Politics, Philosophy and Economics
Entry requirements
A level
AAB
Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits overall including 45 at Level 3. Please obtain: 23 Level 3 Credits at Distinction, rest at Merit.
This qualification is accepted in combination with other qualifications. For details please contact Loughborough University
We recognise the benefit of the Extended Project in developing independent research and critical thinking skills. We would consider this as evidence of motivation to study a specific subject in more depth, and while we do not generally include it as part of our offer conditions, it may be used to further consider an application upon receipt of final examination results. www.lboro.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply/entry-requirements/
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths Grade 6/B and English Language Grade 6/B
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
35 (6,6,5 HL)
We accept a wide range of international qualifications for entry as outlined on our website – please view the individual course typical offers on our website and choose Ireland in the Country/region drop down field for more information.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
A Level Grade A plus Distinction Distinction in BTEC Level 3 National Diploma. Preferred subjects: Art and Design, Business, Media, Health and Social Care Other BTEC subjects may be considered when offered in combination with one A Level from the following list: Ancient History, Business Studies, Classical Civilisation, Economics, English Language/Literature, Geography, Government and Politics, History, Languages (non-native), Law, Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies and Sociology.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
A Level Grades AB plus Distinction in BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate. Preferred subjects: Art and Design, Business, Media, Health and Social Care Other BTEC subjects may be considered when offered in combination with one A Level from the following list: Ancient History, Business Studies, Classical Civilisation, Economics, English Language/Literature, Geography, Government and Politics, History, Languages (non-native), Law, Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies and Sociology.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma preferred subjects: Applied Science, Business, Health and Social Care, IT, Sport. Other BTEC subjects may be considered when offered in combination with one A Level from the following list: Ancient History, Business Studies, Classical Civilisation, Economics, English Language/Literature, Geography, Government and Politics, History, Languages (non-native), Law, Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies and Sociology.
Scottish Advanced Higher
AA, plus Highers at majority A/B grades
For 2024 entry, the following T Levels are currently being considered on a case by case basis. More information can be found on our website at https://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply/entry-requirements/
Applicants taking the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma will be asked to achieve the A level requirements for their course as part of their qualification. The Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted alongside two A levels as long as individual course entry and subject requirements are met. www.lboro.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply/entry-requirements/
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This prestigious degree offers students the opportunity to explore and analyse complex problems from three key disciplinary perspectives. Our Politics, Philosophy and Economics course provides the skills required for a range of distinguished careers.
The world faces numerous complex challenges. Our Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) BA (Hons) degree equips students with the tools and abilities necessary to understand and resolve these challenges. Drawing on the insights of key fields of study - Politics, Philosophy and Economics - this course provides students with the skills necessary to understand complex problems, evaluate available solutions, and advance their ideas persuasively through robust argumentation.
Our PPE degree has been designed to allow students the opportunity to shape their own learning. First-year modules provide a solid foundation in each of the core disciplines comprising the degree: Political Science, Philosophy and Economics. Increased optionality is introduced in second and third-year modules providing students the opportunity to specialise in any of these areas of study. Thoroughly interdisciplinary upper-year modules will encourage students to synthesise the perspectives and methods of these three disciplines in order to arrive at solutions to pressing contemporary problems. A final-year dissertation provides students the opportunity to conduct independent research on a topic of their choice. Distinguished placement opportunities and study-abroad schemes affiliated to this course provide additional opportunities for students to take control of their learning and improve their employability.
Our PPE degree is designed to take advantage of Loughborough’s reputation in research and teaching. Learning on the course is directed through a problem-based approach which encourages students to apply the concepts and methods learned to real-world problems. Taught by internationally-recognised experts based at Loughborough University, this course provides students the knowledge and skills required for a wide range of careers.
Modules
For a full list of areas studied, see the 'What You'll Study' section of the course page on our website.
Assessment methods
Students will be assessed using a variety of methods including essays, exams, source analysis, reports, political simulation and a final-year dissertation on a topic of your own choice.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Loughborough University
International Relations, Politics and History
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Philosophy
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Economics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Politics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Philosophy
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.
Economics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a degree in demand, as business increasingly needs workers who can examine and explain complex data. And yet the number of economics graduates fell by nearly 10% last year, which means demand is even greater. As so many economic grads go into banking and finance, it's not surprising that over half of all 2015's economics graduates who did go into work were working in London. And don't think it's just the finance industry that's interested in these graduates - there's a significant number who enter the IT industry to work with data as analysts and consultants. It's quite common for economics graduates to go into jobs such as accountancy and management consultancy which may require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications - so don’t assume you won’t have to take any more exams once you leave uni. And the incentive to take them, of course, is better pay, which will be on top of an already healthy average starting salary of over £30,000 for graduates working in the capital.
Politics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Economics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£29k
£36k
£49k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Politics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£24k
£31k
£34k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Course location and department:
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here