How does the PPE degree differ from other liberal arts degrees?

It’s more focused. The Politics, Philosophy, and Economics degree program has fewer “distribution requirements” than most other liberal arts degree programs. The range of courses available as electives is also narrower. We don’t, for example, offer courses in anthropology, psychology, sociology, women’s studies, ethnic studies, or many other fields in which liberal arts colleges these days frequently offer majors. In some other “liberal arts” areas we do offer courses, but they are arranged into “concentrations,” rather than full-fledged majors. For example, our literature courses are limited to five key courses in the Literature Concentration, and the same is true of Media and Religion. We have required history courses, but no history major.

Liberal arts colleges also usually have a more developed science curriculum. The King’s College plans to add a physics requirement, but we are not moving towards a program that offers majors in physics, chemistry, or biology. (A student who aspires to attend medical school, therefore, should not attend The King’s College unless he or she plans to take many extra courses during the summers and after graduation.)

The PPE degree program is also more tightly organized and integrated than most liberal arts majors at other colleges. It is a program for students who are ready to commit themselves to a highly structured undergraduate education. Liberal arts colleges and universities often emphasize the large number of choices students have among courses. The King’s College, by contrast, offers only a few choices. What it offers in the PPE program is a systematic approach to learning that will ensure that, at the end of four years, you will have achieved a thorough education in several of the core academic disciplines.

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