<p>I've been researching the Huntsman Program very seriously for the past couple of days, and I just don't know if it is for me. (I'm a high school sophomore right now so I have some time) The thing is I am interested in business and international relations/studies but the whole language aspect of the Huntsman Program is really throwing me off. I am currently in Spanish 3 and it is one of my least favorite classes, I'm doing well in it (I have an A) but I don't know if I am proficient enough for the program (I do plan on taking it until senior year, so probably AP). Are there any other programs out there that are similar to this without as much of a focus on language, and is it possible at UPenn to major in econ at Wharton and also major in international relations at The College.</p>
<p>You cannot major in Econ in Wharton. You can only major in Econ in the College. You could fairly easily double-major in Econ and IR in the college, while also taking some courses in Wharton. Or, you could try to pursue your own dual-degree program between Wharton and the College (as opposed to the coordinated Huntsman dual-degree program), majoring in IR in the College and concentrating in one or more subjects in Wharton (Finance, Management, etc.). There are several permutations of varying degrees of difficulty at Penn that would allow you to study IR, Econ, and/or Wharton business subjects.</p>
<p>^Technically, all full-time students at Wharton graduate with a B.S. in Economics, and then concentrate in specific areas of business. That said, it is only a degree in Economics in name, since it is radically different from a traditional Economics degree.</p>
<p>^ It is ONLY the name of the degree. There are no Econ courses in Wharton (the Econ Dept. is in the College), and you can only major in Econ (or take any Econ courses, for that matter) in the College.</p>
<p>The Wharton undergrad degree is called a “BS in Economics” only for historical purposes, because that’s what it’s been called virtually since the school was founded.</p>
<p>However, for some more historical context, the Econ Dept. at Penn USED to be housed in Wharton (along with Poli Sci and Sociology, believe it or not), and you used to be able to MAJOR in Econ as a Wharton undergrad (when Wharton still had majors, as opposed to concentrations). And that was true at least until the 1970s (speaking from personal experience ;)). It was in the '70s that Econ, Poli Sci, and Sociology were moved from Wharton to SAS (or as it was known in the '70s, FAS for “Faculty of Arts and Sciences”).</p>
<p>Just some interesting trivia that you can drop at a frat party some time. :p</p>
<p>if I may ask a question here, related to Huntsman… is it worth stopping by the office during a tour? I don’t know if I should make the appointment or not. I don’t want to just SIT there and be expected to ask them lots of questions like an “enthusiastic” prospective student.</p>
<p>@malaise </p>
<p>I walked in there after a tour just to check out the office and ended up sitting there talking to the associate director for like an hour. I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to visit the office, but I think my experience was a good one, because I actually had questions I wanted answered, and now they know who I am when my application comes up on the table. If anything, they looked sort of bored when I walked in, as if they were hoping and waiting for people to walk in.</p>
<p>@ 45 percenter
thanks for the interesting info.
i was also curious about why the name was Bs. in Economics.</p>
<p>Is there a difference between BS vs BA in economics? People are saying different things about which one is better.</p>
<p>^ The BS in Economics from Wharton is not really an economics degree–it’s a business degree called “BS in Economics” basically for historical reasons. A BA in economics is a liberal arts degree (from the College of Arts and Sciences, in the case of Penn), with a major in economics (meaning 10 economics courses, in the case of Penn’s econ major).</p>