Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) - BA (Hons)
The undergraduate programme in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)- BA (Hons)* is designed for students who seek a rigorous and integrated understanding of the forces shaping contemporary societies, from the ethical and political ideas that underpin the exercise of power, to the economic structures that govern the distribution of resources and opportunity. By combining the systematic study of philosophical reasoning, political analysis, and economic theory, the programme develops students’ capacities for critical argumentation, analytical judgement, and evidence-based decision-making, skills with direct professional relevance across public governance, diplomacy, business, media, and academic research.
Key benefits of the programme
Cutting-edge interdisciplinary training: a coherent integration of philosophical argumentation, political analysis, macroeconomic theory, and quantitative research methods within a single, unified degree programme
Development of high-demand transferable skills: critical thinking, evidence-based argumentation, data analysis, and decision-making under conditions of complexity and uncertainty.
Hands-on experience from Year 1: seminars, case studies, policy process simulations, and research assignments that bridge theory and practice from the outset.
Contemporary and socially relevant subject matter: global governance, political economy, philosophy of law, and the ethics of technology and artificial intelligence.
Digital tools and approaches: integration of digital platforms, data analysis tools, and digital research methods throughout the learning experience.
Direct connection to the labour market: the programme prepares graduates for careers in public governance, diplomacy, business, media, international organisations, and academic research.
UNIVERSITY
Keele University
DURATION IN YEARS
4 Years (FT)
Language
English / Greek
Study at Keele Greece
Programme Description
The PPE undergraduate programme is organised around three interconnected thematic pillars: philosophical thought and ethical argumentation; political theory and public policy analysis; and economic theory and political economy. These pillars are not taught as isolated disciplines but in sustained dialogue with one another, enabling students to trace the deeper relationships between ideas, institutions, and economic structures. From the earliest semesters, the programme establishes the conceptual and methodological foundations required for the independent analysis of complex social phenomena.
The programme’s pedagogical approach combines lectures, seminars, case studies, and policy process simulations, with particular emphasis on active participation and the development of critical dialogue. Students gain familiarity with quantitative and qualitative research methods, comparative political analysis, and digital data processing platforms, acquiring a comprehensive research competence that meets the demands of both contemporary academic scholarship and professional practice.
In the advanced semesters, students engage with specialised topics, including global governance, philosophy of law, political economy, and the ethics of artificial intelligence, and complete a final-year dissertation on a research question of their own choosing. Upon graduation, students possess an integrated set of competencies (analytical and critical thinking, evidence-based argumentation, data analysis, and an understanding of political and economic institutions) that equips them for demanding careers in public governance, diplomacy, international organisations, business, and academic research.
MODULES PER YEAR
Year 1 (semester 1)
- Philosophy as Reason and Wonder (Core)
This module includes: philosophy as a way of life and method of thought; reason, argument and critical analysis; introduction to epistemology and metaphysics; ethics and political philosophy: foundational principles; philosophy and science: the relationship between knowledge and truth; the role of philosophical wonder in human thought; reading and interpreting philosophical texts; development of critical argumentation and philosophical writing skills. - Making Sense of Politics (Core – annual module – part 1)
This module includes: definition and nature of politics: dimensions and methodological approaches; the state, power and legitimacy; political ideologies: liberalism, conservatism, socialism and contemporary currents; democracy: theory, historical evolution and models of representation; political institutional systems and the rule of law; civil society, social capital and political participation; globalisation and political change. - Global History: An Introduction
This module includes: major historical transformations and global revolutions; colonialism, empires and decolonisation; the Industrial Revolution and economic development; World Wars and international order; the Cold War and East-West relations; globalisation and historical memory; historical methodology and critical source analysis. - Becoming a Social Scientist (Core – annual module – part 1)
This module includes: the individual and social role of the social scientist and the value of university education; familiarisation with the university environment: support structures and academic guidance; active and passive learning: note-taking techniques and participation; information management and critical evaluation of sources (including the use of Artificial Intelligence); introduction to academic writing: genres of academic discourse, structure and argumentation; referencing conventions and avoidance of plagiarism; time management, organisation of study and academic well-being. - Ethics (Optional)
This module includes: metaethics: the nature and foundations of ethics; utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill and contemporary expressions); deontology: the moral philosophy of Kant; virtue ethics: Aristotle and contemporary revival; justice ethics (Rawls, Nozick and beyond); applied ethics: bioethics, political ethics, economic ethics; ethics of globalisation and cross-cultural ethics. - Ancient Philosophy (Optional)
This module includes: the Pre-Socratics and the principle of nature; Socrates, Plato and the Theory of Forms; Aristotle: ethics, politics and metaphysics; Hellenistic schools (Stoicism, Epicureanism, Scepticism); ancient political thought: from the city-state to the Roman Res Publica; ancient philosophy and contemporary dialogue; reading ancient texts: methodology and interpretation.
