Solve the world's problems.
In Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) we prepare students to solve the world’s problems by combining the analytical reasoning of philosophy, the social insight of political studies, and the methodological rigour of economics. Students complete a challenging course of study in logic, ethics, collective action, human behaviour, political theory, economics, and the history of ideas.
Developed originally at Oxford, our programme in PPE includes a foundation in the classic texts of the human sciences, engagement with the best new ideas about society, and analysis of present-day policy challenges. Today’s policy challenges are more complicated than ever, and PPE’s interdisciplinary course of study prepares students to meet them.
Why study PPE?
Students in the Otago PPE programme complete rigorous courses of study in the three core disciplines, in addition to interdisciplinary seminars and original research.
There are natural affinities and common roots among several strands of philosophy, politics, and economics. For example, economics developed from the field of political economy, welfare economics utilises concepts of social justice from philosophy, and the philosophy of science has important implications for methodologies adopted in economics and politics.
The aim of the programme is to give a broader exposure to the range of analytical approaches in these three disciplines than would be gained within any one of the traditional single-discipline majors.
Background required
No special background is required to begin a PPE major.
However, a student who has achieved mainly Excellences and Merits in each of the three subjects Economics, English and Mathematics with Calculus or Mathematics with Statistics at NCEA Level 3 may apply to the Department of Economics to enter the second required paper (ECON 112) without completing the first (BSNS 113).
Career opportunities
Graduates with a PPE degree go on to apply their analytical skills in many different fields: recent graduates are working as diplomats, journalists, lawyers, project managers, academics, business executives, entrepreneurs, accountants, and policy analysts.
There are PPE graduates in entertainment, in tourism, and in information technology; those in government work at the Supreme Court and at the Ministries for the Environment, Treasury, Social Development, and Inland Revenue, among others.
You can find people with Otago PPE degrees in government, industry, academia, and civil society in New Zealand, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Student exchange
We encourage PPE majors to participate in student exchange, and many do so. There are twelve universities that offer PPE programmes for exchange with students from Otago, as well as dozens more without formal PPE programmes that offer appropriate course work. You can participate in student exchange while moving forward with your degree and paying domestic fees.
PPE at Otago
The PPE programme was founded in 1999 as the first and only such course of study in New Zealand, and one of only a few in Australasia. From the beginning, PPE has attracted high-achieving students curious about the world and interested in employing their talents in public service.
Students begin in first year with introductory papers in economics, politics, and philosophy, but quickly progress to advanced work in small interdisciplinary seminars. Usually in the second year or the first term of third year, students may participate in student exchange.
The humanities internship practicum, in which students go out into the community to provide research services, is available for second and third year students. Third year students may pursue supervised independent research on a topic of their choosing by taking the PHPE 301 paper.
Degree options
You can pursue a number of different qualification options to study PPE. The PPE major is compatible with double degrees in other subjects such as Law or Computer Science. PPE students can complete double majors and add minor subjects as listed in the Guide to Enrolment. High achieving students may apply for postgraduate study, which consists of small seminars in each of the core disciplines plus completion of a dissertation.
Qualifications
Explore your study options further. Refer to enrolment information found on the following qualification pages.
- Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- Bachelor of Arts and Commerce (BACom)
- Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc)
- Bachelor of Commerce and Science (BComSc)
- Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))
- Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts)
- Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework))
- Bachelor of Commerce (BCom)
- Bachelor of Commerce with Honours (BCom(Hons))
Programme requirements
Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
| Level | Papers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 100-level | BSNS 113 Economic Principles and Policy ECON 112 Principles of Economics 2 One 100-level PHIL paper (PHIL 103 Ethical Issues, recommended) One 100-level POLS paper (POLS 102 New Zealand Politics - Introduction, recommended) | 18 18 18 18 |
| 200-level | PHPE 201 Political Economy 1: Method, Philosophy, Applications ECON 201 Microeconomics or ECON 271 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory One further 200-level ECON paper One 200-level PHIL paper One 200-level POLS paper one further 200-level ECON, PHIL or POLS papers | 18 18 18 18 18 18 |
| 300-level | Six 300-level ECON, PHIL, PHPE, or POLS papers, including at least one paper in each of Economics, Philosophy, and Politics. CLAS 340 may be substituted for one 300-level PHIL paper, and CLAS 346 may be substituted for one 300-level POLS paper. | 108 |
| Plus | 72 further points which may be taken from outside Arts | 72 |
| Total | 360 |
Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
| Papers |
|---|
No more than 100 points may be from any one of the component disciplines. CLAS 440 may be substituted for one 400-level PHIL paper. |
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) programme in Philosophy, Politics and Economics is the same as the programme for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)).
Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework)) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
| Papers |
|---|
No more than 90 points may be from any one of the component disciplines. CLAS 440 may be substituted for one 400-level PHIL paper. |
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
| Level | Papers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 100-level | BSNS 113 Economic Principles and Policy ECON 112 Principles of Economics 2 PHIL 105 Critical Thinking One 100-level POLS paper (POLS 102 New Zealand Politics - Introduction, recommended) BSNS 111 Business and Society, BSNS 112 Interpreting Business Data, BSNS 114 Financial Decision Making, BSNS 115 Accounting and Information Systems – must normally be taken in first year of study. | 18 18 18 18
72 |
| 200-level | PHPE 201 Political Economy 1: Method, Philosophy, Applications ECON 201 Microeconomics or ECON 271 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory One further 200-level ECON paper One 200-level PHIL paper One 200-level POLS paper one further 200-level ECON, PHIL or POLS papers | 18 18 18 18 18 18 |
| 300-level | MANT 331 Business Ethics Five 300-level ECON, PHIL, PHPE, or POLS papers, including at least two papers in Economics and at least one paper in each of Philosophy and Politics. CLAS 340 may be substituted for one 300-level PHIL paper. | 18 90 |
Every programme must include BSNS 111-115. At least three of these papers must be passed before enrolling in any 200-level Commerce paper, and all must normally be passed before enrolling in any 300-level Commerce paper. For single-degree BCom students, all five must be attempted in the first year of study or equivalent. STAT 110 or STAT 115 will be accepted as an alternative to BSNS 112 as a required paper or as part of the major subject requirements or as a prerequisite when: | ||
| Total | 360 |
Bachelor of Commerce with Honours (BCom(Hons)) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
| Papers |
|---|
No more than 100 points may be from any one of the component disciplines. No new enrolments will be accepted for this subject for 2024. |
Papers
PHIL papers
POLS papers
ECON papers
| Paper code | Year | Title | Points | Teaching period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECON112 | 2023 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON201 | 2023 | Microeconomics | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON202 | 2023 | Macroeconomics | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON206 | 2023 | The World Economy | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON207 | 2023 | Environmental Economics | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON210 | 2023 | Introduction to Econometrics | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON271 | 2023 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON301 | 2023 | Labour Economics | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON302 | 2023 | International Trade | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON303 | 2023 | Economics of Developing Countries | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON306 | 2023 | Economics of Health and Education | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON308 | 2023 | Public Economics | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON316 | 2023 | Open Economy Macroeconomics | 18 points | Not offered in 2023 |
| ECON317 | 2023 | Urban and Regional Economics | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON318 | 2023 | Behavioural Economics | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON319 | 2023 | Game Theory | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON350 | 2023 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2023 |
| ECON351 | 2023 | Special Topic: Economics of Households and Wellbeing | 18 points | Not offered in 2023 |
| ECON371 | 2023 | Microeconomic Theory | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON375 | 2023 | Econometrics | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON376 | 2023 | Macroeconomic Theory | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON377 | 2023 | Mathematical Economics | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON402 | 2023 | Growth, Institutions and Development | 20 points | Not offered in 2023 |
| ECON403 | 2023 | Monetary Economics | 20 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON404 | 2023 | International Economics | 20 points | Not offered in 2023 |
| ECON405 | 2023 | The Economics of Natural Resources and Public Choice | 20 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON406 | 2023 | Labour and Population Economics | 20 points | Not offered in 2023 |
| ECON407 | 2023 | Topics in Advanced Economics | 20 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON410 | 2023 | Advanced Microeconomic Theory | 20 points | Semester 2 |
| ECON411 | 2023 | Advanced Macroeconomic Theory | 20 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON412 | 2023 | Macroeconometrics | 20 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON413 | 2023 | Microeconometrics | 20 points | Semester 1 |
| ECON480 | 2023 | Dissertation | 40 points | Full Year |
| ECON485 | 2023 | Master's Thesis Preparation | 20 points | Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year |
| ECON492 | 2023 | Dissertation for Philosophy, Politics and Economics | 60 points | Full Year |
| ECON590 | 2023 | Research Dissertation | 60 points | Semester 1, Semester 2, 1st Non standard period, 2nd Non standard period, 3rd Non standard period |
PHPE papers
| Paper code | Year | Title | Points | Teaching period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHPE201 | 2023 | Political Economy I: Method, Philosophy, Applications | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| PHPE301 | 2023 | Research Essay | 18 points | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
Key information for students
Contact us
Email ppe@otago.ac.nz
Website otago.ac.nz/ppe
