• Enable you to reason at a high level about political and economic decisions, by integrating statesmanship with economic knowledge of cause-and-effect relations, and philosophical knowledge of ethics and human nature
  • Do political discussions lead you to questions about right and wrong and human nature?  Or do ethical discussions lead you to look for practical solutions?  If your thoughts slide between philosophy, politics, and economics, then PPE is your best match.
  • If you fear none of these disciplines, and want to integrate them, the PPE major will challenge you to become a philosopher, statesman, and economist with an understanding of statistics and a foreign language.
  • The PPE’s Philosophy courses include studies of Ethics, Logic, and Human Nature.
  • The PPE’s Political courses include studies of Classical and American political thought, and the American Constitution.
  • The PPE’s Economics courses cover both micro- and macroeconomics.
  • In addition, you take statistics and your choice of either a foreign language or further studies in mathematics.
  • All of these studies are integrated in our interdisciplinary Senior Seminar in Contemporary Problems.
With a PPE bachelor’s degree from Belmont Abbey College, you will be able to pursue a variety of career opportunities, including:

  • Statesman
  • Diplomat
  • Politician
  • Lawyer

The Abbey Difference:

Our program at Belmont Abbey College is based on the Oxford PPE program that has produced many presidents, prime ministers, and other world leaders.  Our program is ideal for future political leaders as well as future lawyers, as philosophy majors score highest (and economics majors third highest) on the LSAT.  But many PPE majors will find their vocations in finance, consulting, and business.  The three disciplines (philosophy, politics, and economics) together provide the skills to succeed in graduate school and to climb organizational ladders, and typically provide better salaries than business majors.

  • From its beginnings at the University of Oxford, the PPE model has spread to many of the top colleges in the English-speaking world.  Belmont Abbey College offers the first PPE program in the Charlotte area.
  • In Philosophy, we focus on the Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions, in dialogue with modern and postmodern thinkers such as Locke, Rousseau, and Nietzsche.
  • In Politics, we focus on both Classical and American polity.
  • In Economics, we introduce you to the breadth of economic thought, including the Chicago Neoclassical, the Post-Keynesian, and the Austrian schools of economics.

Experience Highlights:

  • Small classes with dedicated teachers, at a beautiful campus!
  • PH301 The Good Life (Ethics):  How should humans live?  Study the main approaches to ethics as represented by Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Mill, and Nietzsche, and apply these approaches to contemporary issues.
  • PO361 American Political Thought I:  Study the political ideas of American statesmen and thinkers such as Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, and Calhoun.
  • EC317 Intermediate Microeconomics: Learn the foundations of economic analysis in this course on price theory, with applications to labor, commodities, and financial markets.

Program Requirements:

Required Courses:

  • PH 202: Introduction to Logical Reasoning
  • PH 301: The Good Life (Ethics)
  • PH 330: Philosophy of Mind and Human Nature
  • TH 340: Catholic Social Teaching OR
    One Philosophy Elective
  • PO 309: American Constitutional Law I
  • PO 361: American Political Thought I
  • PO 401: Classical Political Philosophy
  • One Political Thought Elective
  • EC 201: Introductory Economics I (Macroeconomics)
  • EC 202: Introductory Economics II (Microeconomics)
  • EC 316: Intermediate Macroeconomics
  • EC 317: Intermediate Microeconomics
  • MA 208: Statistics OR
    EC 306: Quantitative Analysis
  • PE 450: Senior Seminar in Contemporary Problems
  • Two Mathematics Electives OR
    Two Foreign Language Electives

It is the student’s responsibility to see that all degree requirements for graduation are fulfilled.

Faculty

Philosophy:

Dr. Matthew Siebert
Assistant Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy
B.A., University of Winnipeg
M.Phil., University of Oxford
Ph.D., University of Toronto

Br. Anselm Cundiff, O.S.B.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
B.A., University of North Texas
M.A., University of Dallas
Ph.D., University of Dallas

Economics:

Dr. Gary J. Scott
Professor and Chair, Department of Business & Economics
B.A., Bowling Green State
M.A., Bowling Green State University
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Dr. William M. Van Lear
Professor of Economics
B.A., Gettysburg College
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Michael Szpindor Watson
Assistant Professor of Economics
B.A., Indiana University
Ph.D. (candidate), George Mason University

Political:

Dr. Laurence Reardon
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Government and Political Philosophy
B.S. Computer Science, University College Dublin
M.A. Political Theory, The Catholic University of America
Ph.D. Political Theory, The Catholic University of America

Dr. Eugene Thuot
Professor Emeritus
B.A. Philosophy, Assumption College
M.A. Political Science, University of Chicago
Ph.D. Political Science, University of Chicago

Dr. Travis Cook
Associate Professor of Government and Political Philosophy
B.A., University of Maine
M.A., Boston College
Ph.D., Loyola University, Chicago

Dr. Joseph F. Wysocki
Associate Professor of Government and Political Philosophy
B.A., Belmont Abbey College
M.A., Baylor University
Ph.D., Baylor University

Dr. D. Scott Broyles
Director St. Thomas More Scholarship Program Associate Professor, Government and Political Philosophy
B.A., Wake Forest University
M.A., University of Dallas
J.D., Washington & Lee School of Law
Ph.D., University of Dallas

Mary Imparato
Visiting Assistant Professor in Government & Political Philosophy
B.A., Harvard University
M.A., City University of New York/Queens College
Ph.D. (candidate), Rutgers University

Recommended Companion Programs

Related Programs

To learn more about PPE worldwide, visit http://ppenetwork.org/en.