Year 1 (semester 2)
- Making Sense of Politics (Core – annual module – part 2)
This module includes: conceptual foundations of the «political» and the contested nature of the political sphere; political power, violence, terrorism and the forms of the modern state; political disenchantment: causes, electoral and extra-electoral political behaviour; the rise of populism, political polarisation and democratic backsliding; the concept of anti-politics and a critical account of the contemporary dysfunction of democratic institutions; proposals for institutional and social reconstruction; empirical analysis of political phenomena at national and international level. - Becoming a Social Scientist (Core – annual module – part 2)
This module includes: epistemology and philosophy of the social sciences; introduction to quantitative and qualitative research methods; design and execution of a research portfolio; critical analysis of arguments and synthesis of secondary data; ethics of research and academic integrity; interdisciplinary thinking: bridges between philosophy, politics and economics; development of oral presentation and public speaking skills; reflective evaluation of academic progress and utilisation of feedback. - Introduction to Economics (Core)
This module includes: core principles of microeconomics (supply, demand and equilibrium); core principles of macroeconomics (GDP, inflation, unemployment); economic analysis and policy-making; markets, the state and market failures; inequality, redistribution and economic justice; introduction to economic history and the political economy tradition; economic data: reading, analysis and interpretation. - British Politics: Welfare, Economy and Society (Optional)
This module includes: the British political system: history and institutions; the welfare state: development, crisis and reform; political economy: neoliberalism and alternatives; British society: inequality, class, gender and race; Brexit and the new British identity; comparative politics: the United Kingdom and European democracies. - Logic (Optional)
This module includes: introduction to formal logic (propositional and categorical); deductive and inductive reasoning; identification and analysis of fallacies; logic and language; definitions, clarity and conceptual precision; philosophical logic and modal logic; applications of logic in political argumentation. - Metaphysics in Comparative Perspective (Optional)
This module includes: introduction to metaphysics: existence and ontology; identity, change and time; causality, necessity and contingency; free will and determinism; mind and body: the mind-body problem; comparative metaphysics: Western, Eastern and African philosophical traditions; metaphysics and politics: the role of ontological assumptions. - Greek Politics and History (Optional)
This module includes: the Greek state and national identity; political institutions and parliamentary democracy; political parties and electoral behaviour in Greece; the Metapolitefsi: democratic consolidation and reform; Greece in the European Union; the fiscal crisis and its political consequences; comparison of the Greek and European political systems.
