International Year One (1-Semester Pathway) Transfer to Bachelor of Arts - Politics/Philosophy/Economics

Program Description

The International Year program will provide you with the solid foundation you need to be successful in your university degree. Offered as a one, two, or three quarter program, you will study a range of subjects to develop your language and study skills, while focusing on your chosen field. After successfully completing your International Year, you will be able to progress to your undergraduate degree at Western.

In this major, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics are combined in a multidisciplinary effort to study modern political science, questions of political philosophy, pursue social scientific research, and apply economic analysis in problem solving. The multidisciplinary trio provides a foundation in philosophy, logic, and critical thinking, political processes within the U.S. and in the international system, and the functioning of the economy with attention to economic analysis tools.  Students are given preparation in the foundational materials of each of these fields, and encouraged to explore classes at the intersection of political and economic issues.  Because it draws on three different research disciplines, this combined major strives to provide students with an interdisciplinary set of skills related to critical reasoning and analysis, problem solving and decision making, and social scientific research.  The PPE combined major is not a triple major; rather, it strives to provide a broad exposure to these three fields.

The Politics/Philosophy/Economics (PPE) major prepares its graduates for careers in public policy and public service, consulting, journalism (reporting on political and economic issues), law, and international affairs. An excellent pre-law major, PPE also offers suitable preparation for graduate study in any of the participating disciplines. PPE majors have gone on to some of the nation's most prestigious law and professional schools, to successful careers in business, public service, policy-making and journalism, and to graduate studies in various sub-fields.