What is PPE?

What is PPE?

Our lives and our communities are profoundly shaped by political and economic forces that often seem difficult or impossible to control. The next generation of citizens must be able to understand how these forces work, examine their impact, and think carefully about the values that are at stake in the choices we face. Moreover, college graduates are increasingly expected to think across traditional boundaries and to have skills that enable them to address complex problems in both the public and private sectors.

Starting at Oxford in the 1920s, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) programs have spread to more than one hundred universities around the world. The major offers broad and rigorous training in the foundations of all three disciplines, enabling students to study the forces and institutions that shape the modern world from more than one perspective.

What careers do PPE students pursue?

The analytical tools and interdisciplinary approach that the PPE major provides will prepare students for careers in law, public policy and public service, business, finance, consulting, NGOs, education, journalism, and other pursuits that engage public life.

The PPE major at OSU

After training in the foundations of each collaborating discipline, PPE students take two core courses that are open only to majors. These courses demonstrate the interdisciplinary approach to public issues that makes the major so distinctive. Students also pursue a concentration within the major to focus their training in an area of particular interest.