Program Description

The Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics oversees two interdisciplinary, research-driven undergraduate degree programs that prepare students to become leaders in the 21st century.

EDUCATIONAL GOALS. The Center oversees a major and minor in PPE. Both degree programs are genuinely interdisciplinary and research-driven. If you are interested in questions of economic justice, market processes, government, institutional structures, sustainability, and more generally topics that entail ethical, political, and economic dimensions at both the national and international levels, then PPE may be a good fit for you.

Our students enjoy close interactions with faculty and peers and receive an education that prepares them for becoming leaders in a fast-changing, complex social world. Our faculty and students come from diverse backgrounds across the globe and bring a variety of different perspectives to the classroom. Our PPE degree programs prepare students to be game-changers that are ready to make a difference. The programs are geared to support the following educational goals. 

COMPLEMENTARY DEGREES. PPE provides an excellent, and often essential, foundation and complement for many other degree offerings, in particular in the fields of philosophy, political science, economics, public and international affairs, business, engineering, geography, agricultural and applied economics, fish and wildlife conservation, and forest resources and environmental conservation. PPE allows students in such fields, and other fields that, in some form, engage with topics and/or analyses that entail social, ethical, political, and economic dimensions, to deepen, expand, and complement their knowledge and skills. 

Student Advising

The Center’s faculty and staff work closely with students to provide a personalized learning experience. For more information about current course offerings, course registration, and advising for the PPE degree programs, please contact the PPE Advisor.

Before you speak with the PPE Advisor, please read carefully the PPE Student Handbook that provides a detailed overview of the PPE degree programs and other relevant student information, including information about degree requirements, study abroad, internships, PPE events, careers and placement, and professional opportunities.

PPE Major

The PPE Major allows students to study systematically some of the most important social, ethical, economic, and political problems that our contemporary societies face. It offers a highly interdisciplinary curriculum with distinct learning outcomes centered on an undergraduate research project.

The PPE major is structured around four central Integration Courses. In addition, students can choose between five different Focus Areas and a Bridge Experience that prepares for career placement.

PPE Integration Courses
1. The PPE First-Year Experience Course (PPE 1004) introduces students to important classic and contemporary texts in PPE. The course acquaints students with basic principles of research and writing as well as helps students to adjust to university life.

2. The PPE Gateway Course (PPE 2894) integrates the quantitative techniques, conceptual tools, and core principles of philosophy, political science, and economics.

3. Led by a faculty expert, the PPE Topics Course (PPE 3884) allows students to discuss an interdisciplinary topic in PPE in depth.

4. The PPE Capstone Course (PPE 4884) allows students to work on an advanced research project of their choice at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and economics and its application to the real world.

Focus Areas
As part of the PPE major, students can choose between five different Focus Areas. The Focus Areas help students to structure their interdisciplinary degree program and gain depth in one particular area of interest. Also, each Focus Area includes an option for students to take the PPE internship course (PPE 4964), which allows students to gain valuable experiential learning experiences.

1. Moral, Political, Legal, and Economic Thought.

2. Global Political Economy.

3. Social Justice, Policy, and Governance.

4. Data, Decisions, and Behavior.

5. Social, Political, and Economic Entrepreneurship.

Bridge Experiences
The PPE major offers various experiential learning opportunities that count towards the degree program, including an internship course (PPE 4964) that students can pair with PPE’s zero-credit Bridge Experience course (PPE 3900). Please see here for more information regarding PPE’s Bridge Experiences.

Here are the academic catalog description and roadmap (plan of study) for the PPE Major. Here is a VT News story about the PPE Major at Virginia Tech. 

PPE Pathways Minor

The PPE Pathways Minor trains students to apply knowledge in the humanities and social sciences to related fields, and thus to examine the world from multiple perspectives and integrate knowledge across disciplines. 

The PPE Pathways Minor requires 18 credit hours to be obtained from the PPE Gateway Course, the PPE Capstone Course, and four elective courses that include one applied area course. 

In this context, it is worth stressing that Virginia Tech is currently the only top engineering school that integrates engineering courses into its PPE curriculum. The PPE minor allows engineering students to create synergies between their engineering studies and the humanities and social sciences.

Here are (i) the official program requirements of the PPE Pathways Minor, (ii) flyer, (iii) and a more detailed description of the Pathways components of the minor on the website of the Office for General Education. 

Here are specific examples of the relevance of the PPE Pathways Minor for other disciplines: PPE & Geography, PPE & Engineering, PPE & College of Natural Resources, PPE & Management, and PPE & Entrepreneurship.

Bridge Experiences

PPE students have a variety of options to engage in Bridge Experiences that help them to prepare for post-graduation life and to develop professional skills. To participate, students must enroll in PPE’s Bridge Experience zero-credit course PPE 3900 that can be paired with the six courses and/or experiences below. After students have decided which Bridge Experience opportunity to pursue, they should contact the PPE Bridge Experience Coordinator.

