Options for Undergrads

Undergrad Minors: Urban Education & Secondary Education

Through a collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences’ Urban Studies program and Penn GSE, undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania can pursue a minor that prepares them to make a meaningful difference in education.

Whether you’re drawn to teaching in middle and high schools or want to understand and transform education in urban communities through a policy lens, these minors combine rigorous coursework with real-world experience—so you graduate ready to lead, serve, and create change.

Choose Your Path

Urban Education minors may apply for the Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program and take courses in the Penn GSE master's programs during their junior or senior year, and count up to four courses toward the Master’s degree. The allowed courses vary by program, so meeting with the advisor is necessary.

Questions about the program?

We are here to help. Please contact the program advisor:

Patrick Sexton, Ed.D.
Assistant Dean, Educator Preparation and Undergraduate Programs
Certification Officer
University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
Office: 215-898-9336
Email: gse-undergrad@gse.upenn.edu

Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program

The Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program (Accelerated Program) at Penn GSE is a unique opportunity for University of Pennsylvania undergraduates and undergraduates from select partner schools to explore graduate education and apply GSE graduate courses to both degrees -  at no additional cost. Through the Accelerated Program, you can begin taking coursework that will apply to your graduate degree, saving money and possibly time. To take full advantage of this opportunity, students are encouraged to apply for the Accelerated Program during their sophomore or junior year. 

Penn undergraduates can apply to enroll in up to four courses from any of the programs listed below. 

• Education, Culture, and Society, M.S.Ed.
• Education Policy, M.S.Ed.
• Higher Education, M.S.Ed.
• Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development, M.S.Ed.
• International Educational Development, M.S.Ed.
• Language, Globalization, and Intercultural Studies, M.S.Ed.
• Learning Sciences and Technologies, M.S.Ed.
• Literacy Studies, M.S.Ed.
• Statistics, Measurement, Assessment, and Research Technology, M.S.Ed.
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, M.S.Ed.
• Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, M.S.Ed.
• Urban Education, M.S.Ed.  
• Urban Teaching Apprenticeship, M.S.Ed.
• Urban Teaching Residency, M.S.Ed.

Please note that students in the Accelerated Program remain solely in their undergraduate status until their bachelor’s degree is conferred. After completing the bachelor’s degree and confirming their intent to enroll in the Penn GSE master’s degree, the student will become an official graduate student at Penn GSE.

Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College Undergraduates
All Bryn Mawr College and Haverford undergraduates, regardless of their major, are invited to apply to the Accelerated Program and take coursework within any of the 14 programs listed above. Bryn Mawr and Haverford students can take up to three graduate-level GSE courses, which will count towards both their undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Swarthmore College Undergraduates
Swarthmore undergraduates can apply to the Accelerated program and take up to two courses specifically within the Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program. These two graduate-level GSE courses will count towards both their undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Compare Undergrad Options to Become a Teacher

*As undergraduates, Penn students can complete 4 courses. Students from Bryn Mawr and Haverford can complete 3 courses, while Swarthmore students can complete two courses towards the UTAP program (only).