Year 2 (semester 3)
- Global Democracy under Threat: Resilience or Retreat? (Core)
This module includes: theories of democracy (liberal, participatory, deliberative); democratic backsliding: causes, indicators and case studies; populism and nationalism as challenges to liberal democracy; authoritarianism and hybrid regimes; the role of mass media, digital communication and disinformation; international institutions and democratic governance; resilience of democratic institutions: theory and practice. - Methods in the Social Sciences (Core)
This module includes: epistemology and philosophy of social science in depth; research protocol design; quantitative methods: statistical analysis and econometrics; qualitative methods: interviews, ethnography, content analysis; mixed methods research; critical evaluation of academic literature; ethics of conducting research on sensitive social issues. - Knowledge and Reality (Optional)
This module includes: theories of knowledge (empiricism, rationalism, critical philosophy); truth, justification and reliability; scepticism and its responses; pragmatism and the social construction of knowledge; epistemology and politics: post-truth and the digital age; ontology: what exists and how we know it; metaphysics of causation and scientific explanation. - Ethics and Public Administration (Optional)
This module includes: ethical principles in public administration; accountability, transparency and corruption; conflicts of interest and ethical decision-making; justice, equality and discrimination in public service; ethical leadership and institutional culture; whistleblowing and political integrity; international comparison: codes of conduct in European public administrations. - The Cold War and Its Consequences (Optional)
This module includes: origins and onset of the Cold War; the USA and the USSR: ideology, strategy and nuclear deterrence; proxy wars and the Third World; decolonisation and the Cold War in the Global South; the collapse of the USSR and the new world order; the legacy of the Cold War: new geopolitical rivalries; historiography and interpretation of the Cold War.
Year 2 (semester 4)
- Labour Economics and The Future of Work (Core)
This module includes: labour market theory: demand, supply and equilibrium; wages, unemployment and social inequality; labour rights, trade unionism and industrial relations; technological change, automation and workforce displacement; globalisation and its impact on labour markets; the gig economy and new forms of work; policies for the future of work: basic income, retraining and sustainable employment. - Public Policy and How To Make It (Core)
This module includes: definition and the policy cycle; policy actors: the state, the market, citizens and international institutions; policy analysis and evaluation; evidence-based policy-making; regulatory policy and government failure; social policy: health, education and the environment; comparative analysis of public policies at European and international level. - Contemporary Business Ethics Debates (Optional)
This module includes: corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development; market ethics: fair competition, monopolies and regulation; corporate governance and corruption; ethics of financial markets; justice in supply chains: labour rights globally; artificial intelligence, business and ethics; comparative corporate ethics: global and cultural differences. - Sustainability and the Global Economy (Optional)
This module includes: economic development and environmental sustainability; climate change: economic impacts and global policies; green economy, renewable energy and just transition; environmental justice and philosophy of nature; international environmental agreements and politics; corporations, consumers and sustainable consumption; the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals): assessment of progress. - Political Parties (Optional)
This module includes: theories of political parties and party organisation; party systems in comparative perspective; ideological shift and new party formations; party funding and regulatory frameworks; political leadership and intra-party democracy; populist parties and the radical right and left in Europe and globally; digital politics: parties and social media.
Year 3 (semester 5)
- International Relations and Diplomacy (Core)
This module includes: theories of international relations: realism, liberalism, constructivism; the state, sovereignty and the international system; international organisations: the UN, NATO, the EU; diplomacy: history, methods and contemporary challenges; war, peace and international security; international law and human rights; globalisation and transformations in the international system. - Political Institutions and Globalization (Core)
This module includes: theories of political institutions and institutional change; the state and globalisation: shrinkage or transformation?; supranational governance and the democratic deficit; multi-level governance: local, national, regional and global; market institutions and regulation at the global level; the political costs and benefits of globalisation; resistance to globalisation: nationalism, populism and protectionism. - History of Balkan States (Optional)
This module includes: the Balkans under Ottoman rule; nationalism and state formation in the Balkans (19th–20th centuries); the Balkan Wars and the First World War; the Balkans during the Cold War; the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the successor wars; the Balkans and European integration today; ethnic composition, minorities and intercultural coexistence. - International Money, Banking and Digital Currencies (Optional)
This module includes: the international monetary system: history and evolution; central banks, monetary policy and inflation; financial crises: causes, impacts and policy responses; international financial regulation and institutions (IMF, World Bank); cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum and the philosophy of decentralised money; central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and the future of banking; the geopolitics of money: the dollar, the euro and the Chinese yuan. - Critical Theory (Optional)
This module includes: the Frankfurt School: Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse; Habermas: communicative action and the public sphere; feminist critical theory; post-structuralist critique: Foucault, Derrida, Baudrillard; postcolonial theory: Said, Spivak, Bhabha; critical theory and globalisation; applications of critical theory in political analysis. - German Philosophy (Optional)
This module includes: Kant: critical philosophy, epistemology, ethics and aesthetics; German Idealism: Fichte, Schelling, Hegel; Hegel: dialectics, philosophy of history and political philosophy; Marx as critic of Hegel: materialism and political economy; Schopenhauer and Nietzsche: will, nihilism and the Übermensch; Heidegger: ontology, Dasein and technology; the influence of German philosophy on contemporary thought.