1. PPE 4964: INTERNSHIP. PPE students have the possibility to receive three credit hours for internships, field studies, and practicums in the context of their PPE degree program. This experiential learning opportunity is open to PPE students who have secured an internship with high PPE relevance, have completed PPE 2894, are in good academic standing, and have an in-major and overall GPA of 2.5 or better.

Internships can be found on Handshake, for example. Past internships and placement of PPE students can be found here. Relatedly, we strongly encourage students to speak to an expert of the Student Opportunity Center. For financial support for internships with organizations in the Commonwealth of Virginia that directly contribute to the public good, regardless of industry, please see here.

After securing an internship, please contact the PPE Internship coordinator, Holly Belcher, to ensure eligibility and scheduling the internship credit.

2. PPE 4964: PPE JOURNAL. The Kellogg Center houses its own international undergraduate research journal in PPE, The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Review (PPER).

If selected as Editor-in-Chief of the PPER, this experiential learning opportunity allows students to work closely with faculty editors, PPE Core Faculty, authors, and reviewers in preparation of the publication of a new volume of the PPE undergraduate research journal. 

The main tasks of this experiential learning opportunity include: preparing a call for submissions; monitoring, screening, and narrowing down of submissions; preparing editorial board meetings; acceptance decisions; overseeing and participating in the peer-review, editing, and publishing process; writing an editorial forward; assisting with marketing and communications of the journal, and other tasks pertinent to the academic publishing process.

Please contact the current Faculty Editor of the journal for more information about the selection process for serving as Editor-in-Chief.

3. PPE 4884: PPE CAPSTONE COURSE. The PPE Capstone Course allows PPE students to work on an advanced research project of their choice at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and economics and its application to the real world. If connected with a specific career goal, the research project conducted in the context of the PPE Capstone Course can count as a bridge learning experience.

Please discuss the details of your research project with the instructor of your PPE Capstone Course.

Study Abroad

4. PPE STUDY ABROAD AT THE HEINRICH HEINE UNIVERSITY DÜSSELDORF. The Kellogg Center has established an international partnership with the PPE Program at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) in Germany. The PPE Program at HHU stands out as one of the best undergraduate PPE Programs in Germany.

The partnership allows selected PPE students, as well as students from related programs (such as philosophy, political science, international studies, and economics), at Virginia Tech to spend a semester abroad. Students can take courses in English that are eligible to count toward their studies at Virginia Tech while exploring Europe. If connected with career exploration, the courses can also count as a bridge learning experience.

While most course offerings will be in English, students may consider taking a basic German course at Virginia Tech or HHU before their stay. To learn more, go to the Virginia Tech’s German Program website or contact Dr. Esther Bauer. Please see also here for a program flyer.

For further details, please refer to the program description, including application details, on the Global Education Office website. The application cycle for the spring semester for the following year opens in mid-March. Here is a link to the welcome page for international students at HHU. Please see here for the PPE study abroad flyer.

5. GENERAL STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS. The Center encourages students to participate in study abroad programs as part of their educational experience. PPE students have recently studied in continental Europe and the U.K., among other places. If coordinated in advance, coursework completed abroad can count towards PPE degree programs and, if connected with career exploration, can count as a bridge learning experience. Here are some examples of previous experiences.

Oxford University. Here is a brief interview with Katherine Zhou, a PPE major, about her experience preparing for her study abroad in the PPE Program at Oxford University. Questions about the various study abroad programs at Virginia Tech should be directed, in the first instance, to the Global Education Office.

Presidential Global Scholars Program. PPE students have also participated in the Presidential Global Scholars program which offers a collaborative living-learning and research community that provides immersive cultural experiences through a full semester abroad. Students live in the elegant Villa Maderni at Virginia Tech’s Steger Center. Program travel typically includes extended trips to Rome and Naples, as well as frequent visits to Milan. Two of our PPE students, Elle Smith and Jamal Ross, share their experiences with the program here.

Photo by Phil Miskovic for Virginia Tech.

Washington Semester in Global Engagement

6. WASHINGTON SEMESTER. The Center participates in the Washington Semester in Global Engagement. This experiential learning program allows Virginia Tech students to spend a semester in Washington, D.C., while earning 15 credit hours for their degrees and taking a semester-long internship. If admitted to the program, PPE majors may be able to complete their bridge learning experience as part of this program if they complete PPE 3900.

PPE majors are encouraged to consider this opportunity to jump-start their careers and gain valuable professional and networking experience. If you are admitted to the program, we will substitute two of your higher-level concentration area courses in political science with the courses that you take as part of this program. Three (3) internship credits may count toward your PPE degree program. For more information about this opportunity, application deadlines, and contact details, please visit this website.

Scholarships, Fellowships, and Summer Schools

Scholarships are financial awards given to students based on criteria such as academics, leadership, athletics, merit, or financial need, which help cover educational expenses and recognize exceptional achievements. Scholarships make higher education more accessible and support students in their academic pursuits.

Students interested in learning more about scholarships, awards, and other funding opportunities are encouraged to visit the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid website. To learn more about college level scholarships, please visit the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences scholarship page, or visit the Virginia Tech Student Scholarships and Awards database.