30 easiest and hardest classes at Penn

By Jill Castellano

Here are the top 30 easiest and hardest undergraduate classes at Penn, as ranked by their Penn Course Review difficulty score out of 4.0 between 2009 and 2015. Senior projects and theses, clinical rotations for nursing students and classes that have not been taught since 2013 are not included.

Top 30 Easiest Classes:

  1. MUSC-007: Ensemble Performance: Samba Ensemble (0.72)*
  2. PSYC-070: Psychology Of Food: Psychological, Cultural, And Biological Perspectives (0.80)
  3. ITAL-180: Italian Conversation in Residence (0.90)*
  4. CINE-180: Film In Residence: Film Culture In Residence (0.96)*
  5. CINE-164: Russian Film 1900-1945 (1.01)
  6. MUSC-007: Ensemble Performance: Arabic Ensemble (1.02)*
  7. LGST-240: Gamification for Business (1.05)
  8. MUSC-007: Ensemble Performance: University Choral Society (1.06)*
  9. ARAB-180: Arabic in Residence (1.08)*
  10. URBS-305: Franklin Community Seminar (1.08)
  11. BFMD-073: Infectious Diseases (1.09)
  12. THAR-171: Mime & Movement: Movement For The Actor (1.10)
  13. BE-100: Introduction to Bioengineering (1.10)
  14. PSYC-001: Introduction to Experimental Psychology (1.11)
  15. LGST-231: Sports Ventures & Social Impact (1.12)
  16. CINE-111: Poetics of Screenplay: The Art of Plotting (1.12)
  17. MUSC-061: Beginning Sitar I (1.15)
  18. MKTG-281: Entrepreneurial Marketing (1.15)
  19. MUSC-007: Ensemble Performance: University Wind Ensemble (1.15)*
  20. ACCT-208: Auditing (1.17)
  21. FNCE-395: Advanced Seminar in Private Equity (1.17)
  22. MGMT-283: Strategies for Economic Inclusion (1.20)
  23. BENF-225: Global Food Security (1.20)
  24. FNAR-142: 3-D Design (1.21)
  25. MUSC-063: Beginning Sitar II (1.27)
  26. NURS-101: The Nature of Nurse Practice (1.31)
  27. MUSC-007: Ensemble Performance: Penn Baroque and Recorder Ensemble (1.32)*
  28. THAR-100: Introduction to Theatre (1.34)
  29. CINE-118: Iran Cinema: Gender/Politics/Religion (1.35)
  30. MKTG-292: Creativity (1.35)
*Half credit course


Top 30 Hardest Classes:

  1. ESE-370: Circuit-Level Modeling (3.89)
  2. FNCE-392: Advanced Seminar in Financial Engineering (3.83)
  3. NURS-163: Integrated Human Anatomy: Physiology and Assessment I (3.82)
  4. NURS-164: Integrated Human Anatomy: Physiology and Assessment II (3.75)
  5. ACCT-243: Accounting for Complex Financial Structures (3.73)
  6. ARCH-301: Design Fundamentals I (3.73)
  7. CHEM-243: Organic Chemistry II: Principles of Organic Chemistry with applications in Chemical Biology (3.71)
  8. MEAM-410: Design of Mechatronic Systems (3.71)
  9. CHEM-241: Organic Chemistry I (3.69)
  10. CIS-320: Introduction to Algorithms (3.68)
  11. MSE-215: Introduction to Nanoscale Materials (3.68)
  12. BE-342: Advanced Topics in Physics and Chemistry (3.64)
  13. ARCH-402: Architecture and Landscape Design II (3.63)
  14. BIOL-204: Biochemistry (3.62)
  15. REAL-321: Real Estate Development (3.62)
  16. PHYS-170: Honors Physics I (3.62)
  17. FNCE-207: Corporate Valuation (3.61)
  18. ECON-242: Numerical Methods for Macroeconomics (3.61)
  19. ARCH-401: Architecture and Landscape Design I (3.60)
  20. BIOL-202: Cellular Biology and Biochemistry (3.59)
  21. CBE-451: Chemical Reactor Design (3.58)
  22. LGIC-310: Formal Logic II (3.58)
  23. CBE-351: Heat & Mass Transport (3.57)
  24. PSCI-398: US Foreign Policy in the Middle East (3.57)
  25. ARCH-302: Design Fundamentals II (3.56)
  26. REAL-240: Advanced Real Estate Investment, Analysis (3.54)
  27. CIS-380: Computer Operating Systems (3.53)
  28. NURS-132: Human Anatomy & Physiology Part B (3.53)
  29. BIBB-251: Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology (3.53)
  30. PHYS-171: Honors Physics II (3.53)