DURATION
24 Months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 18,700 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EU/EEA students | €2,530
Key Summary
Introduction
Do you wish to gain an interdisciplinary perspective to better understand how to address major societal changes? Then combine this PPE perspective with research in political philosophy.
Climate change, populism, or deepening inequality: our world today faces many complex challenges that cannot be tackled by one discipline alone. We need an approach that cuts across boundaries. At the University of Groningen (UG), the selective one-year Master’s in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) will equip you with the central theoretical and methodological tools from PPE to understand complex problems and assess proposals to address them. For example, you will delve into theories of democracy, rational choice, evidence-based policy, social justice, inequality and economic growth, and apply theoretical insights to concrete policy problems. Find more information in the PPE study guide 2023-2024.
At the Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona (UPF), you will work with international experts in political philosophy and take courses that lay a solid foundation in political philosophy as well as courses to sharpen your own research specialization. At the end of the double-degree programme, you will write a thesis jointly supervised by researchers from both UPF and the UG. It is possible to have your first year in Groningen and your second year in Barcelona or the other way around.
Why Study this Programme in Groningen?
The PPE programme has been rated exceptionally high by our students in the National Student Satisfaction Survey (NSE): in one year, it received the highest overall rating out of all Master programmes in the Netherlands.
Rather than studying the three disciplines separately, our programme is unique in teaching PPE as a genuinely integrated discipline and in applying theories and methods to policy issues. In both the University of Groningen (UG) and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona (UPF), core courses lay a solid foundation in PPE and Political Philosophy while electives allow you to sharpen your own area of expertise.
The double-degree master's programme is unique in providing students with a solid education in PPE whilst also giving them the opportunity to specialize in Political Philosophy research.
The Faculty of Philosophy is among the strongest faculties for Philosophy research in Continental Europe and is ranked as the best place to study philosophy in the Netherlands. UPF Barcelona boasts an outstanding cluster of internationally prominent researchers in Political Philosophy. Throughout, small class sizes and personal mentoring provide a personalised approach to help students flourish.
Career Opportunities
The programme prepares for careers in public policy, NGOs, political analysis, private business and more. With its unique combination of PPE and Political Philosophy research, the programme is especially suited for students who wish to conduct Political Philosophy research in the PPE tradition, including students who wish to apply for a PhD afterwards.
Job Prospects
With its combination of a generalist PPE foundation, its opportunities for specialisation, and deep knowledge of Political Philosophy, our Double Degree Master prepares you for a broad range of careers.
The programme provides you with the knowledge, insight, and skills to work in organizations as diverse as national or international public administrations, governmental and non‐governmental organizations, private businesses and banks, journalism, think tanks and research institutions. Moreover, with its unique combination of PPE teaching and Political Philosophy research, the programme is especially suited for students who wish to conduct Political Philosophy research in the PPE tradition, including students who wish to apply for a PhD afterwards.
Our alumni from the regular PPE Master find jobs in the following fields and for the following employers:
Fields: (Corporate Social Responsibility) consultancy; strategy consultancy, data science, funding, public affairs.
Employers: Government departments, NGOs, embassies, university networks, sustainable investment companies, and intergovernmental organizations.
Job Examples
- Policy Advisor Sustainability
- Strategy Consultant
- Sustainability Analyst
- Policy Advisor at the government level
- Research
- Corporate Social Responsibility consultant (CSR)
Admissions
Curriculum
Year 1
The first year consists of nine modules of 5 ECTS each. Three of these nine modules constitute the academic core of the programme: Methods of PPE, Theories of PPE, and History of PPE. In two PPE seminars, knowledge from Methods and Theories is applied to policy issues. Four PPE electives complete the first year of the UG.
Courses
- Elective 1
- History of PPE
- Theories of PPE
- Elective 2
- Methods of PPE
- PPE Seminar 1
- Elective 3
- Elective 4
- PPE Seminar
- Master Thesis PPE
Year 2
The second year has three modules of courses. The first module Theory and Methodology lays a rigorous foundation in Political Philosophy. In the second module, students choose three optional courses in Political Theory and Philosophy. In the third module, they choose optional courses in Philosophy and the Social Sciences. In the fourth module, students write their Master's thesis under joint supervision between both the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Barcelona and the University of Groningen.
Note: students can also study the other way around and study their first year in Barcelona and their second year in Groningen. Please note that at UPF Barcelona the academic year is divided into three terms: the first term runs from September to December, the second term from January to March and the third term from April to June. Reach out to the master's study advisor (fil-study-advisor@rug.nl) to find out how your course schedule will differ from the usual two-semester academic year.
Study Abroad
- Study abroad is required
- Maximum of 60 EC
Study abroad is mandatory for all students.