Welcome! You are about to embark on what will be an exciting four years as part of the LSM program. As you get started, the information in this brief handbook will help you become more familiar with the LSM curriculum and academic policies that relate to the program. LSM students pursue a unique curriculum at Penn. As you surely know by now, all LSM students complete both a Bachelor of Arts in a science major through Penns College, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Economics through the Wharton School. To complete this dual degree, you will not only be taking a mix of College and Wharton courses, but also participating in special interdisciplinary LSM courses in your freshman and senior years. It is a rich and varied curriculum that goes well beyond what the typical College or Wharton student pursues at Penn. Because the websites of the College and the Wharton School are primarily directed toward students pursuing a single degree, you should refer instead to this LSM Academic Handbook for information on the specific curricular requirements of LSM. For further details about the academic and extracurricular opportunities available to you, make sure you also visit the LSM website: http://lsm.upenn.edu. Please take the time read through this handbook and to bookmark our website homepage on your computer. Remember that the LSM faculty and staff are here to help you throughout your time at Pennand beyond. We are all looking forward to working with you.
2 1. LSM CURRICULUM The LSM curriculum combines three elements the business education of Wharton; life science and liberal arts classes from the College; as well as LSM-specific courses into a unified, interdisciplinary program of study. Over your four years in LSM, the courses you will be taking include: LSM Courses LSMP 121 (Proseminar in Management & the Life Sciences taken in the Fall of freshman year) LSMP 421 (LSM Capstone two-semester practicum course taken during senior year)
Wharton Courses Econ/Math Requirements ECON 010 (Micro/Macroeconomics) BEPP 250 (Managerial Economics) MATH 104 (Calculus I) Business Fundamentals The core of the business curriculum consists of nine "Business Fundamentals" that provide students with critical tools for analyzing business documents and making business decisions. ACCT 101 (Principles of Accounting I) ACCT 102 (Principles of Accounting II) FNCE 100 (Corporate Finance) FNCE 101 (Monetary Economics & the Global Economy) STAT 101 (Introductory Business Statistics I) STAT 102 (Introductory Business Statistics II) MGMT 101 (Introduction to Management) MKTG 101 (Introduction to Marketing) OPIM 101 (Introduction to the Computer as an Analysis Tool) Leadership MGMT 100 (Leadership & Communication in Groups) focuses on teamwork and presentation skills. Environment of Business Students must take 1 of the following 3 courses that address the Societal Environment in which business organizations operate: LGST 101 (Introduction to Law and Legal Process) LGST 210 (Corporate Responsibility and Ethics) BEPP 203 (Business in the Global Political Environment) Business Depth & Breadth The introductory business courses set the stage for the Business Concentration for which students take 4 courses in the area of business study that interests them most. These are upper-level courses that deepen the knowledge students have gained from their Business Fundamentals. 3 Students also expand their business education by completing 3 Business Breadth courses: three classes from three different business departments. No courses from the same department as a students business concentration may count toward the Business Breadth requirement. Since LSMP 121 counts as one of these Business Breadth courses, students must complete two others to satisfy this requirement. Non-Business, Non-Science Electives For the BS degree, students must take 4 electives that are neither science nor business courses: 2 Global Electives and 2 General Education Electives. In completing these 4 electives, at least 2 must be taken at Penn, and up to 2 AP credits (1 Global, 1 General Education) may be used. Students may double-count these electives with the "College Sector" requirements for the BA degree, as described below.
College Courses The Major The major is the centerpiece of the BA degree; LSM students must complete a major in the life sciences. Within the Department of Biology, students may follow a general Biology major, or pursue a more specialized area of interest (concentration) in Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, or Computational/Mathematical Biology. More information about all of these concentrations can be found in the Biology Major Manual. LSM participants may also consider a major in Biochemistry, Chemistry, or the Biological Basis of Behavior (BBB). Students wishing to major in any other scientific discipline may do so only with the permission of the LSM program directors.
