What are the lightest workload courses at Penn State University?

Based on student ratings aggregated from across the web, the lightest workload courses at Penn State University include ENGR100 (Introduction to Engineering), PSU006 (First-Year Seminar Business), CI295 (Introductory Field Experience for Teacher Preparation). Courses with the lowest reported time investment. See the full ranked list above and open any course for the detailed breakdown.

How are the lightest workload courses at Penn State determined?

Each course is scored on time inv, a 0–100 measure built from student ratings and sentiment aggregated across the web, and ranked accordingly. Courses with the lowest reported time investment. Students can also add their own reviews on each course page.

Is this ranking based on real student feedback?

Yes. The ratings aggregate real student feedback, so each score reflects many data points rather than one opinion. We show how many ratings back each course so you can gauge confidence, and written student reviews add firsthand detail on top.

Easy Classes at Penn State: Lightest Workload Courses

Easy classes at Penn State University ranked by workload. Find courses with the lowest time commitment, perfect for balancing a heavy semester or picking electives.

Undergrad registration for Spring 2027 at Penn State is open until Sun, Jan 10. Registrar dates

Tap + on a class to add it.

Lightest Workload Courses

Top 25 · courses with the lowest reported time investment

Showing every course. Back to classes you can enroll in

1
ENGR100Introduction to EngineeringEngineering
29/100 time needed4.8 out of 5 stars4.8· 38 ratings
29/100
2
PSU006First-Year Seminar BusinessBusiness
33/100 time needed4.3 out of 5 stars4.3· 65 ratings
33/100
3
CI295Introductory Field Experience for Teacher PreparationEducation
33/100 time needed4.3 out of 5 stars4.3· 53 ratings
33/100
4
ANTH140Anthropology of AlcoholAnthropology
34/100 time needed4.8 out of 5 stars4.8· 65 ratings
34/100
5
BBH146Introduction to Health and Human SexualityHealth Science
35/100 time needed4.7 out of 5 stars4.7· 95 ratings
35/100
6
IST130Emerging Technologies in Popular CultureInformation Science
36/100 time needed4.5 out of 5 stars4.5· 34 ratings
36/100
7
KINES72Physical Ed
36/100 time needed5.0 out of 5 stars5.0· 17 ratings
36/100
8
THEA102Fine Arts
37/100 time needed4.0 out of 5 stars4.0· 17 ratings
37/100
9
HPA101Introduction to Health Services OrganizationHealth Administration
38/100 time needed4.4 out of 5 stars4.4· 106 ratings
38/100
10
SOC5Sociology
38/100 time needed4.0 out of 5 stars4.0· 41 ratings
38/100
11
THEA105Introduction to TheatreTheater
38/100 time needed3.7 out of 5 stars3.7· 28 ratings
38/100
12
CNED100University Community
38/100 time needed5.0 out of 5 stars5.0· 24 ratings
38/100
13
DANCE100Dance AppreciationTheater
38/100 time needed4.3 out of 5 stars4.3· 17 ratings
38/100
14
ART003Visual Images on the WebArt
38/100 time needed4.8 out of 5 stars4.8· 14 ratings
38/100
15
HDFS301Values and Ethics in Health and Human Development ProfessionsHuman Development
39/100 time needed4.5 out of 5 stars4.5· 28 ratings
39/100
16
THEA112Introduction to Musical TheatreTheater
39/100 time needed4.9 out of 5 stars4.9· 16 ratings
39/100
17
CLJ111Criminal Justice
40/100 time needed4.3 out of 5 stars4.3· 36 ratings
40/100
18
AAAS110Women's Studies
40/100 time needed4.5 out of 5 stars4.5· 21 ratings
40/100
19
GEOSC010Geology of the National ParksGeology
41/100 time needed4.3 out of 5 stars4.3· 69 ratings
41/100
20
AGECO121Plant Stress: It's Not Easy Being GreenAgriculture
41/100 time needed4.8 out of 5 stars4.8· 35 ratings
41/100
21
EARTH101Geology
41/100 time needed4.0 out of 5 stars4.0· 32 ratings
41/100
22
MUSIC004Film MusicMusic
41/100 time needed4.4 out of 5 stars4.4· 28 ratings
41/100
23
BA297ASpecial TopicsBusiness
41/100 time needed4.9 out of 5 stars4.9· 18 ratings
41/100
24
MUSIC008Rudiments of MusicMusic
41/100 time needed4.6 out of 5 stars4.6· 15 ratings
41/100
25
IST110SInformation, People and TechnologyComputer Science
41/100 time needed4.0 out of 5 stars4.0· 15 ratings
41/100

Give back

Took a class at Penn State? Your review is what the next student reads.

Anonymous, about two minutes, no account.

Find your class

Easy Classes at Penn State: Lightest Workload Courses: FAQ

How this is ranked

Ranked by time investment, lowest first: how much outside work students report.

Scores run 0 to 100 and come from student ratings, aggregated across the web where we have them and from reviews written here otherwise. Courses with too few ratings aren't ranked. Each score is adjusted for how many ratings back it: a class with only a few is pulled toward the school average, so its score here can differ a little from its course page. Each row shows how many ratings back it. Showing every course, including graduate-level classes and ones most students can't enroll in.