The Wharton School
In 1881, American entrepreneur and industrialist Joseph Wharton established the world’s first collegiate school of business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Wharton’s pioneering vision was to produce graduates who would become “pillars of the state, whether in private or in public life.” The Wharton School maintains a long tradition of educating visionary business leaders in academia, business, government, and not-for-profit organizations.
Today, Wharton has expanded the scope of this vision to become the most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world - with a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000+ undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA and doctoral students. Each year 18,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 100,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day.
Learn more about our history: https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/about-wharton/
Learn more about our school leadership: https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/senior-leadership/
Mission and Philosophy
Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. With a broad global community and one of the most published business school faculties, Wharton creates economic and social value around the world. The School has 5,000+ undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 18,000 participants in executive education programs annually and a powerful alumni network of 100,000 graduates.
Wharton Doctoral Programs train students to become academic thought leaders. As leading research scholars, students will develop the ideas that advance academic knowledge and generate innovations in business theory and practice. Students will work closely with Wharton faculty to learn the practice of rigorous research and use the unparalleled resources of the School and University to define their impact as a scholar.
Research Environment
Wharton is part of the University of Pennsylvania, an R1 research institution with deep commitment and broad resources to support student and faculty research.
Research That Matters
Our faculty will tell you that producing high-quality research is critical to your success. It’s the core of the doctoral experience and academic life. The best way to understand what our students do is to browse their research on each program of study site, learn about the awards and honors they receive, and read about their career placements at top universities and institutions.
Centers for Knowledge
Through Wharton’s 10 departments and 20 research centers and initiatives, students have access to faculty within a deep and broad environment that fosters their intellectual growth. As students’ ideas take shape and even change, they can build on their foundational knowledge base with areas such as entrepreneurship and leadership to health care economics and business ethics.
Cross-Disciplinary Research
The faculty’s diverse research agendas encourage students to follow new ideas that go across boundaries — not just at Wharton but also at Penn’s other globally renowned graduate and professional schools. At Penn, students find unparalleled opportunities to work with leading faculty in such disciplines as law, engineering, medicine, economics, sociology, psychology, and mathematics.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Wharton Doctoral Programs is committed to the belief that a diverse range of perspectives is essential to fostering breadth of thought and knowledge. The environment is meant to provide equal opportunity and equal treatment for all students, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and marital or parental status. We take seriously our responsibility to promote responsible conduct by all students and to make institutional arrangements that create an environment of tolerance and that supports participation and advancement by individuals from diverse backgrounds.