Year 3 (semester 6)
- Current Issues in European Integration (Core)
This module includes: history and theory of European integration; EU institutions: Parliament, Commission, Council, Court of Justice; economic and monetary union: the euro, the ECB and fiscal rules; Euroscepticism, populism and Brexit; asylum and migration policy and the Schengen area; EU foreign policy and defence; the future of Europe: federal or intergovernmental integration? - Data Analysis in Social Sciences (Core)
This module includes: basic principles of statistics for the social sciences; analysis of variables and regression; data visualisation and interpretation of results; introduction to digital analysis tools (R, SPSS, Python); analysis of secondary data and databases; critical evaluation of quantitative studies; applications in political, economic and sociological data. - Enlightenment Philosophy (Optional)
This module includes: definition, historical context and central ideas of the Enlightenment; Locke, Hume and the empiricist tradition; Rousseau: the social contract, the general will and freedom; Kant: critical philosophy, ethics and politics; Voltaire, Montesquieu and the French philosophes; the Enlightenment and revolutions: American and French; critiques of the Enlightenment: Romanticism, Marxism and postcolonial thought. - Political Sociology (Optional)
This module includes: theories of political sociology: Weber, Durkheim, Bourdieu; social class and politics: ideology, voting and identity; gender, race and ethnicity in politics; religion and politics: secularism and religious revival; citizens’ movements, collective action and social change; digital sociology and online political communities; political culture and comparative analysis. - Elections, Voters and Public Opinion (Optional)
This module includes: theories of electoral behaviour: sociological, psychological and rational choice; electoral systems in comparative perspective; opinion polling: methodology, reliability and ethical issues; mass media and political influence; digital political campaigning and social networks; disinformation, filter bubbles and democracy; public opinion and public policy-making. - Rhetoric and Political Communication (Optional)
This module includes: history of rhetoric: Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian; rhetorical figures: ethos, pathos, logos; political rhetoric: speeches, electoral campaigns and political marketing; analysis of political discourse: methods and applications; digital rhetoric: social media and political communication; deceptive rhetoric, propaganda and critical analysis; effective public speaking and political argumentation.
Year 4 (semester 7)
- The Dark Side of Politics (Core)
This module includes: political corruption: theory, measurement and responses; authoritarianism, totalitarianism and state violence; political crimes: genocide, ethnic cleansing and retribution; the collapse of democratic institutions: case studies; international criminal law and accountability for political crimes; the philosophy of evil and politics: Arendt, Agamben, Bauman; resistance, civil disobedience and citizens’ rights. - Challenge Project for PPE (Core – annual module – part 1)
This module includes: selection and definition of a research question from an interdisciplinary perspective; literature review drawing on philosophical, political and economic sources; design of research methodology: quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods; problem analysis: interdisciplinary diagnosis and mapping; initiation of collaboration with external partners and project management; writing of the research proposal and an interim progress report; supervision and academic mentoring: developing research independence. - Engaged Social Science (Optional)
This module includes: applied social sciences: definition, history and examples; public sociology and the philosophy of practice; participatory action research (PAR); the ethics of social engagement and the power of knowledge; methodology of applied research with community partners; knowledge, power and social change: Bourdieu, Gramsci, Fraser; presenting findings to non-academic audiences. - Bioethical and Technoethical Challenges in Society (Optional)
This module includes: bioethics: history, principles and methodology; genetics, biotechnology and ethics (CRISPR, designer babies); artificial intelligence and autonomy: robots, algorithms and bias; digital surveillance, privacy and democracy; technoethical regulation: the state, the market and citizens; health, disease and social justice; international bioethics: UNESCO, the WHO and international bioethical law. - Contemporary Philosophy (Optional)
This module includes: analytic philosophy: Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein; philosophy of mind: consciousness, qualia and artificial intelligence; philosophy of language: meaning, reference and speech acts; phenomenology and existentialism: Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre; post-structuralism and deconstruction: Derrida, Foucault, Deleuze; contemporary ethics and political philosophy; new ontology: new realism and speculative realism.
