Employability units are built into the degree
Global learning program and study tours
Multiple disciplines in one degree
Why choose Deakin
Study Deakin’s Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) and learn how power, ethics, sustainability and economics converge to shape our lives. Built by leading academics and researchers, this course is designed for deep and creative thinkers looking to make an impact on society.
Understand the nature of public decision-making, explore resource management issues and get the skills to analyse business problems in line with social justice. This course balances the big picture view of public problems and how societies govern and determine values while developing your professional career skills. Enhance your employment prospects through exciting industry experiences, volunteer placements and study tours. Gain experience with Deakin-supported internships - choose from 600+ employers or design your own. Plus, there is the opportunity to collaborate on team-based industry and community projects and to take part in our global experiential learning programs.
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Interdisciplinary perspective
Study politics, philosophy and economics together to examine power, ethics and public policy from more than one angle.
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Practical learning built in
Build real experience through internships, volunteer placements, study tours, and industry or community projects, with international options too.
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Industry-linked academics
Learn from leading academics and researchers whose work connects with government and community organisations.
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Diverse career options
Graduate career-ready. Deakin politics graduates have gone on to organisations including the UN and World Vision.
Connected to industry
Deakin’s strong industry connections help shape your learning. Build practical experience in real workplace contexts through work-integrated learning, mentoring and networking opportunities. Industry advisory boards also help shape our degrees, which means what you study is current, relevant and aligned to what your future employers need.
Deakin puts employability first
Career outcomes
Build skills across politics, philosophy and economics to pursue roles in government, private enterprise and not-for-profits, using critical thinking, research and analysis to help address complex public and organisational issues.
Policy officer
Research and analyse complex issues, consult with stakeholders and prepare policy advice, briefings and reports that support decisions across government, NGOs and other organisations.
- $113k
Typical annual salary in Australia
- 14.8%
Projected job growth in 5 years
Project coordinator
Plan and coordinate projects, organise resources and schedules, communicate with stakeholders and analyse project information to help teams deliver agreed goals across a range of organisations.
- $95k
Typical annual salary in Australia
- 4.1/5
Job satisfaction
Other jobs
- Community leader
- Engagement officer
- Government administrator
- Media adviser
- Political adviser
- Research assistant
Key dates
Direct applications
Trimester 1 2027 applications close 7 February 2027
VTAC
FAQs
Yes – every Deakin student can access work-integrated learning (WIL) in their degree. Each year, more than 30,000+ students complete a placement or internship with partners including Microsoft, KPMG, EY and the National Australia Bank. You can access WIL through placements, industry projects, field-based experiences, simulations and global programs, helping you apply your skills and graduate with the experience and confidence employers value.
DeakinTALENT is Deakin's award-winning career service, and you can access it for life – not just while you're studying. From personalised career coaching sessions and AI-enhanced resume support to a jobs and internships board with employment opportunities, it’s designed to give you the career management skills and connections you need to stand out. Every Deakin degree is built with input from employers, so your course is designed around real workplace needs, now and into the future.
Entry requirements and the minimum ATAR vary by degree and are detailed on the degree page, but if your ATAR is below the cut-off, you still have options. Use the pathway finder tool to find the opportunities available to you, including associate degrees and Deakin Guaranteed ATAR, which offers eligible students a guaranteed entry score that's on average 10 points below the lowest selection rank. If you don't have an ATAR, Deakin Uni Ready is a free, supported program designed to build your skills and confidence and open doors to degrees in arts, health, science and business. Access programs and equity schemes are also available.
At Deakin, employability isn't an add-on – it's built in. Our degrees are designed with industry input, so your skills are aligned to what employers actually need. Every Deakin student can access work-integrated learning through opportunities such as placements, internships and industry projects, helping you build your professional network and practical experience before you even graduate. It's an approach that works: nine out of 10 Deakin graduates get a job within four to six months of finishing their degree.
Yes. Most eligible undergraduate students are offered a Commonwealth Supported Place meaning the government subsidises part of your tuition fees. If eligible, you can pay your student contribution using a HECS-HELP loan that you only start repaying once your income is above the repayment threshold. Deakin has scholarships that cater to our diverse student community, ranging from $5,000 per year for high ATAR achievers to $10,000 per year for students facing financial or personal hardship. The University also offers support services including financial counselling, budgeting help and access to short-term, interest-free loans to help you stay on track.
