After graduation

After graduating with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), you can choose to enter the labour market, but you can also choose to continue your studies. On this page we have listed a number of possibilities for you.

What can you do with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics?

Studenten op UCU
Photo: Rebke Klokke

PPE offers a programme that allows students in the Netherlands and abroad to apply for a job or enrol in a master's programme. You will not only obtain a bachelor's degree from a world-renowned university, but also an interdisciplinary diploma in the English language. This means that once you have completed the PPE course here, you will be eligible for many more opportunities than someone with an ordinary, monodisciplinary bachelor's degree.

Further study after graduating in Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Studenten lunchen op UCU
Photo: Rebke Klokke

Unlike in professional programmes, at university you are often not trained for a specific profession. By obtaining a university degree, you show that you have an academic working and thinking level. You can go to work, but many students continue with a subsequent master's degree after a bachelor's. A master's allows you to work in a variety of fields. With a master's degree you can work in a variety of fields, depending on which field you specialise in.

At Utrecht University you can opt for a:

  • One-year master's programmes: these one-year master's programmes prepare you to practise a profession at academic level, for example in the economic sector or in policy advice.
  • Two-year master's programmes: these two-year master's programmes will prepare you for a career as a researcher, for example as a PhD student in History of Philosophy at a university. Alumni can also start working for (independent) research centers or as an analyst in the business sector. 

Further study at UU

Depending on the choices you make and the content of your bachelor's programme, after graduating you can examine whether you can be admitted to one of the following master's programmes at Utrecht University. You will have to take into account specific admission requirements that vary per programme. Sometimes, for example, you will have to take a pre-master's programme first. 

PhD

When you have completed a master's programme and you are certain that you want to continue as a researcher, you can choose to do a PhD in your field. A PhD track takes four years and concludes with a dissertation with which you will be awarded a doctorate. Doctoral students - also known as PhDs - make an important contribution to Utrecht's research.

By bringing together four fields of studies that contribute towards understanding the role of political and economic institutions, our PPE programme offers a true toolset for future policymakers – for people who want to make a difference in this world. That’s why we look for inspiring young people who are passionate about change!

Professions

After completing your Bachelor or Master studies, you will eventually enter the labour market. There you can go in any direction, if you have studied PPE. You will not only earn a bachelor's degree from a world-renowned university, but also an interdisciplinary diploma in the English language. This means that, having completed the PPE course here, you will be eligible for more opportunities than someone with a monodisciplinary bachelor's degree.