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Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad)
University of Essex
Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad) course at University of Essex.
Select a qualification to see required grades
A level
B,B,B
Offers will be made in the range of BBB to BBC or 120-112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels
Tuition fees
| Location | Fees |
|---|---|
| England | £9,250 per year |
| Scotland | £9,250 per year |
| Wales | £9,250 per year |
| Northern Ireland | £9,250 per year |
| Channel Islands | £9,250 per year |
| Republic of Ireland | £9,250 per year |
| EU | £21,525 per year |
| International | £21,525 per year |
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: L0VA
Here's what University of Essex says about its Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad) course.
Why do philosophical and economic ideas matter so much to politics? Why is the state of the economy so important for the outcome of elections? Why do governments try to regulate markets, and how? How should we respond to pressing global issues and trends?
PPE covers the areas of philosophy, political science, and economics, including political theory and political behaviour, macro- and microeconomics, and major philosophical approaches. It provides you with a context in which to appreciate and develop insights into important national and global questions, and encourages you to reflect critically on these questions from a theoretical, practical, and ethical point of view.
The Essex BA in PPE should interest you if you want to develop a critical and interdisciplinary perspective on what makes the world tick. It offers you a solid grounding in three foundational disciplines, and provides you with opportunities to explore topics including:
-
Globalization and international relations
-
Philosophy and political theory
-
Democratic and comparative politics
-
Political economy
-
Ethics and public policy
Our Department of Government is one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. We are rated top in the UK for research (REF 2014), and have consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began.
Meanwhile, our Department of Economics is Top 5 in the UK for research, with over 90% of their research rated as "world-leading" or "internationally excellent" (REF 2014), and our Department of Philosophy is ranked Top 10 in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014).
Course details
Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Department
Government
Location
Colchester Campus | Colchester
Duration
4 Years
Study mode
Sandwich
Subjects
• Philosophy
• Economics
• Politics
Start date
October 2025
Application deadline
January 29, 2025
The modules you will study
Many of our courses offer a choice of optional modules to tailor your learning experience. More information about these can be found on the University of Essex website.
University of Essex reviews
Showing 45 reviews
2nd year student
The SU tries their best with the budget they have. They are probably one of the only departments who try their hardest at Essex. Societies and sports clubs are great with lots of socials and a great way and the best way to make new friends at Essex. The 2 bars and nightclub on campus are ok although...
2 years ago
2nd year student
I live near Colchester so I haven’t moved far to go to Essex University so I knew what the area would be like. It isn’t the most busiest area and you can pretty much find every and do everything tourist-wise in a couple of days. Nightlife is ok with the club on campus and a couple in the town, all o...
2 years ago
2nd year student
With the cost of living so high in the UK, the University has only raised their rent slightly and when you take into account that bills are included, the cheaper accommodation options are quite good deals. I notice that financial support is offered to those in more difficult circumstances due to the...
2 years ago
2nd year student
There is more that could be done in this area and I imagine those who are new to this sort of environment (living on your own, needing to self motivate to study etc) would struggle as there is a lack of communication from all aspects of the University. A simple email explaining how a specific examin...
2 years ago
2nd year student
The facilities on campus for education (library, labs etc) I cannot fault and they all work effectively. However, the accommodation is quite poor. In my 1st year in halls, I moved into a dirty room which smelt like a toilet. Clearly it hadn’t been cleaned since the last tenant which meant I had to c...
2 years ago
2nd year student
The course content is good however the delivery is lacking. It seems pointless going to lectures face to face as a lot of lecturers just read off the slides and add nothing on top. Sometimes the lecturers themselves seem puzzled at some of the content on the slides and they often just quickly move o...
2 years ago
National Student Survey (NSS) scores
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
The Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad) course at University of Essex features content from more than one subject area. Using the options below, you can see ratings from students who took courses in each of these subject areas at this uni
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
80%
med
Teaching on my course
80%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
76%
low
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
93%
med
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
61%
low
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
90%
high
Learning opportunities
84%
med
Learning opportunities
84%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
83%
med
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
85%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
86%
high
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
81%
med
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
85%
high
Assessment and feedback
84%
high
Assessment and feedback
84%
high
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
83%
med
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
90%
high
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
78%
high
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
90%
high
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
80%
high
Academic support
88%
med
Academic support
88%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
88%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
89%
med
Organisation and management
92%
high
Organisation and management
92%
high
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
91%
high
How well organised is your course?
