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Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

PPE at Balliol College

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Balliol was the birthplace of the degree of PPE in the 1920s, and the College has long remained a major centre for the study of PPE. Nowadays, Balliol PPE is distinctive in three related ways.

Firstly, we have a particularly large school of PPE undergraduates, and the College is committed to maintaining a strong teaching team in each of the three subjects. This means that PPE undergraduates can feel part of a body of students with a collective identity and activities to match (there is a PPE society, Cerberus, which is entirely run by the students). Moreover, having a large number of Tutorial Fellows in each subject means that students can largely be taught ‘in house’.

Secondly, the PPE tutors are strongly committed to the idea of PPE as an interdisciplinary first degree. It enables our students to understand the social, political, and economic world in which they live, and the role that they might best play in it.

Thirdly, PPE at Balliol is notable for the breadth of its outlook, and its international character. Tutors and students have wide-ranging intellectual interests, and this makes for an especially stimulating experience. 

Number of places at Balliol: 12

Tutors

About the course

Please see the PPE website and the University’s course pages. 

Course requirements and selection criteria

Please see:

How to apply to read PPE at Balliol College