UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
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Philosophy, Politics and Economics Course Information Sheet for
entry in 2022
PPE was born of the conviction that study of the great modern works of economic, social, political
and philosophical thought would have a transformative effect on students’ intellectual lives, and
thereby on society at large. This conviction remains as firm today as it was then. As the world has
evolved, so has PPE. The course brings together some of the most important approaches to
understanding the world around us, developing skills useful for a wide range of careers and
activities.
PPE is a highly flexible degree which allows you to shape your own path through it: you may choose
to specialise in two branches at the end of the first year, or continue with all three. You can also
explore a wide variety of disciplines under the overarching headings of Philosophy, Politics, and
Economics – for example, you can specialise in Sociology or International Relations by choosing the
relevant Politics options.
Studying philosophy develops analytical, critical, and logical rigour, enabling you to apply these skills
to deep, puzzling questions such as “what can we (really) know?” and “why be moral?”
In turn, the study of politics provides a thorough understanding of the impact of political institutions
on modern societies. It helps you to evaluate the choices that political systems must regularly make,
to explain the processes that maintain or change those systems, and to examine the concepts and
values used in political analysis.
Economics is the study of how consumers, firms and government make decisions that collectively
determine how resources are allocated. An appreciation of economics has become increasingly
necessary to make sense of governmental policy-making, the conduct of businesses and the
enormous economic transformations throughout the world. All three branches of PPE at Oxford
have an international reputation, supported by more than 200 renowned scholars.
A typical week
Your weekly timetable will usually be divided between six to eight lectures and two meetings, which
may be either tutorials or classes, supplemented by private study which will be mainly spent
preparing essays or problem sets for tutorials and classes.
Tutorials are usually two-four students and a tutor. Class sizes may vary depending on the options
you choose. Teaching in all three PPE subjects is normally done in tutorials rather than classes.
Where classes do form part of the teaching for a paper, there would usually be no more than around
20 students though classes for some of the more popular papers may be up to 30 students. Most
tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Many are world-
leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be
delivered by postgraduate students who are usually studying at doctorate level.
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.
Course structure
YEAR 1
COURSES
All three branches of PPE are studied equally:
• Philosophy
o General philosophy
o Moral philosophy
o Elementary logic
• Politics
o The theory of politics (introductory
political theory)
o The practice of politics (introductory
comparative government and politics)
o Political analysis (introductory empirical
and quantitative methods)
• Economics
o Microeconomics: the functioning of the
market economy
o Macroeconomics: dealing with national
output and employment, exchange rates
and policy issues ASSESSMENT
o Mathematical techniques used in First University examinations: three
economics written papers
YEARS 2 AND 3
ASSESSMENT
Final University
COURSES
examinations: eight papers,
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
YEARS 2 AND 3
Students choose to continue with all three branches (tripartite) or typically assessed by written
concentrate on any two (bipartite), taking compulsory courses in examination, but in some
the chosen branches along with optional courses: cases by coursework. One of
these eight papers may be a
• Philosophy
thesis/supervised
o Ethics dissertation.
o Either Early modern philosophy or Knowledge and
reality or Plato’s Republic or
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
• Politics (any two of these)
o Comparative government
o British politics and government since 1900
o Theory of politics
o International relations
o Political sociology
• Economics
o If bipartite at least one of Microeconomics,
Macroeconomics and Quantitative economics
o If tripartite, at least one of Microeconomics,
Macroeconomics, Quantitative economics and
Development of the world economy since 1800
o Option choices in Economics depend on having
completed pre-requisite courses which are one of
the courses listed above.
• Optional courses
o The optional courses available may change from
year to year. The courses currently available are as
follows.
o Philosophy: Early Modern Philosophy; Knowledge
and Reality; Ethics; Philosophy of Mind;
Philosophy of Science and Social Science;
Philosophy of Religion; The Philosophy of Logic
and Language; Aesthetics and the Philosophy of
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
YEARS 2 AND 3
Criticism; Medieval Philosophy: Aquinas; Medieval
Philosophy: Duns Scotus, Ockham; The Philosophy
of Kant; Post-Kantian Philosophy; Theory of
Politics; Plato Republic; Aristotle Nicomachean
Ethics; Intermediate Philosophy of Physics;
Philosophy of Mathematics; Philosophy of
Science; Philosophy of Cognitive Science;
Philosophical Logic; Practical Ethics; The
Philosophy of Wittgenstein; Plato on Knowledge,
Language, & Reality in the Theaetetus & Sophist
(in translation); Aristotle on Nature, Life and Mind
(in translation); Knowledge and Scepticism in
Hellenistic Philosophy (in translation);
Jurisprudence; Thesis.
