Andrew Reeve 26th February 2014
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I am Andrew Reeve, a Professor of Politics.
I specialise in the history of political thought.
I am the current PPE Director of Studies and I am one of
the people who created the programme with colleagues
in Economics and Philosophy (first entry 2004 – we are
going to celebrate our 10th anniversary!).
a.w.reeve@warwick.ac.uk
To watch these slides again, go to
http://warwick.ac.uk/ppe/prospective/
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What is PPE?
Who takes PPE?
What do they do afterwards?
What does Warwick offer?
What qualities do you need?
How much does it cost?
Some questions for you
Questions as we go along, or at the end …
1:00 Introduction to This talk, with James Elliott (PPE
PPE at Warwick Society), Christopher Manley (Student
Careers and Skill Service).
2:00 Campus tour
With a PPE student to guide you.
3:00 Taster lecture
(back here)
With Professor Fabienne Peter
4:00 Q&A
With Andrew Reeve, and Michael
Youlton.
4
The PPE Office –
the heartland of
the Programme
Left to right
Maureen Tod
Lucy Parker
SO.96
The Programme
academic team
Clockwise from top
Fabienne Peter
(Philosophy)
Massimo Renzo
(Philosophy)
Vera Troeger
(Economics)
Andrew Reeve
(PAIS)
Andy Mason
(PAIS)
Adam Swift
(PAIS)
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Philosophy, Politics, and Economics have
been taught together in Britain since the
1920s.
First university to offer this course was
Oxford.
Today PPE is offered by many excellent
universities:
 From UK, France, and Germany to North America,
China, Japan, and Australia.
 Among them is Warwick.
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics can all be studied separately in many Universities
(but not Oxford, although Economics & Management and History & Politics
available).
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When you combine them in one programme, there are two models: bridge and pillar.
P
P
E
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P
March 13, 2013
The Oxford PPE follows a
pillar model with three
separate elements.
The Warwick PPE follows a
bridge model that seeks to
cross the gaps.
P
E
8
Philosophy, Politics and International Studies, and
Economics may be studied separately here.
Warwick has undergraduate degrees in each of
those disciplines (‘single-honours’) e.g. B.A.
(Politics), B.Sc.(Economics)
There are also many ‘joint-honours’ degrees e.g.
History & Politics; Economics & Politics and
International Studies.
Across all years of study last year (the academic year 2012-2013)
we had 277 students. Roughly 60% are UK students and 40%
non-UK.
In the current year we have 297 students on the degree
programme - 104 females (35%)and 193 males (65%).
PPE at Warwick is an international experience. Those 277
students represented 37 different nationalities – some which
might, perhaps, surprise you.
UK
170 Kenyan
1
USA
2 Lebanese
1
Armenian
1 Malaysian
8
Austrian
1 New Zealander
1
Belgian
5 Nigerian
1
Bulgarian
1 Norwegian
1
Chinese
2 Pakistani
2
Croatian
3
Danish
1 Polish
2 Portuguese
Finish
1 Romanian
1
French
9 Russian
3
German
14 Serbian
1
3
Greek
1 Singaporean
10
Hong Kong
3 Slovakian
1
Hungarian
3 South Korean
1
Indian
9 Spanish
2
Italian
5 Swedish
4
Japanese
1 Turkish
1
Kazakh
1
Last year we received just over 900 applications. 670
were from Home/EU applicants, and 240 from
Overseas applicants.
We made 480 offers (300 Home/EU, 180 Overseas).
Our target was about 100 (70 Home/EU, 30 Overseas).
We admitted 115 (87 Home/EU, 28 Overseas).
Strong demand for places is tough for applicants, but
it does reflect the fact that Warwick PPE is a valuable
qualification.
South Korea
Pakistan
Singapore
Brunei
Russia
Nigeria
Albania
Thailand
France
Argentina
South Korea
Pakistan
Singapore
Germany
Italy
Mauritius
Armenia
China
Czech Republic Greece
UK
Bulgaria
Romania
Austria
Spain
India
Hong Kong
Finland
Sweden
Poland
Malaysia
Vietnam
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The number of students who have found
work or further study within six months of
graduating has been over 90% in four of the
last years, never lower than 89.8%, and in
2008/9 it was 100%.
The percentage of unemployed graduates is
below the university average. In 2008/9, no
graduates were reported as being
unemployed.
Positive
outcomes
(PO)
Survey
Population
Respondents
Response
rate
2007/8
42
31
73.8%
92.6%
2008/9
49
34
69.4%
100.0%
2009/10
55
33
60.0%
90.3%
2010/11
81
66
81.5%
93.3%
2011/12
82
53
64.6%
89.8%
 PPE a highly respected degree.
 Most graduate positions open to any discipline, so Warwick’s
reputation also counts strongly:
▪ At our largest careers fair, 82% of employers recruited from any
degree.
 Warwick consistently among Top Ten universities targeted by top
graduate recruiters:
▪ Association of Graduate Recruiters survey.
 Warwick the top Russell Group university for careers advice:
▪ International Student Barometer 2013, an independent survey of
student opinion.
