Philosophy, Politics and Economics Major

As a PPE major, you’ll learn to combine knowledge of economic and political institutions with a broader vision of the goals and purposes of society.

Study philosophy, politics and economics in this major offered jointly by the three departments. The intersection of these fields of study will allow you to form your own educated opinions on matters crucial to the human condition.

You’ll take four classes in each discipline, receiving a foundation in the methods and issues of each. Then, you’ll choose one department to focus on with two more courses and a faculty advisor from that discipline.

All seniors take the course, Freedom, Markets and Well-Being, and complete the senior thesis and exercise.

The major provides excellent preparation for careers in law, business and public service.

Student meeting with Professor Eleanor Brown
Student meeting with Professor Eleanor Brown
In class with Professor Stephen Erickson
In class with Professor Stephen Erickson
In class with Professor Heather Williams
In class with Professor Heather Williams

What You’ll Study

    • Ethics and history of philosophy
    • American or comparative politics
    • Macroeconomics and microeconomics
    • Five electives
    • A senior thesis
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The senior course, Freedom, Markets and Well-Being is team-taught by two professors from different disciplines.

Learning at 6VµçÓ°Íø

Sally Sohn ’22

The Injustice of Not Knowing the Injustice

Sally Sohn ’22 explains the concept of hermeneutical injustice and applies it to assess society’s normalization of speciesism.

Sridha Chadalavada

Examining Political Institutions

Sridha Chadalavada ’24 has developed relevant quantitative skills to hypothesize how policymakers ought to analyze market structures and appropriately allocate resources to implement philosophical and political frameworks rooted in morality.

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Cindy Zhang
Cindy Zhang ’24

As an academic major, PPE is a well-balanced synthesis of practicality and abstract theory, and as a college degree it satisfies both my curiosity and the need for future career opportunities. Most importantly, discussions on topics of PPE never fail to stimulate my thoughts on how to become a freer individual, or what it means to strive for a just society where all lives freely.

Faculty & Teaching

 Drawing from three departments, our PPE faculty has a wealth of experience and expertise. Four main faculty members administer the program, but through your electives and discipline focus, classes are available from more than 35 faculty members with diverse research interests and scholarly backgrounds.

Professor Eleanor Brown

The PPE major takes economics’ detailed understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of markets and their regulation, adds politics’ understanding of political institutions and processes, and takes the larger view of philosophy to help us to ask what it is we might hope to achieve through these institutions. It is a major for the student who wants to see the big picture while tackling the details.