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The PPE major at Northeastern University brings together three of the most important approaches to understanding the world around us: political science, philosophy, and economics. The PPE major is an interdisciplinary degree that not only provides students with the analytic tools from three different disciplines but also teaches students to make connections across disciplines and to keep multiple perspectives in mind when analyzing complex social phenomena. This interdisciplinary perspective and set of skills are indispensable in our increasingly interconnected world and are essential in addressing the kinds of complex global problems future leaders will need to tackle.
There are a number of varieties of the PPE major that students may choose from in accordance with their own backgrounds and interests. These include:
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environment and energy policy
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international political economy
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law and justice
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logic and game theory
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political philosophy
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public and economic policy
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
University-Wide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Course | ||
| PHIL 1160 | Introduction to Economic Justice | 4 |
| Core Courses | ||
| Philosophy | ||
| PHIL 2303 | Social and Political Philosophy | 4 |
| or PHIL 3822 | Philosophy of Race and Racism | |
| PHIL 1115 | Introduction to Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 3435 | Moral Philosophy | 4 |
| or PHIL 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | |
| Political Science | ||
| POLS 1160 | International Relations | 4 |
| POLS 3405 | International Political Economy | 4 |
| POLS 1150 | American Government | 4 |
| or POLS 1155 | Comparative Politics | |
| Economics | ||
| ECON 1115 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4 |
| ECON 1116 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| ECON 2315 | Macroeconomic Theory | 4 |
| or ECON 2316 | Microeconomic Theory | |
| Methods Course | ||
| PHIL 3000 | Interdisciplinary Methods for Politics, Philosophy, and Economics | 4 |
| Capstone | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Senior Economics Seminar | ||
| Philosophy of Economics | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Political Science Senior Capstone | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
Major Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
ECON 1200 to ECON 1999 | ||
ECON 3000 to ECON 4689 | ||
ECON 4900 to ECON 4999 | ||
ECON 5200 to ECON 5999 | ||
PHIL 2000 to PHIL 5999 | ||
POLS 2000 to POLS 5999 | ||
Concentration
Complete one of the following concentrations:
- Environment and Energy Policy
- International Political Economy
- Law and Justice
- Logic and Game Theory
- Political Philosophy
- Public and Economic Policy
Supporting Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Racial or Gender Justice | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introduction to African American and Africana Studies | ||
| Analysis of American Racism | ||
| Race, Identity, Social Change, and Empowerment | ||
| Politics of Poverty | ||
| Gender and Sexuality: A Cross-Cultural Perspective | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Women’s Labor and the Economy | ||
| Gender, Race, and Medicine | ||
| Native American Resistance: Past and Present | ||
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | ||
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | ||
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Public Policy | ||
| Gender in a Changing Society | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Race, Class, and Gender | ||
| Sex, Gender, and Popular Culture | ||
| Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | ||
| Topics in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | ||
| Communication and Gender | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in World History | ||
| Women and World Politics | ||
| Digital Feminisms | ||
| Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression | ||
| Gender, Social Justice, and Transnational Activism | ||
| Communication and Inclusion | ||
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | ||
| Statistics and Mathematics | ||
| MATH 1231 | Calculus for Business and Economics | 4 |
| or MATH 1241 | Calculus 1 | |
| or MATH 1245 | Calculus with Applications | |
| or MATH 1251 | Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology 1 | |
| or MATH 1340 | Intensive Calculus for Engineers | |
| or MATH 1341 | Calculus 1 for Science and Engineering | |
| ECON 2350 | Statistics | 4 |
| or POLS 2400 | Quantitative Techniques | |
| or MATH 2280 | Statistics and Software | |
| Experiential Learning Requirement | ||
| Complete one co-op, study abroad, qualifying Dialogue of Civilizations, or one of the following: | 4 | |
| Research | ||
| Internship | ||
| Experiential Education Directed Study | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | ||
| Internship in Politics | ||
| Experiential Education Directed Study | ||
Major GPA/Credit Requirement
Complete 68 semester hours in the major with a 3.000 GPA.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Economics GPA Requirement: | ||
| Grades in the following courses must average to a minimum of C (2.000): | ||
| Macroeconomic Theory | ||
or ECON 2316 | Microeconomic Theory | |
| Statistics | ||
or POLS 2400 | Quantitative Techniques | |
or MATH 2280 | Statistics and Software | |
Course Distribution Requirement
Complete at least four courses in each of the following subject areas: ECON, PHIL, and POLS.