Employers like PPE students because they:
 Are likely to have a clear understanding of how thoughts and
decisions in one area can affect those made in another. Students
interested in economics will understand how political decisions
and the philosophy behind them will affect decisions made,
students interested in politics will be able to identify and analyse
the philosophical standpoints and economic reasoning behind
political decisions, and so on.
 Can use the experience of seeing things from different standpoints
to notice aspects of an idea which might otherwise have been
missed
 Can work effectively with different kinds of information, numerical
and written
 Are familiar with presenting information in a variety of ways
 Have developed excellent research skills and demonstrated the
ability to work without close supervision.
Organisations where graduates were working include:
Bank of America, Bank of England, Barclays, BDO
International, Bloomberg, Christian Aid, Civil Service (UK and
overseas), Co-operative Group, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Full
Fact, Global Development Institute, Goldman Sachs, House of
Commons, KPMG, Liberal Democrats, McKinsey, McQuarrie
Capitak, Oxford University Press, PWC, RBS, Royal Navy,
Schroders, Scottish Widows,Transition Institute, UBS,
University of Warwick, War on Want, House of Commons,
Liberal Democrats, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Examples of job titles include:
Analyst, Broadcasting Intern, Business Analyst, Campaigns
Officer, Charity Intern, Civil Service Policy Adviser, Community
Organiser, Corporate Tax Adviser, Maths Teacher,
Parliamentary Assistant, Production Editor (Publishing),
Researcher (Think Tank), Royal Navy Lieutenant, Sales
Manager, Teaching Assistant, Trainee Auditor, Trainee
Chartered Accountant, Risk analyst, Community Organiser
Of those who went on to further study:
61.1% went on to study a higher degree as a taught course
(almost always a Master’s). Titles of courses taken over the
past few years included:
Actuarial Science, Continental Philosophy, Development
Management, Economics, Economics and Philosophy, European
Public Policy, Globalisation and Development, International
Politics, International Security, History of Political Thought,
Management, Medicine, Modern Chinese Studies, Political
Theory, Public Administration.
Almost all the remainder went on to study a professional
qualification alongside work or to qualify to do a job –
accountancy, marketing or law were the most popular with
teaching (especially secondary maths) also a frequent choice.
Journalism and Community Organisation also featured.
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University: 8 (1 in Midlands)
Economics: 1
PAIS: 5
Philosophy: 8
University: 58 in world
Subject Rankings
PAIS 23= and 5 in UK
Economics 19 and 1 in UK
Philosophy >50 approx 12 in UK (scores not
given)
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Year 1 is a qualifying year: Pass to proceed.
There are core (compulsory) modules.
 Introduction to Philosophy.
 Introduction to Politics.
 Economics 1: micro- and macroeconomics.
 Quantitative Techniques: maths and statistics.
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Plus an optional subject.
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Choose first-year option from a list.
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Several provided within the three departments.
 Philosophy: Introduction to Ancient Philosophy; Ideas of
Freedom.
 Politics: World Politics; Contemporary Themes in Comparative
Politics; Foundations of Political Economy; Justice, Democracy
& Citizenship; Nine International Security Ideas
 Economics: World Economy: History and Theory; The Industrial
Economy; Mathematics for Economists.
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Others provided by other departments in Social Sciences or
Arts, including a language.
After the first year there are several pathways.
 At Foundation (year 1) level, PPE combines all three disciplines.
 At Honours level (years 2 and 3), you can focus:
 On all three disciplines or, at a first approximation, drop one.
 More or less on quantitative methods used in economics.
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Six pathways:
 Tripartite (all three disciplines).
 Phil/Pol.
 Phil/Econ.
 Pol/Econ.
– Econ major/Phil.
– Econ major/Pol.
Phil
Phil
Phil
core
core
core
Year
2
Year
22
Year
Tripartite
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Phil/Pol
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Phil/Econ
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Phil/Econ
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Pol/Econ
Pol/Econ
Econ major/Phil
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Econ major/Pol
Eco
Pol Eco
Econ
PrinPol
nn
Pol
Princore
core
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core
core core
core QM
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• No one drops any discipline altogether.
• The final year Principles core has three units: Phil/Pol, Phil/Econ, Pol/Econ.
• In Principles, everyone must do two units out of three, so three disciplines.
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Academic support: Lectures.
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Seminars.
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Usually one or two per week in each module, attended by all students taking the module
Small discussion groups with a tutor, usually once per week in each module.
Regular assessment and feedback.
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Essays, tests, projects, exams, final-year dissertation.
PPE Student-Staff liaison committee.
 Private study and self-motivation are vital.
 University academic services.
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Library and Learning Grid (24/7) Space for group work.
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Rootes Learning Grid (and another ‘Dining Grid’ coming)
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Leamington Learning Grid
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Excellent careers advice and skills provision.
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A new teaching facility (£15m.). Phase 1 comes on stream later next year.
Study abroad: PPE students have access to links set up by
all three PPE departments.
Erasmus programme (mainly Economics and PAIS).
 Adds a year of study abroad between Years 2 and 3.
