都柏林大学学院

PPE provides a broad and deep understanding of how a society works, and indeed how international society works. It examines the complex economic and political forces in play, the problems of measuring and assessing the health of society, and the principles of justice that should guide political decision-making to improve society. PPE will teach students how to read beyond media headlines, and where to find more information about the hot policy questions of the day, in national and international contexts.

What will I study?

The PPE provides a thorough grounding in all three disciplines that are core to the social sciences. The programme is quite structured at first, but allows more choice and more specialisation with each successive year. This programme provides both a well-rounded education in philosophy, politics and economics, and every opportunity for you to determine for yourself which subject or combination of subjects you would like to specialise in.

Career & Graduate Study Opportunity

PPE programmes are scattered throughout many of the top universities in the world, attracting the best and most ambitious students and educating cohorts of politicians, civil servants, journalists and managers. All three disciplines share a commitment to rigour and problem-solving that will develop useful skills for any career – skills such as research, analysis, written expression and interpreting data. For a list of famous PPE programmes and graduates (such as Bill Clinton, David Cameron and Aung San Suu Kyi), see the Wikipedia entry on ‘Philosophy, Politics and Economics’. According to the BBC, the Oxford PPE “dominates public life in the UK”.

International Study Opportunities

A number of semester-long study opportunities will be established with other PPE universities in Europe.

What Will I Study

The PPE provides a thorough grounding in all three disciplines that are core to the social sciences. The programme is quite structured at first, but allows more choice and more specialisation with each successive year. This programme provides both a well-rounded education in philosophy, politics and economics, and every opportunity for you to determine for yourself which subject or combination of subjects you would like to specialise in.

First Year

Students are introduced to: political science and political theory, to micro and macro-economics, and to ethics and critical thinking. They will also learn about researching and writing essays.

Second Year

Students will study the relationship between individuals and the state, how to analyse and work with economic data, and the philosophical principles underlying the social sciences.

Third Year

Students continue to deepen their understanding of all three disciplines, while paying more attention to the overlaps between them, such as political economy and critical theory.

Fourth Year

There is much more choice among specialised option modules in the final year. Students also have the option of continuing in the three-discipline version, or of concentrating on only two disciplines.