A Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) degree is an interdisciplinary program that combines insights from three key areas of study: philosophy, politics, and economics. It's designed to provide students with a broad understanding of how these disciplines intersect and influence one another in shaping society, policy, and human behavior. Combining these three disciplines allows you to develop a well-rounded perspective on complex social, political, and economic issues. You'll learn to critically evaluate arguments, analyze data, and propose solutions to real-world problems.
Curriculum
The minimum number of semester credit hours for this degree is 120, at least 39 of which must be at the upper-division level.
Students seeking a B.A. degree in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics path of Multidisciplinary Studies must fulfill the university core curriculum requirements.
Students seeking a B.A. degree in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics path of Multidisciplinary Studies must fulfill the following 78 semester credit hours.
- Technology Requirement: CS 1063, CS 1083, CS 1173, DS 4003, DS 4013, IS 1413, IS 1053 (3 semester credit hours)
- Communication Requirement: COM 1043, COM 1053, COM 2113, COM 2343, COM 2733 or ENG 2413 (3hrs)
All candidates for this degree must complete three areas of focus. Courses selected to satisfy each area must be approved by the Multidisciplinary Studies Program Coordinator and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Furthermore, the courses used to satisfy each focus area must be completed with at least a 2.0 grade point average.
All candidates for this degree must complete MDS 2013: Introduction to Multidisciplinary Studies.
All candidates for this degree must complete MDS 4983: Senior Seminar for Multidisciplinary Studies.
All candidates for this degree must complete 27 semester hours of free electives, at least 15 of which must be at the upper-division level.
BA MDST - Philosophy, Politics and Economics 2024-26 Catalog
| FALL | SPRING | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIS 1203 or 1223 | Academic Introduction & Strategies Mathematics (MAT 1053 recommended) | 3 | MDS 2013 | Intro to Multidisc Studies | 3 | |
| CORE | 3 | POL 1013 | Introduction to American Politics | 3 | ||
| CORE | Life & Physical Sciences | 3 | CORE | Lang, Philosophy, & Cult. (PHI 2013 recommended) | 3 | |
| CORE | Creative Arts | 3 | WRC 1023 | Freshman Comp II (Q) | 3 | |
| WRC 1013 | Freshman Comp I (Q) | 3 | CORE | Life & Physical Sciences | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 15 | TOTAL | 15 | |||
| FALL | SPRING | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology Requirement | CS 1063, 1083, 1173, DS 4003, 4013, IS 1413, 2053 | 3 | PHI Elective | Focus Area 1 (Normative Issues) | 3 | |
| PHI Elective | Focus Area 1 (Critical Thinking) | 3 | POL 2503 | Focus Area 2 | 3 | |
| CORE | Social & Behavioral Sciences (ECO 2023 recommended) | 3 | ECO 2013 | Focus Area 3 | 3 | |
| CORE | American History | 3 | CORE | American History | 3 | |
| POL 1133 or 1213 | Texas Politics and Society | 3 | CORE | Component Area Option | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 15 | TOTAL | 15 | |||
| FALL | SPRING | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COM Requirement | COM 1043,1053,2113, 2343,2733, ENG 2413 | 3 | UD PHI Elective | Focus Area 1 | 3 | |
| UD PHI Elective | Focus Area 1 (Diversity Theory) | 3 | UD POL Elective | Focus Area 2 (Political Economy & Globalization) | 3 | |
| POL Elective | Focus Area 2 (Political Theory) | 3 | UD ECO Elective | Focus Area 3 (Economics & Wellbeing) | 3 | |
| ECO 2023 | Focus Area 3 | 3 | UD | Free Elective | 3 | |
| ELEC | Free Elective | 3 | ELEC | Free Elective | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 15 | TOTAL | 15 | |||
| FALL | SPRING | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UD POL Elective | Focus Area 2 (Law & Public Affairs) | 3 | MDS 4983 | Seminar for Multidisc Studies | 3 | |
| UD ECO Elective | Focus Area 3 (Economics & Wellbeing/Economic Analysis & Policy) | 3 | UD | Free Elective | 3 | |
| UD Elective | Primary Focus Area | 3 | UD | Free Elective | 3 | |
| UD | Free Elective | 3 | UD | Free Elective | 3 | |
| ELEC | Free Elective | 3 | ELEC | Free Elective | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 15 | TOTAL | 15 | |||
Focus Areas
Focus Area 1 - 15 hours (at least 9 SCH Upper Division)
| Course Number | Title | Prerequisite (C- or better) |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking (Choose 1) | ||
| PHI 2013 | Basic Philosophical Problems | |
| PHI 1043 | Critical Thinking | |
| PHI 2043 | Introductory Logic | |
