Penn is committed to integrating knowledge across the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. This interdisciplinary emphasis is one the university’s most distinctive educational qualities.

“The most challenging questions and problems of our time, “ in the words of The Penn Compact, “cannot be addressed by one discipline or profession. To comprehend our complex world, we must better integrate knowledge from different disciplines and professional perspectives in our research and teaching.”

Penn’s 12 schools put this principle directly into practice. And it comes to life through such campus-wide initiatives as the Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) professors, whose work crosses departments, bringing together diverse academic areas in innovative and creative ways.