Deakin is the #1 Victorian university for student support and that starts the moment you accept your offer. Orientation is designed to help you feel welcome and get to know your community of classmates and teachers from day one. Across all campuses, there's a vibrant student community with clubs, events and opportunities to build real friendships. Deakin offers a range of services to help students stay healthy and safe, including sport and fitness facilities, free counselling, on-campus medical services and around-the-clock security.
Yes, and it's straightforward. You can transfer to Deakin in a few steps and apply for credit through recognition of prior learning (RPL), so you won't necessarily repeat subjects you've already completed. If you're coming from a TAFE partner, you may get guaranteed entry into second year with guaranteed RPL. Deakin's three-trimester system also means you may be able to start mid-year rather than waiting until March.
Most Deakin courses run across three trimesters per year instead of the traditional two semesters. Trimester 1 begins around March, Trimester 2 around July and Trimester 3 around November, each with roughly 12 weeks of teaching followed by an exam period. This means you can usually start your degree at three different points in the year and have more flexibility to manage your study load. Check the intakes by location section on the course page for details.
*Deakin references data from a range of government, higher education and reputable media sources. Learn more about our achievements on our University rankings page, or explore our sources page for supporting references.
What will I study in the Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics?
Progress from a broad foundation across politics, philosophy and economics into deeper, applied learning. Shape your course through two discipline streams, electives and employability-focused experiences.
Start your studies
Explore core fundamentals
Build an understanding across politics, philosophy and economics and how they intersect. Learn how power, values and economic decisions shape public life.
Develop professional capabilities
Gain critical thinking, communication and analytical skills that help you question assumptions, weigh evidence and present ideas clearly.
Start shaping your degree
Discipline study and elective choices give you room to test your interests, while employability learning begins linking your studies with future work.
Choose your streams
Deepen your studies
Build depth in two chosen areas, developing more advanced ways to analyse policy, ethics, institutions and economic challenges.
Connect ideas to issues
Study increasingly centres on questions such as inequality, sustainability, justice and power, helping you link theory to contemporary issues.
Choose to intern
Add practical experience through community, industry or global learning opportunities.
Bring it all together
Broaden your perspective
Compare viewpoints, weigh evidence and make well-reasoned arguments across complex political, ethical and economic questions.
Translate theory into practice
Tackle authentic tasks and projects that reflect real challenges.
Graduate with range and direction
Finish with in-depth knowledge in two disciplines, a broad PPE perspective and experience navigating real-world issues.
Course structure
To complete the Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, you must pass 24 credit points.
Most units are equal to one credit point. As a full-time student you will study four credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters per year.
Are you a current student? For course information that applies to the year you started your degree, visit the handbook.
All students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements
Units
Compulsory 0-credit point module
To be completed in the first trimester of study:
Units
1 credit point from:
MWL101 Professional Insight [No longer available for enrolment]
MWL317 Entrepreneurship Experience [No longer available for enrolment]
Philosophy
- To complete the Philosophy stream, 4 credit points of discipline study units must be chosen including at least 2 credit points at level 3.
ASP224 Freud and Philosophy [No longer available for enrolment]
Politics and Policy Studies
- To complete the Politics and Policy stream, 4 credit points of discipline study units must be chosen including at least 2 credit points at level 3.
AIP209 The Politics of Asylum in Australia and Asia [No longer available for enrolment, AIP303 replaces this unit]
AIP301 Political Parties and Social Movements [recoded to AIP299 from 2027]
AIR348 Activists Beyond Borders [No longer available for enrolment, AIR247 replaces this unit]
Economic Policy
- To complete the Economic Policy stream, 4 credit points of discipline study units must be chosen including at least 2 credit points at level 3.
MAE215 Behavioural Economics for Business and Policy [No longer available for enrolment]
What to expect while studying
You may be able to study available units in the optional third trimester to fast-track your degree, however your course duration may be extended if there are delays in meeting course requirements, such as completing a placement.
Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.
Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.
At Deakin, we're committed to ensuring an inclusive environment that supports all students to belong, thrive and succeed. We work closely with students, where needed, to identify potential barriers to participation and where possible, provide tailored support so students can engage with learning and assessment activities.