Year 4 (semester 8)
- Economic growth strategies and policies (Core)
This module includes: theories of economic development: neoclassical, Keynesian and institutionalist; the role of the state in economic development; industrial policy, innovation and competitiveness; inequality, redistribution and sustainable development; development models: East Asia, Scandinavia and emerging economies; development finance: the IMF, the World Bank and development banks; the future of development: green transition, the digital economy and global value chains. - Challenge Project for PPE (Core – annual module – part 2)
This module includes: execution of empirical or theoretical analysis in accordance with the approved methodology; policy analysis and formulation of evidence-based proposals; ethical analysis: values, conflicts of interest and principles of justice; economic evaluation of policy options and alternative scenarios; completion and final writing of the dissertation; public presentation and defence of findings before external stakeholders; critical reflection on the interdisciplinary process and the professional competencies acquired. - Philosophy of Art (Optional)
This module includes: the definition of art: theories of mimesis, expression and institutional theories; aesthetic experience and critical judgement: Kant, Hegel, Dewey; art and truth: Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeur; art, ethics and censorship; political art: resistance, propaganda and liberation; digital art, artificial intelligence and the future of aesthetics; aesthetic plurality: non-Western aesthetic traditions. - Philosophy of Law (Optional)
This module includes: the nature and definition of law: natural law and positivism; Hart, Dworkin and contemporary legal theory; law and morality: the relationship between legality and justice; justice, punishment and rehabilitation; human rights: philosophical foundations and universal application; critical legal thought: law as power and ideology; international law, sovereignty and global justice - Migration (Optional)
This module includes: theories of migration: causes, types and patterns; the philosophy of the right to migrate: Carens and his critics; asylum policies and international protection of refugees; the economic impacts of migration: labour, development and remittances; migration and national identity: integration or multiculturalism?; European migration policy: Schengen, Dublin and the 2015 crisis; climate migration: the new defining issue of the 21st century.
Career Prospects
Graduates of the programme may pursue careers as:
Public administration and public policy (Ministries, Regulatory Authorities, Local Government)
International organisations and institutions (UN, European Union, NATO, Council of Europe)
Diplomacy and foreign affairs
Research institutions, Think Tanks and universities
Non-governmental organisations and civil society
Journalism, media and political communication
Financial services, banking and economic analysis
Business, management and corporate social responsibility
Legal professions and postgraduate study at Master’s or Doctoral level
Postgraduate Studies
Graduates of the BA (Hons) Philosophy, Politics and Economics programme have the opportunity to pursue postgraduate studies in leading programmes in Greece or abroad.
Admission Requirements
Supporting Documents
• High School Certificate (or other equivalent document) with a grade of 15 or higher
• An average grade in the four nationally examined subjects that is equal to or higher than the minimum admission grade. The minimum admission grade is calculated as 80% of the lowest average grade across all examined subjects within the relevant scientific field for the year in which the student sat the exams.
• Letters of Recommendation
• Copy of Identity Card
• Passport photos
• Keele Greece Enrolment Application
The evaluation of the supporting documents is complemented by a personal interview with the candidates.
• Equivalent Level 4 secondary education qualifications, as well as international baccalaureates granting access to universities in the country of graduation, are also accepted.
• For graduates before 2021–2022 or holders of A’ cycle degrees, the criteria of the parent institution apply.
The programme of study has been submitted to the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE) and, subject to approval, is expected to launch in the academic year 2026-2027.