Bachelor of Social Science, Philosophy, Politics, Economics (PPE, HB027)

University of Cape Town

Updated: 10 January, 2025

Dear students,

Welcome to the PPE Humanities programme!

This document outlines the basic structure of the Bachelor of Social Science in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (HB027) degree.

1. The PPE Humanities committee

General questions about the PPE Humanities programme (e.g. FAQs later in this document) should go to the convenor.

Any question that is specific to one of the three subjects that make up the PPE should go to the representative of that subject:

Programme convenor and 
Political Studies representative

•    A/Prof Vinothan Naidoo
vinothan.naidoo@uct.ac.za

Economics representative:

•    A/Prof Cecil Mlatsheni
cecil.mlatsheni@uct.ac.za

Philosophy representative:

•    Mr Olerato Mogomotsi
olerato.mogomotsi@uct.ac.za 

2. PPE Humanities Curriculum 2024

The PPE curriculum is a set/compulsory menu of courses which assumes that you meet the entry requirements for each course in each of the three subjects, in order to advance from first year to third year courses. Despite its set character, the PPE curriculum also includes some flexibility for students to choose from amongst various course combinations.

First year: 8 semester courses

ECO1010F Microeconomics                
ECO1011S Macroeconomics                
PHI1010S Ethics                        
PHI1024F Introduction to Philosophy            
POL1004F Introduction to Politics            
POL1005S Introduction to Politics B            
STA1000S Statistics 1000*                
MAM1010F Mathematics 1010                

*The registration process requires that you select a period for STA1000S. To satisfy the process, please choose any period that does not clash with your other courses. In fact, the period is misleading, because STA1000S works differently from your other courses: students make use of online learning and have the option to attend face to face workshops. 

Second year: 8 semester courses

All possible second year options are listed below, but please note that available options will depend on course timetables that do not clash. In any given year, it is unavoidable that some options will be unavailable to you because of timetable clashes with required courses.
ECO2003F Microeconomics II                
ECO2004S Macroeconomics II                 
ECO2007S Cooperation and Competition          
PHI2041S Great Philosophers                   
PHI2042F Political Philosophy                   
POL2038F Comparative Politics               

At least one of the following:

POL2002F Political Theory                    
POL2039F Politics of International Economic Relations      
POL2042S Comparative Public Institutions            
POL2043S South African Politics                 

If there is a remaining course, it is to be chosen from the following:

ECO2008S Development Economics                
PHI2012F Philosophy of Psychology and Mind        
PHI2016S Philosophy of Art and Literature            
PHI2037F Applied Ethics                    
PHI2040S Philosophy of Science                
PHI2043F/S Business Ethics                    
PHI2044F Philosophy of Mathematics            
PHI2045S Philosophy of Race (Not offered in 2025)                

Third year: 6 semester courses

All possible third year options are listed below, but please note that available options will vary each year, depending on course timetables. In any given year, it is unavoidable that some options will be unavailable because of timetable clashes with required courses. 

ECO3025S Applied International Trade Bargaining       

One of the following :

PHI3023F Logic and Language                 
PHI3024S Metaphysics and Epistemology

At least one of the following:

POL3029F Politics of Africa and the Global South          
POL3030F Conflict in World Politics            
POL3037F South African Public Policy Analysis        
POL3038S Urban Politics and Administration        
POL3045S Global Governance                                              
POL3046S South African Political Thought                          

At least one of the following:

ECO3009F Natural Resource Economics                        
ECO3016F History of Economic Thought            
ECO3020F Advanced Macro and Microeconomics        
ECO3021S Quantitative Methods in Economics        
ECO3022S Advanced Labour Economics                        
ECO3023S Public Sector Economics                
ECO3024F International Trade and Finance            
            

3. Frequently asked questions

•    What do I do if I fail a course(s)?

The most commonly failed courses in the PPE are MAM1010, ECO1010, ECO1011, STA1000, as well as second year ECO courses. If you have failed one of the courses listed below, please read the information on both the consequences, as well as the options to continue.

MAM1010F

Students who fail MAM1010F should take it again in the second semester (MAM1010S) in place of STA1000S, which can be taken later. MAM1010 is a crucial companion course for Economics, and you will not be able to register for ECO2003 and ECO2004 without having completed MAM1010.

STA1000S 

Students who fail STA1000S can take STA1000 in either semester of the next year, or in the summer or winter terms (i.e. in condensed form during the mid-year and end-of-year vacations), if they are offered then.

ECO1010F

Students who fail ECO1010F can take the course again in the second semester in the same year: ECO1010S. If a student fails ECO1010F then they can continue to ECO1011S but they must take it concurrently with ECO1010S. Please also note that students must pass ECO1010 in order to register for ECO2003F.

ECO1011S

Students who fail ECO1011S can take it in the first semester of the next year.

ECO2003F

Students who fail ECO2003F can re-take the course in the winter term (ECO2003L) or summer term (ECO2003P) of the same year. Students who fail ECO2003F can go on to register for ECO2004S.

