UCAS CODE: LV00 BA/BSc MOD/PPE

Introduction

The interdisciplinary PPE degree has a long history in British university life and beyond thanks to the famous Oxford course. It is only more recently that other universities have started to offer PPE as well. Given the many points of overlap between the disciplines of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, it is not surprising that these new programmes prove to be very successful and attract large numbers of students.

The PPE programme at Warwick started in 2004/05. The interest shown in the course has surpassed all expectations and entry into the course has quickly become very competitive. In contrast to the Oxford PPE, which may be characterized as a “pillar model”, Warwick adopts what may be called a “bridge model”. When you study PPE at Warwick, you do not just study the three disciplines independently, but are given ample opportunities – both formal and informal – to combine insights from the different disciplines.

For example, a third year core module, Principles of Political Economy, is taught by members of staff from all three disciplines. It aims to provide a context in which students can integrate their studies in the three disciplines. In terms of content, it focuses on the global political economy. It explores contributions from politics, philosophy, and economics to select global public policy issues. Topics addressed include global justice, development, globalization and international trade, global governance, and aid and humanitarian interventions.

Contributing Departments

The three contributing departments – Philosophy, Politics and International Studies (PAIS), and Economics – are all large and successful. Importantly for potential undergraduates, all three received maximum points in the external review of teaching quality (sometimes known as TQA).

The size and internal diversity of the three departments allow for a wide range of optional modules, while the core is carefully designed to provide exposure to the techniques, content and major concerns of the relevant disciplines.

The three departments are located in immediate proximity to each other in the Social Studies Building.

Department Webpages

• Philosophy
• Politics & International Studies
• Economics