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Pathway + Bachelor

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics

New Zealand

21

What will I learn?

The Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree programme enables each student to develop his or her own interests in business and related subjects. Students are able to create individualised courses using a range of papers offered across teaching departments in the School of Business and University as a whole. Students have the flexibility within the BCom degree to combine two specialisations and graduate with a double major.

Why study PPE?

Students in the Otago PPE programme complete rigorous courses of study in the three core disciplines, in addition to interdisciplinary seminars and original research.

There are natural affinities and common roots among several strands of philosophy, politics, and economics. For example, economics developed from the field of political economy, welfare economics utilises concepts of social justice from philosophy, and the philosophy of science has important implications for methodologies adopted in economics and politics.

The aim of the programme is to give a broader exposure to the range of analytical approaches in these three disciplines than would be gained within any one of the traditional single-discipline majors.

Career opportunities

Graduates with a PPE degree go on to apply their analytical skills in many different fields: recent graduates are working as diplomats, journalists, lawyers, project managers, academics, business executives, entrepreneurs, accountants, and policy analysts.

There are PPE graduates in entertainment, in tourism, and in information technology; those in government work at the Supreme Court and at the Ministries for the Environment, Treasury, Social Development, and Inland Revenue, among others.

You can find people with Otago PPE degrees in government, industry, academia, and civil society in New Zealand, North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Degree options

You can pursue a number of different qualification options to study PPE. The PPE major is compatible with double degrees in other subjects such as law or computer science. PPE students can complete double majors and add minor subjects as listed in the Guide to Enrolment. High achieving students may apply for postgraduate study, which consists of small seminars in each of the core disciplines plus completion of a dissertation.

Which department am I in?

Otago Business School

Study options

Full Time (3 years)

Tuition fees
NZ$37,445.00 (US$ 22,363) per year

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Application deadline

Expected May 2025

More details

Start date

24 February 2025

Venue

Dunedin Campus

University of Otago Clocktower Building,

362 Leith Street,

DUNEDIN,

North Dunedin,

9016, New Zealand

Entry requirements

For international students

We recognise many other qualifications as equivalent to the New Zealand qualification for entrance.

We also accept the following international qualifications:

  • International Baccalaureate: IB Diploma with a minimum of 24 points.
  • Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) GCE Advanced Levels: minimum Numerical Score of 8
  • A minimum of CCC across the NCUK IFY
  • Satisfactory completion of one year's study at a recognised tertiary institution.

English language requirements

  • IELTS (Academic module) (including IELTS Online) - Overall score of 6.0, no individual band below 5.5.
  • TOEFL iBT - Overall score of 80 and a writing score of 20.
  • C1 Advanced (previously Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)) or C2 Proficiency (previously Cambridge English Proficiency (CPE)) - Overall score of 169 (with no individual band below 162)
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 50 with no communicative skills score below 42.
  • LanguageCert - International ESOL: C1 Expert (LRWS) with a pass overall and no less than a pass in each skill
  • NZCEL - NZCEL 4 Academic endorsement
  • English New Zealand's Accredited Pathway Assessment - Assessment Level 2 (with no skill lower than Level 1)
  • APIEL Advanced Placement International English Language Examination - Grade 3 or higher

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

Pathways options

Offered by this university

University of Otago offers below pathways course for this subject
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About University of Otago

The University of Otago is ranked in the top 1 per cent of universities in the world and is often regarded as the best in New Zealand.

  • Top 5 most beautiful campuses globally
  • New Zealand’s No.1 university for educational performance
  • 95 percent of Otago graduates go into work or further study
  • Opportunity to apply for a three-year post-study work visa

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