The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) major offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of topics, texts, and concerns that exist at the intersection of these three fields (e.g., theories of justice, rights, freedom, individual liberty, property, etc.) The program creates an intentional constellation of courses in these three disciplines that is designed to enrich the students’ experience of each discipline and offer a breadth of study not available in any one disciplinary major. Besides providing a framework within which students interested in these three disciplines can develop a sense of their interrelations, the program will facilitate the development of a better perspective of the boundaries and scope of these disciplinary approaches. For example, in economics coursework a student will learn the principles of markets and how they display the effects of various incentive structures. The same student, in her political science coursework may begin to understand the political context in which such markets operate. And, from philosophy, the PPE student would learn some of the long, rich tradition of theories that ground both political and economic approaches to understanding the human condition, as well as explore the ethical implications of political and economic action.

PPE is ideal training for law school, graduate school in any of the PPE disciplines.Because of its interdisciplinary nature, PPE also creates an apt foundation for jobs in public policy, management training programs, and post-graduate opportunities in service (such as Peace Corps and Teach for America).