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Philosophy, politics and economics

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Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) is a popular interdisciplinary degree which combines study from the three eponymous disciplines. It is most strongly associated with the University of Oxford — the institution that first offered the degree — but is increasingly being offered at other universities across the English-speaking world.

In the past, this was a programme taken predominantly by those who sought a career in politics or public life — and quite a few who subsequently achieved it — but now also by those seeking a broader range of subjects for their first degree. The degree is currently offered by universities in the United Kingdom (such as Oxford, York, Durham, Warwick and Keele), in the United States (such as Pennsylvania, Duke, and Claremont McKenna College) and in South Africa (at Stellenbosch and Cape Town). Oxford's famous PPE graduates include Harold Wilson,Edward Heath, Wesley Clark, David Cameron and Benazir Bhutto, among others.

PPE was established in Oxford in 1920 as a modern alternative to classics (known as Greats) because it was thought that a course in Philosophy and Ancient History was no longer sufficient for those entering the civil service. It was thus initially named Modern Greats. It was also the first opportunity for students to study philosophy at Oxford without having to learn Ancient Greek or Latin and hence sparked a huge growth in the number of students studying philosophy at Oxford.

The design of the programme emanates from the view that to understand social phenomena one must approach them from several complementary disciplinary directions and analytical frameworks. In this regard, the study of philosophy is considered important because it both equips students with meta-tools such as the ability to reason rigorously and logically, and facilitates ethical reflection. The study of politics is considered necessary because it acquaints students with the authoritative structures that govern society and help solve collective action problems. Moreover, the study of political science is thought to put students in a position to evaluate the choices political systems and regimes regularly make. Finally, studying economics is seen as vital in the modern world because political decisions often concern economic matters, and government decisions are often influenced by economic events. Additionally, the analytical framework of economics (the rational actor model) is an important approach to studying social phenomena and, as such, students ought to be familiar with it.

Course of study at Oxford

The PPE course at Oxford takes three years and awards students with a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. The average intake across the university is 300 students per year. All undergraduate colleges offer PPE.

Prelims course

In the first year students will take introductory course in all three subjects, mostly taught in the traditional Oxford-style tutorials. These courses include:

There is some choice in the first year courses. Students will usually only study the politics of three of the four countries listed and certain colleges make Logic optional.

At the end of the first year students sit "Prelims" — preliminary examinations — in all three subjects. These are officially marked only by "pass", "fail" or "distinction" (though students will be unofficially informed of their scores). A Pass is equivalent to 3rd or better in the Oxford system and a Distinction is a 1st or high upper 2nd. If students pass these exams, they carry on into their second year. If they fail, they must retake the exams. Potentially, if the student fails on the second attempt they might be sent down (Oxford term for being expelled, or possibly just suspended). If a student gets a mean mark across his three papers equivalent to a distinction he will normally be awarded a scholarship or postmastership by his college.

Final Honours Schools

In the second and third years students work towards their Final Exams. Originally students had to continue studying all three subjects, however in 1970 it was decided that students could specialise in two of the three subjects, though it is still possible to continue taking all three — known as going 'tripartite'. Students will take core courses prescribed for all PPE students studying their subjects and then will usually choose four optional papers from a list of the various courses offered. These courses are now taught through a mixture of tutorials and departmental classes (though tutorials are still the primary method). At the end of the third year students take their eight Finals Papers (or seven papers and one thesis). The exams are marked according to the Oxford system of degree classes — a First, an Upper Second (2.1), a Lower Second (2.2), a Third, pass or fail.

In the Oxford degree there is no attempt to integrate the various strands of PPE and it is left up to the student to draw parallels between their papers (for example between Ethics, Political Theory and Welfare Economics). However at some other universities (such as York, the first besides Oxford to offer a PPE degree) some compulsory work is done to bring the different strands together.

See also


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