Penn State Office of the University Registrar
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The Office of the University Registrar will be closed for Winter Break, beginning at 4:30 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 23, 2025. We will reopen at 8:00 a.m. (EST) on Jan. 5, 2026.

Please note: many transcript orders placed via Parchment will be fulfilled automatically, but paper transcript orders, and any orders requiring manual review by Registrar staff, will be processed in the order received when the University reopens on Jan. 5, 2026. Requests for reissued diplomas, minor certificates, and certificates must be received by Dec. 16 in order to be processed before the end of this year.

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions include the course abbreviation and number as they appear on the official transcript. In addition, a brief description of the academic content is provided. Course descriptions do not include the instructor's name, course syllabus, or textbook title. (A course syllabus is provided to students by the course instructor either written or online.)

Current and historical course descriptions are publicly available at no charge. For questions regarding specific courses, contact the department offering the course.

Course Description Search

The Office of the University Registrar provides two tools to search course descriptions at Penn State based on the date a course was offered.

Prior to Fall 2016

Course description information for courses prior to the fall 2016 semester is available using the Course Description Search - Prior to Fall 2016.

Fall 2016 to Present

Course description information for courses from the fall 2016 semester to the present is available using the Course Description Search - Fall 2016 to Present.