Information for Prospective PPE Students

UCAS CODE: L0V0 BA/BSc MOD/PPE

About the Warwick PPE Programme

The interdisciplinary PPE degree has contributed a lot to British 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 increasing realisation that many social phenomena can only be properly understood by combining the insights gained from the different disciplines of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, it is not surprising that many of these new programmes prove to be very successful. Warwick is proud to have one of them.

The PPE degree at Warwick started in 2004/05 and has now produced five cohorts of graduates. The interest in the course shown by students has surpassed all expectations; the intake has grown and entry has quickly become very competitive.

The Warwick PPE programme offers students the opportunity to study the three contributing disciplines at foundation level, and two or all three at more advanced (honours) level. The three contributing departments – Philosophy, Politics and International Studies (PAIS), and Economics – are all large and successful. 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.

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 in parallel, but are given ample opportunities – both formal and informal – to combine insights from the different disciplines.

For example, the final year core module, Principles of Political Economy, is taught by members of staff from all three disciplines as a team. It explores contributions from politics, philosophy, and economics to global public policy issues. Topics vary from year to year according to the interests of the lecturers teaching the module; in recent years they have included global justice, poverty and development, climate change, globalization and international trade, global economic governance, and aid and humanitarian interventions.

Sources of Information

For comprehensive information regarding the Warwick PPE programme and how it is structured, please see our Undergraduate Handbook. You may also want to consult the other pages on this website or take a look at the websites of the three partner departments.

There is also a separate, general, Undergraduate Prospectus, published by the University, which is available here. The Prospectus has information on admissions criteria.

Study Abroad


There are two ways in which you might include a year of study abroad as part of your degree.

PPE with an integrated year abroad: During their 2nd year PPE students are eligible to apply to study for the exchange programmes with the departments of Politics and International Studies, and Philosophy. If you participate in an exchange programme, you will be expected to choose courses that mimic the Warwick syllabus at your foreign University and you will still complete your degree in 3 years.

The Department of Politics and International Studies has placements at Georgetown University in Washington, DC the University of California, and the City University of Hong Kong. The Department of Philosophy participates in an exchange scheme with the Department of Philosophy at Queen’s University Ontario, Canada.

PPE with Intercalated Year / Erasmus: Alternatively, you have the option of studying at a University abroad on an extra year between your 2nd and 3rd years. This option adds a year of study and you will complete your degree in 4 years.

Each of the three departments has a number of links with a variety of European Universities under the EU’s Erasmus exchange programme. Further details on the current links each department has can be found via the departmental websites.

After you Graduate

PPE graduates can be found in every job sector. Warwick graduates are highly sought after by employers and are supported by an excellent Student Careers and Skills Centre. For further information, click here.

Advice on Applying

See here for some advice on applying.

Some Suggested Readings

Students are not expected to have studied any of the three disciplines before coming to Warwick. If you are particularly enthusiastic and feel like getting started, once you have an offer, and done your exams, however, here are some suggestions.

For students without Maths A level you may find it helpful to look at the Economics Department module description for Mathematical Techniques A

Open Days

There are two kinds of open days: University open days and the PPE open day for offer holders.

University open days are for students considering applying to Warwick. The open day for offer holders is intended for all applicants who have received conditional or unconditional offers. Their purpose is to help applicants, who may have offers from more than one university, decide which to accept.

University Open Days for prospective applicants

There are two University Open Days a year, held on Saturdays in May and September, for students who have not yet decided on applying for a degree course, but may be planning to do so. The open day is intended to help you decide which subject (or subjects), or degree course, interests you and where to apply. They cover all aspects of studying at university, including the admissions process, finance, what it is like to be a student, and so on. There are usually two PPE talks on each day. You have to book a place online. Open days are oversubscribed and get booked up early. For more information go to University Open Days.

We regret that, because of the very large number of potential visitors, we are not able to make individual arrangements to meet prospective students resident in the UK. Visitors from outside the UK who cannot travel to an Open Day but may be in the country on another occasion are welcome to contact us and we will try our best to help if we can.

Independent Visits

There are also organised opportunities to visit the campus at other times, Warwick Visits and Campus Tours. Unfortunately we are not able to meet you individually outside of the scheduled open days.

PPE Open Day for Offer Holders

If you receive an offer of a place on the degree programme, we will invite you to attend our open day. The next PPE Open Day for offer holders will take place on Wednesday 14th March 2012. Our aim is to give you a clear idea of what the course is about, how it is taught, the facilities available, and a chance to visit the campus, meet some teaching staff and talk to students.

A PPE open day will give you: Information about the degree programme; Opportunities to ask questions of the course director and admissions officers; A mini lecture; A campus tour led by our current undergraduate students; A chance to find out from them what it is 'really' like being a student at Warwick. Register here.

Please note, there is limited parking on campus and, on an Open Day when there are many visitors coming, and parking will be difficult, you might find it better to come by public transport rather than by car.However, we provide a Park & Ride facility for visitors to the University of Warwick on our Open Day which operates locally from Stoneleigh Park. For further details about this service, and how to get to the University please visit: www.warwick.ac.uk/go/gettinghere

Contact Details

For general admissions enquiries or questions regarding your application please contact central admissions in the first instance. The PPE Admissions Team are unable to provide any feedback on your application.

Central Admissions:
Telephone: 024 7652 3723
E-mail: ugadmissions@warwick.ac.uk
Please have your UCAS number to hand when enquiring about your application.

For other queries about the PPE degree please contact the PPE office:

PPE Office
S2.131
Department of Economics
University of Warwick
Gibbet Hill Road
Coventry
CV4 7AL
Telephone 02476 522582/575285
Email: ppeoffice@warwick.ac.uk



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