Experiential Liberal Arts
All undergraduate students in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities are required to complete the Experiential Liberal Arts Requirement.
Program Requirement
128 total semester hours required
Concentrations
Concentration in Environment and Energy Policy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Economics of Sustainability | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
or ECON 3425 | Energy Economics | |
| Environmental Ethics | ||
or PHIL 1185 | The Ethics of Food | |
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Energy Economics | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| The Ethics of Food | ||
Concentration in International Political Economy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Development Economics | ||
| Microeconomic Theory | ||
| History of the Global Economy | ||
| International Food Policy | ||
| International Economics | ||
| Topics in Applied Economics | ||
| The Ethics of Food | ||
| Business, Ethics, and Human Rights | ||
| International Law | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Economic History of the Middle East | ||
| History of Capitalism in East Asia | ||
| Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union | ||
| Government and Politics in the Middle East | ||
| Capitalism and Business: A Global History | ||
Concentration in Law and Justice
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete three of the following, only two of which may be POLS courses: | 12 | |
| Law and Economics | ||
| Economics of Crime | ||
| Law, Justice, and Society in Modern China | ||
| Human Rights | ||
| Philosophical Problems of Law and Justice | ||
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Judicial Process and Behavior | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| International Law | ||
| U.S. Constitutional Law | ||
| U.S. Civil Liberties | ||
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | ||
| Hitler, Germany, and the Holocaust | ||
| Drug Trade and Drug War: History, Security, Culture | ||
| History of Modern Terrorism | ||
Concentration in Logic and Game Theory
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete three courses from the following: | 12 | |
| Microeconomic Theory | ||
| Behavioral Economics | ||
| Competition Policy and Regulation | ||
| Information Economics and Game Theory | ||
| Math and Statistics for Economists | ||
| Microeconomic Theory | ||
| Ethics and Philosophy through Sport | ||
| Ethics and Evolutionary Games | ||
| The Philosophy and Ethics of Lying and Deception | ||
| Information and Uncertainty | ||
| Theory of Knowledge | ||
| Advanced Logic | ||
| Philosophy of Economics | ||
Concentration in Political Philosophy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Economics Course | ||
| ECON 3490 | Public Choice Economics | 4 |
| Politics Courses | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Modern Political Thought | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Contemporary Political Thought | ||
| Philosophy Course | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Human Rights | ||
| Philosophical Problems of Law and Justice | ||
| Moral Philosophy | ||
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
Concentration in Public and Economic Policy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Course | ||
| POLS 3307 | Public Policy and Administration | 4 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Economics of Crime | ||
| Economics of the Creative Industries | ||
| Macroeconomic Theory | ||
| Labor Economics | ||
| Health Economics and Healthcare Policy | ||
| Economics of Human Capital | ||
| Urban Economic Issues | ||
| Economics of Transportation | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Energy Economics | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Bubbles, Busts, and Bailouts: Market and Regulatory Failures in the Financial Crisis | ||
| Public Choice Economics | ||
| Competition Policy and Regulation | ||
| The Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| America's Gilded Age, 1865-1896 | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Business and Government | ||
| Science, Technology, and Public Policy | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Budgeting and Taxation | ||
| Growth and Decline of Cities and Suburbs | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
Program Requirement
128 total semester hours required
Four Years, Two Co-ops Summer 2/ Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| PHIL 1160 | 4 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Vacation | |
| PHIL 1000 | 1 | ECON 1116 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| MATH 1231, 1241, 1245, 1251, 1340, or 1341 | 4 | PHIL 1115 | 4 | ||||
| POLS 1160 | 4 | PHIL 2303 | 4 | ||||
| General Elective | |||||||
| General Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ECON 1115 | 4 | Statistics and Mathematics Requirement | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | |
| POLS 1150 or 1155 | 4 | ECON 2315 or 2316 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| PHIL 3435 or 2325 | 4 | Major Elective | 4 | ||||
| Supporting Course in Race or Gender Justice | 4 | Concentration Course | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | PHIL 3000 | 4 | General Elective | 4 | Co-op | ||
| General Elective | 4 | General Elective | 4 | ||||
| Major Elective | 4 | ||||||
| Concentration Course | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | ||
| Co-op | Concentration Course | 4 | General Elective | 4 | |||
| Capstone Requirement | 4 | General Elective | 4 | ||||
| General Elective | 4 | ||||||
| General Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | |||||
| Total Hours: 129 | |||||||