93%
high
Learning resources
93%
high
Learning resources
93%
high
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
92%
high
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
92%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
95%
high
Student voice
78%
med
Student voice
78%
med
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
60%
med
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
91%
high
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
82%
high
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
75%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
89%
high
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
85%
med
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
85%
med
Teaching on my course
85%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
82%
med
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
95%
med
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
82%
low
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
82%
low
Learning opportunities
78%
low
Learning opportunities
78%
low
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
76%
low
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
81%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
76%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
80%
low
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
75%
med
Assessment and feedback
79%
med
Assessment and feedback
79%
med
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
83%
med
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
81%
med
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
66%
med
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
87%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
78%
med
Academic support
90%
med
Academic support
90%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
93%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
87%
med
Organisation and management
83%
med
Organisation and management
83%
med
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
78%
med
How well organised is your course?
86%
med
Learning resources
91%
med
Learning resources
91%
med
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
85%
med
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
95%
high
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
91%
med
Student voice
77%
med
Student voice
77%
med
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
61%
med
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
84%
med
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
84%
med
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
71%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
89%
med
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
73%
med
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
98%
high
Teaching on my course
98%
high
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
97%
high
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
99%
high
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
99%
high
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
99%
high
Learning opportunities
95%
high
Learning opportunities
95%
high
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
97%
high
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
92%
high
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
88%
high
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
99%
high
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
97%
high
Assessment and feedback
86%
med
Assessment and feedback
86%
med
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
90%
med
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
89%
med
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
91%
high
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
81%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
80%
med
Academic support
95%
high
Academic support
95%
high
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
93%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
97%
high
Organisation and management
83%
med
Organisation and management
83%
med
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
73%
low
How well organised is your course?
91%
high
Learning resources
96%
high
Learning resources
96%
high
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
91%
high
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
96%
high
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
98%
high
Student voice
83%
high
Student voice
83%
high
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
78%
high
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
83%
med
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
88%
med
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
69%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
77%
low
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
83%
high
Student information
The Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad) course at University of Essex features content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below to find out about the students taking courses in each of those subject areas at this uni.
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Religious Studies | B | |||||
| Government and Politics | C | |||||
| Psychology | C | |||||
| History | C | |||||
| Sociology | B | |||||
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Economics | C | |||||
| Mathematics | D | |||||
| Business Studies | C | |||||
| Psychology | C | |||||
| Government and Politics | C | |||||
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Government and Politics | C | |||||
| History | C | |||||
| Sociology | B | |||||
| English Literature | C | |||||
| Economics | C | |||||
Graduate prospects
What graduates do next
The Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad) course includes content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below for information about University of Essex graduates across each of those subject areas.
Graduate statistics
61%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
83%
In work, study or other activity
70%
Say it fits with future plans
45%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
21%
Business and public service associate professionals
17%
Finance Professionals
15%
Administrative occupations
8%
Sales occupations
Graduate statistics
55%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
78%
In work, study or other activity
60%
Say it fits with future plans
35%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
30%
Business and public service associate professionals
15%
Administrative occupations
10%
Information Technology Professionals
5%
Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
Graduate statistics
55%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
90%
In work, study or other activity
35%
Say it fits with future plans
15%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
25%
Administrative occupations
25%
Business and public service associate professionals
10%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
5%
Information Technology Professionals
Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates
Earnings after graduation
The Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad) course includes content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below for University of Essex graduate earnings across each of those subject areas.
Earnings
£23k
First year after graduation
£31k
Third year after graduation
£36.9k
Fifth year after graduation
Earnings
£20.4k
First year after graduation
£28.8k
Third year after graduation
£31.8k
Fifth year after graduation
Earnings
£15.7k
First year after graduation
£24.5k
Third year after graduation
£26.3k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad).
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
Discussions
Discussions
Students are talking about University of Essex on The Student Room.
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Universities will list upcoming open days on their websites. Most will also have virtual open days; these are a great alternative if you really can't get there in person. For tips on preparing for open days, check the advice section here on The Uni Guide.