PLEASE NOTE: 1) All LSM students are required to complete at least one semester of Independent Study within their science major. Even if Independent Study is not required for the major, it is required for LSM and will count toward completion of the science major for the program. Students are expected to complete this one semester of Independent Study no later than the Fall of their senior year. 2) The Biology and BBB majors allow students satisfy introductory biology by taking either BIOL 121 or BIOL 101/102. However, in keeping with the scientific rigor of LSM, the program requires that LSM students take BIOL 121, or place out of it by taking a departmental exam at Penn. Whereas BIOL 101 and 102 are more basic courses covering general principles in Biology that assume no previous background, BIOL 121 is a more intensive introductory course that places greater emphasis on molecular mechanisms and experimental approaches, and sets students up particularly well for more advanced work in Biology. If a student did not take AP Biology and has no similar background at all, they should consult with the LSM advisor.
General Education Curriculum Students gain a broader education beyond their major by completing the Colleges General Education Curriculum (GEC). The GEC is composed of two main elements: 1) SECTOR REQUIREMENTS. The College has identified seven sectors (fields of study) that are essential to gaining a liberal arts education: 4 Sector I: Society Sector II: History & Tradition Sector III: Arts & Letters Sector IV: Humanities & Social Science Sector V: Living World Sector VI: Physical World Sector VII: Natural Science & Mathematics All students must take one course in each of these sectors. Advance credit (including AP and IB credit) may not be used to complete these sector requirements. LSM students majoring in Biology or BBB can use two courses from their major to fulfill the Living World and Physical World sectors. Students may satisfy Sector VII by taking any pre-approved Natural Science & Mathematics course, or by taking a second Living World or Physical World course. However, regardless of how Sector VII is fulfilled, that course may not double-count with the Biology or BBB major. LSM students majoring in Biochemistry can use two courses from their major to satisfy the Physical World and Natural Science & Mathematics sectors. ECON 010, which is required of all LSM students, will satisfy the Society sector. 2) APPROACHES TO LEARNING. The GEC seeks to help students develop six critical skills for life-long learning. These are: Writing Skills Cross Cultural Analysis Cultural Diversity in the U.S. Foreign Language Competency Quantitative Data Analysis Formal Reasoning & Analysis Students fulfill the Writing requirement by taking one Critical Writing Seminar. They also must take one Cross Cultural Analysis course and one Cultural Diversity in the U.S. course, from among the options listed on the College website. Keep in mind that many of the courses in Sectors II, III, and IV can be double- counted to satisfy the Cross Cultural and Cultural Diversity requirements. For the Foreign Language requirement, students must demonstrate language proficiency either by passing a language department examination, excelling in an AP, SAT II, or IB test, or by taking appropriate language courses (typically up to an intermediate level of study). LSM students can complete the Quantitative Data Analysis and Formal Reasoning & Analysis requirements (one course each) either with science major courses or business courses that are part of the LSM program. NOTE: As part of the requirements for the BA degree, students must complete at least 14 c.u. of "College Electives." College Electives are any College courses taken outside a student's major. Non-major courses taken as part of the GEC, as well as any AP credit not applied toward the major, all count as College Electives. Students are encouraged to speak with the LSM advisor to ensure fulfillment of this requirement. 5 2. CREATING A WORKSHEET As outlined in the previous pages, the LSM curriculum encompasses many requirements! Keeping stock of them necessitates good organization, which is where an Academic Planning Worksheet comes into play. The worksheet is basically a list of all your requirements; as you complete each course, you (or your advisor) can fill in the bubble next to each requirement that the course fulfills. When you first create the worksheet, all of these bubbles will be open. By the time you graduate, the bubbles beside all of your requirements will be filled. Before the end of your freshman year, you must set up an Academic Planning Worksheet in Penn In Touch (PIT). Access PIT at http://www.upenn.edu/pennintouch to get started, and then do the following: 1. Click on Create new worksheet 2. You will be prompted to indicate the division of Penn in which you are enrolled and to give your new worksheet a name. The College is your home school and that is the division in which the LSM worksheet is housed. So select College of Arts & Sciences BA from the drop-down menu, and give your worksheet any name you wish. Then click Continue. 3. Click on the button that says College Gen Ed Req - Class of 2012 and Later and then click Confirm. 4. Now you need to fill in the content of the worksheet by defining your course of study. LSM is listed as a major within the PIT system. To place the LSM requirements onto your worksheet, click on the edit button next the word Majors and select Life Sciences & Management Program from the drop-down menu. Click Continue. 5. Click on the box that says LSMP - Life Sciences Management Requirements for the Class of 2010 and After and then click Confirm. 6. The LSMP major in PIT includes all of your requirements with the exception of your science major. To add your science major requirements, click again on the edit button next to the word Majors. Find your science major in the drop-down menu and then confirm your selection. 7. Once you have finished populating the worksheet with your program of study, you can open the worksheet and start tracking your requirements!
