At Wharton Doctoral Programs, our community is filled with global voices expressing divergent views and opinions. Our creative students are encouraged to find common ground in solving challenging problems by sharing their unique perspectives, equally respected and valued.
We are committed to providing students the support and mentorship to succeed as individuals, as doctoral students, and, ultimately, as academic leaders in their fields.
Below are resources for students.
Fontaine Society
The Fontaine Society honors the legacy of former Penn Professor William Fontaine by supporting the academic development of PhD students whose background, research, and experiences demonstrate an interest and capacity to enhance Penn’s vibrant and welcoming learning community.
The Fontaine Society provides academic support, networking, and a peer-support system for promising doctoral students at Penn from a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences. The program connects doctoral students with other members of the University across shared interests, goals, and experiences to form a supportive intellectual community at a key point in their academic training. The Society reflects the University’s commitment to recruiting and supporting exceptional doctoral students with the potential to contribute to the richness of their academic programs and chosen fields.
Wharton Society for the Advancement of Women in Business Academia (WSAWBA)
WSAWBA is a Wharton PhD student-run group that provides professional development and social support for women and their allies in business academia. Since our inception in 2013, our hope has been to connect scholars across years and disciplines to create a formal support network to encourage their continued professional success. All students are welcome.
Wharton Doctoral Council
The WDC plans various social events to encourage and assist student interaction, including happy hours, outings to entertainment events throughout Philadelphia, movie nights, virtual events, and more. We also collaborate with other academic departments and schools, as well as other organizations such as the Wharton Society for the Advancement of Women in Business Academia (WSAWBA), to sponsor the best possible events for Wharton doctoral students.
The WDC represents students of Wharton Doctoral Programs in both GAPSA meetings and meetings of the G12 assembly (leaders of all the graduate student groups), advocating specifically on behalf of WDP students regarding travel grants, research funding, needs for special interest groups, etc. We also regularly meet with Wharton administration and faculty, serving as a liaison to voice students’ concerns on anything ranging from course registration to health and wellness resources.
Penn Graduate Student Center
The Grad Center is a hub for information, programming, resources, and support for graduate and professional students at Penn.
We welcome your ideas and encourage you to express concerns as we continue to support our students on their individual journey, as well as being a part of the Wharton Doctoral Program community.
If you would like to submit feedback or questions to the Doctoral Programs office (name optional) or schedule a time to meet with the Vice Dean, please use this form: Wharton Doctoral Programs Feedback Form.