Philosophy, Politics and Economics
University of York
UCAS Code: L0V0 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of York
UCAS Code: L0V0 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Extended Project
If you achieve A or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A Level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
We consider a range of OCR qualifications equivalent to 3 A Levels, or in combination with A Levels or other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
We consider a range of BTEC qualifications equivalent to 3 A Levels, or in combination with A Levels or other qualifications.
Please use the course link below for more details on Scottish entry requirements.
Please use the course link below for more details on Scottish entry requirements.
We consider a range of T Level qualifications. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications.
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
We will consider this qualification alongside or in combination with A Levels or other qualifications, as equivalent to one A Level.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Our Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree programme trains students to combine different disciplinary perspectives in an instructive way.
Tackling complex societal problems requires the multi-layered competencies that are developed by studying key related disciplines with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity. Taking a degree in PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) equips you to approach difficult societal issues in a rounded and nuanced way. We educate researchers, policy makers and professionals to examine an issue from different angles and to combine different perspectives in a creative, rigorous and constructive manner. The three PPE disciplines require different but complementary skills—the mathematical precision of the economist, the insistence on logical argument and the probing of key principles and concepts found in philosophy, and the need for solid evidence typical of all social sciences. Whether you are examining the lessons to be learned from financial crises and global pandemics, the challenges of a globalising world, or the appropriate response to climate change, a PPE degree will equip you with the knowledge and skills to confidently combine methods, frameworks and tools from philosophy, politics and economics to propose solutions and evaluate arguments, evidence and decisions. As a PPE student, you will become a interdisciplinary analyst, as well as a versatile and persuasive communicator of complex ideas.
At York, there is a long-standing tradition of interdisciplinary PPE teaching and we have a suite of exciting interdisciplinary modules. Our programmes are designed to give you maximum flexibility to shape your degree according to your interests and aspirations. First Year will give you a grounding in the core approaches and debates in your three disciplines. Second Year enables you to start to specialise in the areas of Philosophy, Politics and Economics that interest you most. Third Year students select a PPE module that builds on, and enhances, interdisciplinary learning, and they can choose options from a wide range of research-led specialist modules across the three PPE Departments.
As a graduate of the PPE programme at the University of York, you’ll be able to probe social problems from multiple angles, using different methodologies and intellectual frameworks. Graduates of our programmes have found stimulating and rewarding careers in a diverse range of fields: from journalism, local government and the civil service to media, NGOs, teaching and professional consultancy.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of York
Politics, Economics and Philosophy
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.
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)
Philosophy
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.
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.
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.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
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.
£26k
£35k
£46k
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.
£22k
£29k
£37k
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.
Philosophy
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£23k
£27k
£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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Teaching Excellence Framework (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.
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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?
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