Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Major
Program Overview
Overview of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Program
The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program at Virginia Tech is a highly interdisciplinary, research-driven undergraduate degree program. It provides students with the tools, methods, and knowledge to develop comprehensive solutions to complex interdisciplinary decision-making problems. The program prepares students to become leaders in the fast-changing and complex social world of the 21st century.
Program Curriculum
The PPE major allows students to study systematically some of the most important social, ethical, economic, and political problems that our contemporary societies face. It offers a highly interdisciplinary curriculum with distinct learning outcomes centered on an undergraduate research project. The PPE major is structured around four central integration courses and an optional complementary internship course:
- The PPE First-Year Experience Course (PPE 1004) introduces students to important classic and contemporary texts in PPE.
- The PPE Gateway Course (PPE 2894) integrates the quantitative techniques, conceptual tools, and core principles of philosophy, political science, and economics.
- The PPE Topics Course (PPE 3884) allows students to discuss an interdisciplinary topic in PPE in depth.
- The PPE Capstone Course (PPE 4884) allows students to work on an advanced research project of their choice at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and economics and its application to the real world.
Degree Requirements
The graduation requirements in effect during the academic year of admission to Virginia Tech apply. Requirements for graduation are listed on checksheets. Students must satisfactorily complete all requirements and university obligations for degree completion.
Major Requirements
The PPE major requires:
- A. Integration: 12 credits
- PPE 1004: Introduction to Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- PPE 2894: PPE Gateway Course
- PPE/PHIL/PSCI/ECON 3884: Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- PPE 4884: PPE Capstone Course
- B. Focus Area: 15 credits
- Choose one Focus Area by taking at least five courses that fall under the area
- From the five Focus Area courses, choose at least (i) two courses from PSCI, (ii) two courses from ECON, and (iii) three courses at the 3000-4000 levels
- C. Free Electives: up to 42 credits
- Select up to 42 credit hours to complete 120 credit hours required for graduation
Focus Areas
The PPE program offers five Focus Areas:
- Moral, Political, Legal, and Economic Thought: This focus area explores the intersection of moral, political, legal, and economic thought.
- Global Political Economy: This focus area examines the global political economy and its impact on societies.
- Social Justice, Policy, and Governance: This focus area focuses on social justice, policy, and governance.
- Data, Decisions, and Behavior: This focus area explores the role of data, decisions, and behavior in shaping social and economic outcomes.
- Social, Political, and Economic Entrepreneurship: This focus area examines the intersection of social, political, and economic entrepreneurship.
Course Descriptions
The PPE program offers a range of courses, including:
- PPE 1004: Introduction to Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- PPE 1214: Economic History of Diversity and Inclusion
- PPE 2024: Research Methods in Political Science
- PPE 2894: PPE Gateway Course
- PPE 2974: Independent Study
- PPE 3016: Political Theory
- PPE 3024: Economic Justice
- PPE 3314: Ethical Theory
- PPE 3884: Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- PPE 3900: Bridge Experience
- PPE 4304: Political Philosophy
- PPE 4884: PPE Capstone Course
- PPE 4964: Field Work/Practicum
- PPE 4984: Special Study
- PPE 4994: Undergraduate Research
Graduation Requirements
To graduate, students must:
- Satisfy departmental prerequisites and corequisites for all courses.
- Not double-count courses satisfying degree core requirements to satisfy other areas of degree.
- Not double-count more than 50% of the graded course credits required for the PPE Major by a student also enrolled in a Philosophy, Political Science, or Economics major.
- Complete all courses to fulfill the PPE major requirements with a minimum GPA of 2.0.
- Maintain an overall GPA of 2.0.
- Complete a minimum of 120 semester credit hours.
Foreign Language Requirement
Students who did not successfully complete at least two years of a single foreign, classical, or sign language during high school must successfully complete six semester hours of a single foreign, classical, or sign language at the college level. Courses taken to meet this requirement do not count toward the hours required for graduation.