ECO2004S

Students who fail ECO2004S can re-take the course in the summer term (ECO2004P).

•    Can I take extra courses?

If you are a first or second year PPE student, then adding a course in a semester will involve taking five  subjects in that semester. To do this, you will need permission from the Faculty (Deputy Dean). The stronger your academic record, the more willing the Humanities Faculty is likely to grant permission, and the more likely the PPE committee will be inclined to support your request to the Faculty.

If you are in your third year of the PPE, then adding a course will involve having four subjects in a semester, for which you do not need permission from the Humanities Faculty.

•    Can I take a course outside the PPE curriculum instead of a course in it, or in addition to it?

The PPE Humanities committee formulates and reviews the curriculum. Since we wish to protect the integrity of the programme, and since the course structure of the PPE already requires the maximum number of semester courses a student can take (in first and second year), we will not approve registering for courses outside of the three subject areas which collectively make up the PPE.

•    Can PPE students take semesters abroad and apply to have their courses credited towards the PPE curriculum?

Yes. The PPE Humanities committee is willing to support applications from PPE students with strong academic records, and to review credit and exemption requests from students planning to register for courses at other universities. For credit and exemption requests, please email the relevant member of the PPE committee (see page 1) to consult about courses you intend to take abroad, and whether these can be credited towards your PPE degree.

•    As a PPE student, do I also end up with a major in all three subjects?

No. Your transcript will identify you as having graduated with a BSocSc in PPE. Depending on how you choose your non-compulsory courses as part of the degree, and your academic performance, you may qualify for distinctions in each individual subject that makes up the PPE.

•    If I did not meet the entrance requirements for the PPE programme, and I was instead accepted into the general degree, is it possible for me to transfer into the PPE?

It is indeed possible to move from the general degree into the PPE after a successful year of study in the general degree. Every course that makes up the PPE curriculum is also available to students taking the Bachelor of Social Science general degree. General degree students who are keen to enter the PPE programme should take courses which correspond with the first year PPE curriculum. If they perform well in these courses, especially ECO and co-requisite courses such as MAM and STA, they need to email the PPE convenor at the beginning of the academic year to seek permission to transfer into the PPE programme. Please note, however, that transferring programmes will still mean that you must complete the degree in the standard 3 years plus one (N+1).
 
•    Can students at other universities apply for entry into the PPE programme?

Yes. Students who wish to transfer should email the PPE convenor with their latest transcript. The most important factor is your academic performance so far. We will consider a request only if the student has passed a full load of courses in the previous year. Beyond that, the better a student has done, the more inclined we are to accept the student into the PPE programme.

•    Can I transfer out of the PPE to the general degree?

Yes. The PPE convenor doesn’t need to sign you out of the programme. You simply need to indicate that you wish to change from the PPE degree (HB027) to the general BSocSc or BA degrees by completing a Faculty change of curriculum form (ACA09)

•    Does the PPE Humanities committee also deal with the PPE Commerce degree?

No; they are very different programmes, and have different convenors. The PPE Commerce curriculum can be found on the Commerce Faculty website. The convenor for the PPE Commerce programme is Dr Refilwe Lepelle (refilwe.lepelle@uct.ac.za).

•    How does a PPE degree benefit me in the job market?
Students who complete a PPE degree are highly marketable because 1) they take a relatively more demanding curriculum compared to most general degree students, 2) students in the PPE programme generally exhibit strong academic performance relative to their peers in the general degree, 3) PPE students are trained to ‘think across’ disciplines to solve difficult domestic and global problems. A PPE degree is an excellent basis from which to pursue opportunities in policy research and analysis in government and NGOs, corporate and investment research, intelligence and analysis, advocacy work, and a range of other sought after jobs which require high level lateral thinking.

4. Requirements for related UCT postgraduate programmes

Depending on how PPE students choose their courses in the flexible component of the curriculum, they may wish to apply for Honours in one of the individual subjects that make up the programme: Philosophy, Politics, Economics. Please consult the Faculty of Humanities Postgraduate Handbook for the entrance requirements for Honours in these individual disciplines. As an undergraduate PPE student, if you are thinking about applying for Honours in one or more of these individual subjects, you should choose your undergraduate courses in such a way that it meets each department’s requirements for Honours.

Honours and Masters in Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Students can also pursue Honours and Masters in ‘PPE’. The PPE specialisation is an interdisciplinary postgraduate degree incorporating courses and research in the three disciplines of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Students entering the specialisation must identify their primary disciplinary focus in order to be placed in a home department. While all PPE students will complete at least one course in each of the disciplines, their research (Honours essay/project or Master’s minor dissertation) will be based in their home department, with registration and supervision complying with that department’s requirements.

General Convener:     Dr G Hull (Philosophy Department)
Politics Advisor:           A/Prof Z Jolobe 
Economics Advisor:     Prof E Nikolaidou

Please see the Faculty of Humanities Postgraduate Handbook for more information