If you are neurodivergent, have a disability, health condition or mental health condition that may impact your study or participation in university life, and want to know how Deakin could support you, contact our Domestic students (opens in a new window) or International students (opens in a new window) or Disability Resource Centre (opens email client) teams for a collaborative and confidential discussion. This discussion is to support you to make plans for your studies and future career and will not have any bearing on your application to the course.
When can I start?
When you study depends on your course, location and available intakes. Check the table to see when you can start and how study is offered throughout the year.
Your course learning outcomes describe the knowledge, skills and capabilities you’ll develop and be able to demonstrate by the time you graduate. Built into your course through your units and assessments, they provide a clear picture of what you’ll be equipped to know, understand and do – preparing you to apply your learning with confidence beyond university.
| Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|
| Apply a broad and coherent knowledge in the Politics, Philosophy and Economics disciplines in academic and professional settings drawing on depth in the underlying principles and concepts in one or more of PPE disciplines. |
| Employ highly developed skills in oral, written and electronic communication to communicate the outcomes of Politics, Philosophy and Economics problem solving and research in academic and professional contexts. |
| Utilize a range of digital technologies in both academic and professional settings to research, analyse, synthesise and disseminate information to diverse audiences in the field of Politics, Philosophy and Economics. |
| Use critical and analytical thinking and judgement in selecting and applying theories and methodologies to evaluate major political, philosophical and economic issues confronting society. |
| Utilise cognitive, technical, and creative skills to generate solutions to real-world political, philosophical and economic problems through drawing on methodologies from multiple disciplines. |
| Act with autonomy, responsibility and accountability for personal actions through a commitment to self-directed learning and professional practice that contributes to solving political, philosophical and economic issues in society. |
| Work and learn collaboratively with colleagues, other professionals and members of the wider community in addressing major political, philosophical and economic issues confronting society. |
| Engage respectfully with ethical issues, cultural diversity, and social responsibility when engaging in Politics, Philosophy and Economics scholarship and professional roles in the local, national or international community. |
Approved at Faculty Board
- Award granted
- Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics
- Year
2027 course information
- VTAC code
1400312041 - Regional Access Scheme - Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Commonwealth Supported Place (HECS)
1400311571 - Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Commonwealth Supported Place (HECS)
1400511571 - Burwood (Melbourne), Commonwealth Supported Place (HECS)
1400611571 - Online, Commonwealth Supported Place (HECS)- Deakin code
- A336
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition
The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7
Fees
Estimated tuition fee
$17,960
for 1 yr full-time - Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
The estimated tuition (student contribution) fee above is based on a typical first-year full-time enrolment of 8 credit points and is provided as a guide only. Your student contribution is determined by the units you enrol in and will vary depending on the units you choose, your study load, the course duration, and any approved recognition of prior learning. You may also be eligible for a HECS-HELP loan to defer payment of all or part of your student contribution.
Check your eligibility or learn more about CSP or HECS-HELP.
Scholarships
We want to help you excel at Deakin. Our scholarships recognise your dedication and achievements, providing financial support that can ease the cost of living and studying. With less pressure, you'll have more freedom to focus on what matters most – your education and future success.
Applications for 2027 are open
Ready to take the next step? Apply now to start your journey at Deakin and get ready for what’s next.
Key dates
Direct applications
Trimester 1 2027 applications close 7 February 2027
VTAC
Apply now
Apply direct
Simply create an account in the Deakin Application Portal, enter your personal and educational details, upload your supporting documents and submit your application.
Apply through VTAC
Applications are open. Apply through VTAC if you're:
- currently in Year 12 and applying for Trimester 1 or Semester 1
- applying for multiple undergraduate courses
Need help? Follow our step-by-step undergraduate guide to prepare and submit your application.
Recognition of prior learning
We value your previous study and experience. Recognition of prior learning enables you to get credit for what you've already achieved. When you apply, we'll consider your previous study and experience for recognition of prior learning.
Pathways
The Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics will appeal to students with interests across the disciplines involved (BA/BCom/BBus), but who would prefer not to do a combined course. The Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics model offers students a way to complete an interdisciplinary degree with a similar “job-ready” focus to the revised BA, yet with the addition of vocationally focused economic policy content. A compulsory three-credit point Employability sequence, embedded within the Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics course across each year level.
The Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics will serve as a standard Bachelor-level platform for pathways to more advanced degrees such as Honours, Masters, or PhD.