7% |
Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering | 9% |
Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | 4% |
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership | 8% |
Bachelor of Science in Physics | 9% |
Bachelor of Science in Earth Science | 5% |
Bachelor of Science in History | 6% |
Bachelor of Science in Sociology | 7% |
Bachelor of Science in Political Science | 4% |
Bachelor of Science in Psychology | 8% |
Bachelor of Science in Linguistics | 3% |
Bachelor of Science in Philosophy | 5% |
Bachelor of Science in Anthropology | 6% |
Bachelor of Science in Classics | 7% |
Bachelor of Science in Art History | 4% |
Bachelor of Science in Music | 9% |
Graduation and employment
Wharton undergraduate students are required to graduate with a B.S. in Economics with at least 1 of 21 current concentrations.[60] Concentrations range from finance and accounting to lesser-known studies such as business analytics and Social Impact & Responsibility. Obtaining a concentration requires a student to take four classes outside of what is required in the core curriculum.[61] Policy has recently changed such that Wharton students can graduate with a maximum of 2 concentrations rather than 3.
Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania
Each student received an average of 7.6 first-round interviews and 1.8 job offers during the on-campus hiring process conducted by 334 firms during the 2015–16 academic year. The top three financial services sectors—investment banking, investment management, and private equity—attract around 48% of the average undergraduate class of 650 students at Wharton. A considerable number of students work in marketing, sales, and the technology sector, especially in Silicon Valley. Management consulting is the second most popular area after banking and employs about 22% of the students.
For the Class of 2020, Wharton undergraduate students reported a median first-year base compensation of $86,217.
Graduate programs
MBA program
Cohen Hall, formerly named Logan Hall, served as the previous home of the Wharton School
The school offers two paths, an MBA for full-time students and an MBA for executives. Students can elect to pursue double majors or individualized majors. During their first year, all students pursue a required core curriculum that covers traditional management disciplines—finance, marketing, statistics, and strategy—as well as the leadership, ethics, and communication skills needed at senior levels of management. Students pick electives in the second year.
Wharton MBA students may pursue a dual degree with the Lauder Institute, Johns Hopkins University‘s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, or with one of the graduate schools at the University of Pennsylvania.
MBA students from the Class of 2021 earn an average first-year salary and guaranteed compensation of $155,000. Additionally, the class reported a median sign-on bonus of $30,000 and a median guaranteed bonus of $28,204. [67] The MBA program annually receives around 7,300 applications for the 850 places in the class.
Wharton co-sponsored the Executive Master’s in Technology Management Program (EMTM) with the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science. Graduates received a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in the management of technology from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The EMTM program ended in August 2014.
Wharton is also part of the Wharton-INSEAD Alliance. MBA students from each program can spend one period of study at the partner school, allowing Wharton students access to the INSEAD campuses in both Fontainebleau and Singapore.[69] Students who are interested in careers in technology industries also regularly study at Wharton’s San Francisco campus. [70]
Doctoral program
Wharton offers doctor of philosophy degrees in finance, applied economics, management, and other business fields (as opposed to some schools, which grant DBAs). It takes approximately four to six years to complete the doctoral program.
Executive Education
The Wharton School also operates the Aresty Institute of Executive Education (commonly known as “Wharton Executive Education”), a center for continuing business education for senior executives. The institute is named in honor of civic leader, business owner, philanthropist, and Wharton alumnus Julian Aresty and his brother Joseph Aresty, who together endowed the Aresty Institute for Executive Education in 1987.[71]
Wharton Executive Education offers programs for executives in areas such as finance, marketing, strategy, and innovation. Each year, more than 10,000 professionals worldwide attend Wharton Executive Education programs in classes taught by full-time Wharton faculty.
Wharton offers more than 50 open enrollment programs for individuals on campuses in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Beijing, China. Wharton also overs three long-duration open-enrollment programs that confer alumni status upon successful completion. These programs are the Advanced Finance Program, Advanced Management Program, and the General Management Program.
In addition to a large portfolio of open-enrollment programs for individuals, Wharton Executive Education also offers customized programs for organizations. Custom program topic areas include Finance & Value Creation, Leadership Development, Marketing & Sales, and Strategy & Innovation. Industry areas of expertise include Consumer Products, Retail, Energy, Transportation, Financial Services, Health Care, Pharmaceuticals, Manufacturing & Industrials, Professional Services, Technology & Communications.
| Business School Rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global MBA | |
| QS Global MBA (2023)[72] | 3 |
| Financial Times (2022)[73] | 1 |
| United States MBA | |
| QS Global MBA: U.S. (2023)[74] | 3 |
| U.S. News & World Report (2023)[75] | 1 |
| Bloomberg (2022)[76] | 7 |
Wharton Online[edit]
Through its online division, Wharton offers massive open online courses on Coursera with specializations in business and financial modeling, business analytics, entrepreneurship, and business foundations.[77] Wharton Online also offers a Leadership and Management Certificate and a Business Analytics Certificate. The division is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET); it was the first online business school to be accredited by this organization.[78]
The COVID-19 pandemic meant a rapid shift towards online teaching, transforming some of the classroom courses into online courses. For years there has been a strong investment in online education, so the school has been able to adapt well to the new circumstances, according to the Financial Times analysis on the adaptation of business schools to COVID-19
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