 Graduate after four years in “PPE with study abroad.”
 Austria (Salzburg, Vienna), Belgium (UFSI, Antwerp), France (IEP de
Bordeaux, IEP Grenoble; Paris; CU, Lille; Sciences Po Paris; Sciences Po
Lyon, Paris Sorbonne, IEP Aix-en-Provence), Germany (Berlin, Jena,
Konstanz, Munich), Italy (CU Milan; Pavia, Florence) Netherlands
(Amsterdam), Norway (Bergen), Portugal (Nova, Lisbon), Spain
(Autonoma, Barcelona; Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona; Carlos III, Madrid;
UC, Madrid) Sweden (Uppsala).
Exchange programmes (PAIS and Philosophy).
 Study abroad during Year 2, mirroring the Warwick
Year 2 programme.
 Graduate after three years.
 Canada (Queen’s University, Ontario; University of
Toronto), China (City University of Hong Kong;
Chinese University of Hong Kong), USA (Georgetown,
Washington, DC; University of California; University of
Richmond; University of North Carolina; University of
Wisconsin-Madison); Japan (Hokkaido University,
Waseda University).
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Pastoral support.
 your personal tutor
 PPE Senior Tutor and Director of Studies also
available.
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University services.
 Senior Tutor.
 Student Counsellors (including finance and
welfare)
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Student Union advice services.
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PPE Society organizes student mentors.
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PPE Society organizes guest lectures at Warwick as well as
social events for PPE students. Some examples:
Diana Coyle, advisor to the UK Treasury, member of the
Competition Commission, and author of The Economics of Enough.
Andrew Gamble, head of Politics and International Studies at
Cambridge and author of Spectre at the Feast.
Sir Geoffrey Bindman, human rights lawyer and chair of the British
Institute of Human Rights.
Theodore Zeldin, philosopher-historian and president of the
Oxford Muse.
Oliver James, psychologist and author of Affluenza.
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Launch of the PPE Forum
Book sale at the start of each academic year
PPE Society’s biggest social event is the
annual PPE Ball.
New from this last year on:
 PPE Sports Teams
 PPE Foreign Tour
ANNUAL FORUM
SOCIALS
TOUR
SPEAKER SERIES
BALL
MENTORING SCHEMES
CAREERS
SPORTS
CHARITY
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A capacity for hard work and perseverance.
 Willingness to take on new subjects.
 Managing being unsettled by unfamiliar ways of
thinking.
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Versatility
 Solving an economic model for equilibrium one day.
 Tackling moral dilemmas the next.
 Looking at the political science of elections the day
after that.
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Willingness to ignore intellectual boundaries.
 Ultimately all knowledge is ‘joined up’
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Numeracy as well as literacy.
 No one takes pride in illiteracy…….
….but there are already lots of clever people who “don’t do maths.”
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Why is maths useful in PPE?
 Simplification.
 Abstract thinking.
 Logical proof.
 What data do and do not show.
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The maths is generally simple and we don’t require A-level.
 But you do need to be comfortable with it…
 … not to see solving simple problems as mere drudgery.
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PPE at Warwick may not be for you if you really hate maths.
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Tuition fees: In 2013/14, new full time Home and EU
students will pay £9,000 annually. New International
Students fees are £18,390. Fees are payable for each
year of your course.
 Partial fees for an intercalated year or year abroad.
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No one has to find this money “up front.”
 All Home and EU students are eligible for a tuition fee loan
for each year of their course from Student Finance
England .
 Repayable once you earn £21,000 or more.
 Written off after 30 years.
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The government bears the risk if your studies do not
lead to the income stream hoped for.
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Living costs: We estimate £156 to £250 a week for 39 week academic year
≈ £6,000 to £10,000.
 Exactly how much depends on you!
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All Home students are eligible for loans towards living costs, available
from the Government.
 Repayable once you earn £21,000 or more.
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Some Home students will be eligible for means-tested non-repayable
grants, available from both the Government and the University.
Non-repayable Warwick bursaries are based on annual family income:
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Less than £16,001 → £3,000
Greater than £16,000 and less than £25,001 → £2,000
Greater than £25,000 and less than £35,001 → £1,000
Greater than £35,000 and less than £42,621 → £500
For more information visit www.warwick.ac.uk/warwickusb
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Income £
Grant £
Loan £
Total £
25,000 and less
3,387
3,862
7,249
30,000
2,441
4,335
6,776
35,000
1,494
4,808
6,302
40,000
547
5,282
5,829
42,620
50
5530
5,580
42,875
0
5,555
5,555
45,000
0
5,341
5,341
50,000
0
4,836
4,836
55,000
0
4,331
4,331
60,000
0
3,826
3,826
62,132 and above
0
3,610
3,610
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Details available on line:
University:
http://go.warwick.ac.uk/ugfunding
Government:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
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Do you want to study PPE?
 If so, do you want to come to Warwick?
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Some things to consider:
 Numeracy as well as literacy.
 PPE versus more specialized courses.
 Campus university versus city university.
 Midlands versus other regions.