| PAL 4123 | Legal and Philosophical Reasoning | POL 1013 |
| PAL 4133 | Legal Analysis and Argumentation | POL 1013 |
| Normative Issues (Choose 1) | ||
| PHI 2123 | Moral Issues | |
| PHI 3213 | Ethics | WRC 1013 & WRC 1023 |
| PHI 3203 | Biomedical Ethics | |
| PHI 3303 | Nineteenth Century Philosophy | WRC 1013 & WRC 1023 |
| PHI 4123 | Contemporary Continental Philosophy | WRC 1013 & WRC 1023 |
| PHI 3413 | Social and Political Philosophy | |
| PHI 4953 | Special Studies in Philosophy | Consent of instructor |
| PHI 4913 | Independent Study | Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the College in which the course is offered |
| Diversity Theory (Choose 1) | ||
| AAS 3123 | Civil Rights Movement and African American Education | |
| WS 4623 | Feminist Theories | |
| WS 4863 | Feminism and Globalization | |
| PAL 3113 | Minorities and the Law | POL 1013 |
| PAL 3203 | African American Political Thought | POL 1013 |
| PAL 3043 | International Human Rights | POL 1013 |
| PHI 3243 | Philosophy and Gender | |
| PH1 3233 | Philosophy and Rac | |
| Electives (Choose 2 Courses) | ||
| Any TWO Courses from Focus Area 1 | ||
Focus Area 2 - 12 hours (at least 6 SCH Upper Division)
| Course Number | Title | Prerequisite (C- or better) |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction (Choose 1) | ||
| POL 2503 | Introduction to Political Theory | POL 1013 |
| Political Theory (Choose 1) | ||
| GLA 3233 | Theories of International Justice | GLA 1013 or POL 1013 |
| POL 3113 | American Political Thought | POL 1013 |
| POL 3133 | Political Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval | POL 1013 |
| POL 3143 | Political Philosophy: Modern | POL 1013 |
| POL 3153 | Political Philosophy: Contemporary | POL 1013 |
| POL 3643 | Justice among Nations | POL 1013 |
| PAL 4153 | Politics, Law and Literature | POL 1013 |
| Political Economy & Globalization (Choose 1) | ||
| GLA/POL 3033 | Global Governance | GLA 1013 or POL 1013 |
| GLA 3213 | Theories of International Relations | GLA 1013 or POL 1013 |
| GLA/POL 3483 | International Political Economy | GLA 1013 or POL 1013 |
| GLA/POL 3633 | Political Economy | GLA 1013 or POL 1013 |
| GLA/POL 3763 | Globalization | GLA 1013 or POL 1013 |
| Law and Public Affairs Elective (Choose 1) | ||
| PHI 3063 | Philosophy of Law | |
| POL 4223 | Mexican American Politics | |
| POL 2623 | Law and Society | POL 1013 |
| POL 3013 | The American Legal Process | POL 1013 |
| POL 3223 | Judicial Politics | POL 1013 |
| POL 3244 | Political Communication and Public Opinion | POL 1013 |
| POL 3253 | Participation and American National Elections | POL 1013 |
| POL 3283 | The American Presidency | POL 1013 |
| POL 3303 | Race and American Politics | POL 1013 |
| POL 3313 | The Supreme Court | POL 1013 |
| POL 3363 | Political Parties and Interest Groups | POL 1013 |
| POL 3373 | The Legislative Process | POL 1013 |
| POL 3183 | Women in Politics | POL 1013 |
| POL 3853 | Immigration Law | POL 1013 |
| POL 3843 | Campaign and Election Law | POL 1013 |
| POL 4133 | Politics, Law, and Literature | POL 1013 |
| POL 4323 | Administrative Law and Politics | POL 1013 |
Focus Area 3 - 12 hours (at least 6 SCH Upper Division)
| Course Number | Title | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction (Both Required) | ||
| ECO 2023 | Introductory Microeconomics | Placement into a college-level mathematics course |
| ECO 2013 | Introductory Macroeconomics | |
| Economics and Wellbeing (Choose 1) | ||
| ECO 3233 | Health Economics and Policy | ECO 2003 or ECO 2023 |
| ECO 3253 | Economics of Public and Social Issues | ECO 2003 or ECO 2023 |
| ECO 3413 | Environmental Economics | Completion of ECO 2023 and MAT 1053, or their equivalents, with a grade of "C-" or better |
| ECO 3513 | Economics of Migration | ECO 2023 |
| ECO 4303 | Development Economics | ECO 2013 and ECO 2023 |
| ECO 4553 | Introduction to Public Sector Economics | Completion of ECO 3013 and MAT 1133, or their equivalents, with a grade of "C-" or better |
| Economic Analysis and Policy (Choose 1) | ||
| ECO 3163 | Evolution of Economic Thought | ECO 2003 or ECO 2013 or ECO 2023 |
| ECO 3193 | International Economics | ECO 2003 or ECO 2023 |
| ECO 3213 | Economics of Antitrust and Regulation | ECO 2003 or ECO 2023 |
| ECO 3013 | Intermediate Microeconomics | Completion of ECO 2023, and MAT 1133, or their equivalents, with a grade of "C-" or better |
| ECO 4233 | Behavioral Economics and Finance | Completion of ECO 2013, ECO 2023, and MAT 1133, or their equivalents, with a grade of "C-" or better |
| ECO 4413 | Game Theory | ECO 3013 and MAT 1133 |
Archived Focus Areas by Year
Want to learn more about this program?
Contact the Multidisciplinary Studies Program
