Electives, by definition, fulfill neither General Education requirement nor the Major requirement, but are counted toward the total number of course units required for graduation. Students have a required number of Arts and Sciences electives and depending on the major, there is room for exploration beyond the Arts and Sciences. Certain key courses in Computer Science, Statistics, Design and Fine Arts (identified by the AU16 attribute in Path@Penn) also play a substantial role in the Arts and Sciences Curriculum and count as Arts and Sciences electives. Students should consult with their pre-major advisor to discuss how their Electives fit into their overall curriculum, and how many they are likely to need.

A maximum of 8 c.u. of Electives outside the major and general education requirements may be taken on a pass/fail basis, though normally it is not recommended that students take that many pass/fail courses (two or three is more typical).