NOTES: 1. Your chosen science major can be modified on your worksheet at any time if you change your course of study. For instance, if you start your worksheet by adding a Biology major and then decide to switch to BBB, you can delete the first major and replace it with the new one. 2. Minors can also be added to the worksheet if you choose to pursue one. 3. While the worksheet lists all of your requirements, it does not indicate which requirements overlap and may be double-counted with one another. Please refer to the LSM website and confer with your LSM advisor to learn more about how the different pieces of the LSM curriculum fit together. 4. You should update your worksheet at the end of each semester to maintain a current record of which requirements you have fulfilled and which you have remaining.
6 3. GUIDELINES ON ACADEMIC STANDING
School Policies:
The College of Arts & Sciences and the Wharton School have certain common expectations regarding academic performance. To be in good standing, students must maintain a term and cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, while demonstrating acceptable progress toward completion of their degree requirements. Acceptable progress is defined as completing at least 8 c.u. of course work in an academic year and not receiving more than one Incomplete (I) or F in any given semester. Students who do not meet these criteria may be placed on Academic Probation by the College or Wharton. After being placed on probation, students who do not succeed in returning to good academic standing are liable to be dropped from the University Rolls.
LSM Policies:
Beyond meeting the expectations of the College and Wharton, students in LSM are required to maintain a term and cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. A student who falls below this threshold may, at the discretion of the LSM program directors, be put on Academic Probation. A student placed on probation by LSM will be required to take a decreased course load of no more than 4.5 credits, will be expected to enroll in tutoring services and other academic support programs, and will need to meet with the LSM Director of Administration & Advising at least once per month. If after a semester on probation, a student again earns a term GPA below 3.0, he or she will be placed on probation for a second semester. If after the second probationary semester a students term grades still are not at or above the 3.0 mark, the student may be dropped from the LSM program. Any student dropped from LSM may choose to complete a single-degree program through either the College or Wharton and will be expected to satisfy the requirements of that school. LSM students also are expected to make steady progress in the completion of both parts of the LSM program, the BA degree and BS degree. For the BA degree, students must: Declare a life sciences major by the end of their sophomore year; Have no more than 8.0 c.u. of uncompleted course work in their major by the end of their sophomore year; and Have no more than 5.0 c.u. of uncompleted course work in their major by the end of their junior year.
For the BS degree, students must: Have no more than 4 Business Fundamentals remaining at end of their sophomore year; Declare a primary concentration by the start of their junior year; and Have no more than 3 primary concentration courses remaining by the end of their junior year. 7
Students who do not reach these benchmarks for academic progress may be placed on probation and must meet with the LSM Director of Administration & Advising to devise an academic plan for completing the LSM curriculum. Students must execute the agreed-upon academic plan in order to stay in LSM. Those who fail to do so may be dropped from the LSM program and required instead to select a single-degree in either the College or Wharton.