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. Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ... It has been suggested that double degree be merged into this article or section. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in 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, UEA, Manchester University, and Essex), 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. Politics is the process by which decisions are made within groups. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... York University (YorkU) is a large comprehensive university, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Durham University is a university in England. ... University of Warwick Motto: Mens agitat molem Logo © University of Warwick The University of Warwick is a world-class campus university which, despite its name, is located mainly inside the southern boundary of Coventry, England, some 11 km ( 7 miles) from the town of Warwick, the remainder of the campus... The famous ziggurats of the student accommodation at Norfolk Terrace, photographed in January 2004. ... University of Manchester Motto: Cognitio Sapientia Hvmanitas Knowledge, wisdom, humanity. ... Introduction The University of Essex is a Campus university based at Wivenhoe Park on the outskirts of Colchester (the oldest recorded town in Britain) in the English county of Essex, less than a mile from the town of Wivenhoe. ... The University of Pennsylvania (Penn is the moniker used by the university itself; UPenn is also common) is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Duke Chapel Duke University is a private, coeducational, research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Although founded in 1924, Duke traces its roots back to 1838. ... CMCs trademark Bauer Center. ... Stellenbosch University is an internationally recognised university which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. ... The University of Cape Town is a major tertiary education institution in Cape Town, South Africa, located on the Rhodes Estate on the slopes of Devils Peak. ... The Right Honourable James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the longest serving Labour Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom. ... The Right Honourable Sir Edward Richard George Heath, KG , MBE (July 9, 1916 – July 17, 2005), soldier and politician, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. ... Wesley Clark Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army. ... Rt Hon. ... Benazir Bhutto at a Pakistan Peoples Party event in Newark, CA, 28 September 2004. ...

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. Literae Humaniores is the name given to the study of Classics at Oxford and some other universities. ... A civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

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. These five broad types of question are not the only subjects of philosophical inquiry, and there are many overlaps between the categories which are subsumed within the discipline under the four major headings of Logic, Ontology, Epistemology, and Axiology. ... A contraction of meta- and tools defined as tools which work on metadata describing a target space. ... Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. ... The economic theory of collective action is concerned with the provision of public goods (and other collective consumption) through the collaboration of two or more individuals, and the impact of externalities on group behavior. ... Political science is a social science discipline that deals with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ... Economics (from the Greek [oikos], house, and [nomos], rule, hence household management) is a social science that studies the production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services. ...

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. A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ...

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: If you are looking for a tutorial about editing Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Tutorial. ...

• Introduction to Microeconomics
• Introduction to Macroeconomics
• Moral Philosophy
• General Philosophy (Epistemology and Metaphysics)
• Logic
• Introductory Politics of France, Germany, the USA and the UK; selected political theory topics and an introduction to the study of comparative government and political sociology.
• An IT project based upon political and economic statistics (which students have to pass, but which does not contribute to their final grade) using the SPSS statistical package.

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. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Macroeconomics is the economics sub-field of study that considers aggregate behavior, i. ... Ethics (from Greek ethikos) is the branch of axiology – one of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, epistemology, and logic – which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to define that which is right from that which is wrong. ... Epistemology, from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (word/speech) is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin and scope of knowledge. ... Metaphysics (Greek words meta = after/beyond and physics = nature) is a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). ... Logic, from Classical Greek λόγος (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, (but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy among philosophers. ... Niccolò Machiavelli, ca 1500, became the key figure in realistic political theory, crucial to political science Political Science is the systematic study of the allocation and transfer of power in decision making. ... This politics-related article is a stub. ... Political sociology is the study of sociology within the area of politics. ... SPSS is a statistical program used by many businesses and academic institutions around the world. ...

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. Prelims (preliminary examinations) are a first set of examinations at Oxford University, normally during the first half of the degree course for some courses. ...

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. A thesis (literally: position from the Greek θέσις) is an intellectual proposition. ...

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. Ethics (from Greek ethikos) is the branch of axiology – one of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, epistemology, and logic – which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to define that which is right from that which is wrong. ... Niccolò Machiavelli, ca 1500, became the key figure in realistic political theory, crucial to political science Political Science is the systematic study of the allocation and transfer of power in decision making. ... Welfare economics is a branch of economics that uses microeconomic techniques to simultaneously determine the allocational efficiency of a macroeconomy and the income distribution consequences associated with it. ... The University of York (also known as York University) is a campus university in York, England. ...

See also

• Degrees of Oxford University
• Greats degree course
• Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology (PPP) degree course
• Interdisciplinarity

This article concerns the Degrees of Oxford University. ... Literae Humaniores is the name given to the study of Classics at Oxford and some other universities. ... Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology (PPP) is a degree at the University of Oxford. ... Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ...

External links

• PPE at Oxford