Academic Colleges

Academic colleges at Penn State grant degrees and are generally organized around their subject matter.

All of Penn State's more than 275 majors are divided among academic collegescolleges, which are the units from which students receive their degrees. In addition to the 12 academic colleges at the University Park campus, Penn State offers 6 other academic colleges across Pennsylvania that allow students to finish their degrees at a campus other than University Park.

University Park Academic Colleges

• College of Agricultural Sciences
• College of Arts and Architecture
• Smeal College of Business
• Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
• College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Health and Human Development
• College of Information Sciences and Technology
• College of the Liberal Arts
• Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
• Eberly College of Science

With the exception of a few specialized programs, students interested in majors offered by the above academic colleges can start their education at any Penn State campus and then transition to University Park following their second year to complete their degree as part of the 2+2 Plan.

To see the specific majors available in each of these colleges, search our majors by college.

Academic Colleges at Other Campuses

The six remaining Penn State colleges, located throughout the state, offer majors that are typically completed at campuses other than University Park. These colleges are: 

• Abington College, at the Penn State Abington campus
• Altoona College, at the Penn State Altoona campus
• Behrend College, at the Penn State Erie campus
• Berks College, at the Penn State Berks campus
• Capital College, at the Penn State Harrisburg campus
• University College: The University College consists of 14 campuses distributed throughout the Commonwealth.
  (Penn State Beaver, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State DuBois, Penn State Fayette, Penn State Greater Allegheny, Penn State Hazleton, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Penn State Mont Alto, Penn State New Kensington, Penn State Scranton, Penn State Schuylkill, Penn State Shenango, Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Penn State York.)

Students interested in majors offered by these colleges can typically start at one campus and finish at another through the 2+2 plan, or they can choose to stay at one campus for all four years if their campus of choice offers the major they want. To see the specific majors available at each campus, search our majors by campus.

Not sure what you want to study?

If you are undecided on a major, consider the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS): Penn State's enrollment option for undecided students.

Explore DUS