Wharton Pre-Baccalaureate Program

Courses by Session

The Wharton Pre-baccalaureate Program is an academically-intensive opportunity for exceptional high school juniors and seniors to enroll in Wharton online courses.

Participants will learn from Wharton instructors, earn a Wharton transcript, and accrue college credit for each course completed. With five sessions to choose from and built-in academic support, students are encouraged to explore the depth and breadth of Wharton’s business education curriculum with maximum flexibility and the guidance and resources to succeed. 

Current/Upcoming Sessions

*Additional courses may be added in the coming months.

Being a part of the Global Youth Program allowed me to evolve as an innovative thinker, and expand my knowledge beyond the theory of business…. Best of all, I was able to form stellar connections with students from across the globe, as well as talented professors… in a friendly environment during a time that worked best for me as a part-time employee.

— Viktoriia B., Pennsylvania, USA

Pre-baccalaureate Program 2023, Behavioral Economics

Course List by Session

Fall 1, 2024: August 27 – October 8

Application Deadline: July 17, 2024

BEPP 0001: Introduction to Behavioral Economics

Behavioral economics applies insights from psychology to the study of economic phenomena.  This course will take the possibility of deviations from rational, self-interested behavior as a starting point, and explore two main questions: What does behavioral economics imply for public policy? What does behavioral economics imply for firms’ behavior in markets?  

Much of the class focuses on the role of behavioral economics in determining whether and how government should intervene in markets — including what policy makers should do to address market failures, combat poverty and inequality, and raise revenue (i.e., “Behavioral Public Finance”). The course will also cover how firms choose to price and to motivate workers in markets with behavioral agents and will examine whether market pressures will eliminate behavioral biases or whether firms will take advantage of them. 

Meeting Days/Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays 6:30pm-8:00pm ET
Instructor: Judd B. Kessler
Course Materials Fee: No 

COURSE SYLLABI ❯❯ 

Fall 2, 2024: October 21 December 4

Application Deadline: September 13, 2024

STAT 0001: Introduction to Statistics and Data Science

In this course, we will learn introductory statistics using R with a focus on the application of statistical thinking to business problems. We will learn basic statistical concepts such as mean, variance, quantiles and hypothesis testing, and basic R programming for data management and analysis. We will work with traditional R’s data.frame structure as well as the modern tibbles structure.

Prerequisite: Percentages, average, powers, exponential, linear equation of a line, polynomials.

Meeting Days/Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays; 5:30-7:00 p.m. ET
Instructor: Shuva Gupta
Course Materials Fee: No

COURSE SYLLABI ❯❯ 

Spring 1, 2025: January 21 March 3

Application Deadline: November 27, 2024

FNCE 0001: Introduction to Financial Markets and the Global Economy

This course aims to provide a timely framework to understand economic recessions and expansions and the financial markets’ response to world events. 

The Covid recession reduced the size of the world’s economies and output. What does this mean? How is output connected to employment? How are exchange rates determined in global capital markets? We will introduce the policy options of government spending. We will discuss, as data become available, the continuing impact of the coronavirus on the domestic and the global economy. 

Meeting Days/Times: TBD
Instructor: Gizem Saka
Course Materials Fee: No

Course Syllabi ❯❯

MKTG 0003: The Art and Science of Influence

In today’s digital era, influencers have become powerful forces shaping trends and consumer choices. What’s intriguing is that some influencers are far more effective at this than others. The goal of “The Art and Science of Influence” is to uncover the secrets behind their success by covering eight principles of influence. As the influence game continues to evolve, this course prepares you to not only understand but excel in the world of influence. 

Meeting Days/Times: TBD
Instructor: Maximilian Gaerth
Course Materials Fee: No 

COURSE SYLLABI ❯❯