o Politics: Comparative Government; British Politics
and Government since 1900; Theory of Politics;
Modern British Government and Politics;
Government and Politics of the United States;
Politics in Europe; Politics in Russia and the
Former Soviet Union; Politics in Sub-Saharan
Africa; Politics in Latin America; Politics in South
Asia; Politics in the Middle East; International
Relations in the Era of Two World Wars;
International Relations in the Era of the Cold War;
International Relations; Political Thought: Plato to
Rousseau; Political Thought: Bentham to Weber;
Marx and Marxism; Sociological Theory; Political
Sociology; Labour Economics and Inequality; The
Government and Politics of Japan; Social Policy;
Comparative Demographic Systems; Quantitative
Methods in Politics and Sociology; Politics in
China; The Politics of the European Union;
Advanced Paper in Theories of Justice;
Comparative Political Economy; Thesis.
o Economics: Quantitative Economics;
Macroeconomics; Microeconomics; Behavioural
and Experimental Economics; Development of the
World Economy since 1800; Econometrics;
Economics of Developing Countries; Economics of
Industry; Environmental Economics and Climate
Change; Finance; Game Theory; International
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
YEARS 2 AND 3
Economics; Labour Economics and Inequality;
Microeconomic Analysis; Money and Banking;
Public Economics; Thesis.
More information about each course is in the handbook on the
course website.
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out above.
However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make
changes in course provision, either before or after registration. These may include significant
changes made necessary by a pandemic (including Covid-19), epidemic or local health emergency.
For further information, please see the University's Terms and Conditions. For the latest information
on the University’s Covid-19 response and how it affects students please go to the Oxford University
Covid-19 Response site.
Fees
These annual fees are for full-time students who begin this undergraduate course here in 2022.
Information about how much fees and other costs may increase is set out in the University’s Terms
and Conditions.
Please note that while the University sets out its annual fees as a single figure, this is a combined
figure for both your University and college fees. More information is provided in your Terms and
Conditions.
Fee status Annual Course fees
Home (UK, Republic of Ireland,
Channel Islands & Isle of Man) £9,250
Overseas (including most EU students– see Note below) £29,500
Note: Following the UK’s departure from the EU, most EU students starting a course in 2022/23 will
pay fees at the ‘Overseas’ rate. Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, EU, other EEA, and Swiss
nationals who have been granted settled or pre-settled status in the UK under the EU settlement
scheme will be eligible for ‘Home fee’ status and student loan support, subject to meeting residency
requirements. We will contact you directly if we need further information from you to determine
your fee status.
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
Please refer to the Undergraduate fee status and the Oxford and the EU pages for more
information.
Living costs
Living costs for the academic year starting in 2022 are estimated to be between £1,215 and £1,755
for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you
would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to
budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to
meet essential costs.
Living costs breakdown
Per month Total for 9 months
Lower range Upper range Lower range Upper range
Food £290 £410 £2,610 £3,690
Accommodation (including utilities) £680 £810 £6,120 £7,290
Personal items £135 £260 £1,215 £2,340
Social activities £45 £120 £405 £1,080
Study costs £45 £100 £405 £900
Other £20 £55 £180 £495
Total £1,215 £1,755 £10,935 £15,795
In order to provide these likely living costs, the University and the Oxford University Students’ Union
conducted a living costs survey to complement existing student expenditure data from a variety of
sources including the UK government's Student Income and Expenditure Survey and the National
Union of Students (NUS). The likely lower and upper ranges above are based on a single student with
no dependants living in college accommodation (including utility bills) and are provided for
information only. In addition to reviewing the information above, you should fully consider and
research your personal likely living costs.
When planning your finances for future years of study at Oxford beyond 2022-23, you should allow
for an estimated increase in living expenses of 3% each year.
Additional Fees and Charges Information for Philosophy, Politics and Economics
There are no compulsory costs for this course beyond the fees shown above and your living costs.
