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PPE Applicant for Durham Uni- I have a couple of questions.

Hey guys,

I am currently applying to study PPE at Durham University and fingers crossed I will get an offer soon.

I have two relatively minor questions about the course:

1) Is it possible to take an optional language module as a part of the course?
2) Is it possible to take work placement in the 3rd year of the course? If so, do that many people do it? What are the common organisations PPE undergrads work for?

Cheers :smile:

Reply 1

Original post
by arctic95
Hey guys,

I am currently applying to study PPE at Durham University and fingers crossed I will get an offer soon.

I have two relatively minor questions about the course:

1) Is it possible to take an optional language module as a part of the course?
2) Is it possible to take work placement in the 3rd year of the course? If so, do that many people do it? What are the common organisations PPE undergrads work for?

Cheers :smile:


Hi,

It's not possible to take an optional language module, I'm afraid. With taking three subjects you won't have the space to do a module offered by another board of studies

https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/faculty.handbook/degrees/frameworks/vl52.pdf

At level two or three you can take a module outside the three departments (with the permission of the Director of Studies) but it should be related to Philosophy, Politics or Economics.

However, you can take a set of 18 week language classes outside your degree through the Languages For All programme (at a cost): -

http://www.dur.ac.uk/mlac/cfls/lfa/

I don't know of any Durham degrees where work placements form part of the course (except obvious professional courses where professional placements are needed such as PGCEs). It's certainly not the case that you can take a work placement.

However, you are free to apply for internships during the summer months and the careers service will assist in finding and applying for them.

Reply 2

Thank you for the information.

I saw this page on the Durham website that told me otherwise about Durham work placements: http://www.dur.ac.uk/business/degrees/undergrad/business/placement/

Reply 3

Original post
by arctic95
Thank you for the information.

I saw this page on the Durham website that told me otherwise about Durham work placements: http://www.dur.ac.uk/business/degrees/undergrad/business/placement/


Sorry my mistake. I misunderstood and I'm still recovering from man flu so not on top form.

I'm not sure if there are any "typical" placements for PPE students, especially as there really is quite a broad range of organisations and you have reasonable freedom to contact employers yourself and arrange your own placement. I am a graduate (Philosophy and Politics) and I don't actually know any PPEists who did the work placement. That doesn't mean it is rare for students to do it, only I didn't meet them or that it's become more popular in the last year or so. Your best bet is to contact the department if you can.

Do you know what sort of organisation interests you or what sort of work you're interested in doing once you've graduated?

Reply 4

Well I'm not entirely sure at the moment to be honest, hence one of the reasons why I'm taking such a broad course in the first place! Perhaps a placement in the financial industry, as a civil servant, political/economic journalism? My mind's open to a lot of career paths at the moment. But I do certainly find the prospect of industry placement appealing- you won't find that really anywhere else for PPE.

What do your PPEist friends think of the course out of interest?

EDIT: It says in the (August 2012) brochure that you cannot currently do work placement with PPE http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/dbs/brochures/undergraduate2012.pdf

But then it clearly states here that you can: http://www.dur.ac.uk/business/degrees/undergrad/economics/course-content/ppevl52/

Confused.
(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 5

Original post
by arctic95
Well I'm not entirely sure at the moment to be honest, hence one of the reasons why I'm taking such a broad course in the first place! Perhaps a placement in the financial industry, as a civil servant, political/economic journalism? My mind's open to a lot of career paths at the moment. But I do certainly find the prospect of industry placement appealing- you won't find that really anywhere else for PPE.

What do your PPEist friends think of the course out of interest?

EDIT: It says in the (August 2012) brochure that you cannot currently do work placement with PPE http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/dbs/brochures/undergraduate2012.pdf

But then it clearly states here that you can: http://www.dur.ac.uk/business/degrees/undergrad/economics/course-content/ppevl52/

Confused.


Well that's what I was thinking as I know people in the business school who have taken work placements but I don't know of any PPEists who have. When I said that it's been a bit more popular in the last year or two, I basically meant that PPEists have only been allowed to do them in the last year :p: As I said, I don't know any who have done work placements or even mentioned that it's a possibility.

Again, it's probably best to contact the department.

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