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Philosophy, Politics and Economics (often abbreviated to PPE but known as social studies at Harvard) is a popular interdisciplinary degree which combines study from the three disciplines. It is most strongly associated with the University of Oxford – the institution that first offered the degree – but is increasingly being offered at universities elsewhere in the United Kingdom and around the world including Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and the United States.

PPE was established in Oxford in 1920 as a modern alternative to Classics (known as Greats) because it was thought that a course in Philosophy and Ancient History was no longer relevant for those entering the civil service. It was thus initially known as Modern Greats. It was also the first opportunity for students to study philosophy at Oxford without having to learn Ancient Greek or Latin and hence sparked a huge growth in the number of students studying philosophy at Oxford. The University of York was the first university to introduce a one-year PPE postgraduate programme (MA PPE).

The design of the programme emanates from the view that to understand social phenomena one must approach them from several complementary disciplinary directions and analytical frameworks. In this regard, the study of philosophy is considered important because it both equips students with meta-tools such as the ability to reason rigorously and logically, and facilitates ethical reflection. The study of politics is considered necessary because it acquaints students with the authoritative structures that govern society and help solve collective action problems. Moreover, the study of political science is thought to put students in a position to evaluate the choices political systems and regimes regularly make. Finally, studying economics is seen as vital in the modern world because political decisions often concern economic matters, and government decisions are often influenced by economic events. Additionally, the analytical framework of economics (the rational actor model) is an important approach to studying social phenomena and, as such, students ought to be familiar with it.

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PPE has traditionally been a programme pursued by those seeking a career in politics or public life – with quite a few subsequently achieving it. Oxford's famous PPE graduates include:

• Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician
• Ed Balls, British politician
• Roy Bhaskar philosopher
• Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan
• Stephen Breyer, US Supreme Court Justice
• David Cameron, British politician and leader of the Conservative Party
• Wesley Clark, US Army General
• Ian Davis, managing director McKinsey & Co.
• Pete Dawkins, former Heisman trophy winner
• Sir Michael Dummett, philosopher
• Atul Gawande, American surgeon and writer
• William Hague, British politician and former leader of the Conservative Party
• Edward Heath, former British Prime Minister
• Christopher Hitchens, British author and broadcaster
• Ruth Kelly, British politician
• Imran Khan, Pakistani cricketer and politician
• David Kirk, former All Blacks captain
• Peter Mandelson, British politician and EU Commissioner
• David Miliband, British politician
• Rupert Murdoch, Australian-American media mogul
• Adebayo Ogunlesi, Nigerian businessman
• Nicky Oppenheimer, South African businessman
• Nick Robinson, BBC political correspondent
• Jacqui Smith, British politician
• Radosław Sikorski, Polish politician and journalist
• Ann Widdecombe, British politician
• Harold Wilson, former British Prime Minister

• Greats degree course
• Interdisciplinarity