Are you a leader? The Australian National University is a leader too, especially in the fields of philosophy, politics and economics. This progressive and well regarded degree will arm you with the moral, economic and political perspectives you need to make a real impact.

The Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics has a strong international component that gives you the opportunity to engage with other leading Universities around the world.

You will develop exceptional problem solving skills and critical and conceptual thinking, all while gaining a passport to some of the world’s most promising careers.

Statistics opens the door to understanding our world through the exploration of data and the modelling of uncertainty. The need for statistics is growing rapidly as our ability to collect massive amounts of data outruns our ability to understand and use the data we collect. Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google, declared that “the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians”, as the challenge of understanding large, complex data structures mounts. It is estimated that 2.5 exabytes of data is generated every single day, with the accumulated amount of data doubling every 18 months, and that 90% of all data ever gathered was produced within the last two years. What’s more, statistics is critical for every discipline for which data play a role, and in responding to the world’s biggest challenges such as climate change, terrorism, health and medicine, and global economic conditions. Some of the world’s largest employers of statisticians include Google and Facebook as well as governments, financial institutions, medical and pharmaceutical industries, universities and many other sectors. By completing a BStat at ANU, you stand ready to meet humanity’s biggest challenges by understanding the world we observe through the eyes of data and statistical and probability modelling.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics, graduates will be able to:

Identify the principal theoretical approaches to the study of PPE, and the relationships between them;

Identify main currents in the three disciplines of PPE and their theoretical bases;

Define, critically discuss and apply:

1. major philosophical theories and approaches to the evaluation of social institutions;

2. the methods of economics to the study of political institutions and processes;

3. the methods of economics to questions within political philosophy;

4. the assumptions, ‘tools’ and limitations of political economy;

5. the core arguments and principles of public choice and rational choice theory.

Describe and evaluate how the core arguments and principles of public choice and rational choice theory affect and influence political situations, institutions and complex political processes in liberal democracies;

Recognise and analyse the different actors, processes and stages involved in formulating public policies; and

Analyse practical dilemmas that arise in politics using the theories, approaches and methods of the three main disciplines of PPE.

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

1. Review and synthesise a broad range of statistical knowledge in their major

2. Demonstrate the ability to use R statistical computing language

3. Carry out model selection in a multiple linear regression modelling context

4. Describe the concepts of stochastic processes in discrete and continuous time

5. Describe and interpret probability theory, continuous random variables, and sampling distributions and the central limit theorem

6. Analyse programming problems to suggest, design and implement appropriate modular program structures, based on a data-directed approach.

Admission Requirements

Prerequisites

ACT: Specialist Mathematics (major/minor) (160+) Recommended Studies:  Specialist Mathematics (double major)
NSW: HSC Mathematics Extension 1 with a minimum performance band of E3 Recommended Studies: HSC Mathematics Extensions 2
QLD: Mathematics B and Mathematics C, with a grade of 'H' in each
SA/NT: Mathematics 1 (Double) and Mathematics 2 with a score of at least 15/20 in both subjects
TAS: Mathematics Stage 2 and Mathematics Stage 3 with a score of at least 15/20 in both subjects
VIC: Mathematical Methods 3&4 and Specialist Mathematics 3/4 with at least 36/50 in each subject
WA: Applicable Mathematics and Calculus with a score of at least 72/100
IB: Mathematics (HL) with at least 6

Adjustment Factors

The National Access Scheme 2014

ANU offers bonus points for nationally strategic senior secondary subjects, and in recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies. 

Bonus points are applied to all applicants with an ATAR at or above 70. Points are awarded in accordance with the approved schedule, and no more than 10 points (maximum 5 academic points and maximum 5 equity points) will be awarded.

Bonus points do not apply to programs with an ATAR cutoff of 98 or higher.

Bonus Points are only awarded to domestic applicants applying for admission through UAC who have not previously attempted tertiary study.

How to apply

Academic Bonus Points: senior secondary students do not need to apply for ANU academic bonus points. They are automatically added in accordance with the schedule.

Educational Access Scheme: senior secondary students do not need to apply if their school is part of the Priority School Funding Program or Country Areas Program. All other applicants should refer to http://www.uac.edu.au/eas/  for more information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

54 units from the completion of the following compulsory courses:

ECON1101 Microeconomics 1

ECON2101 Microeconomics 2(P)

ECON3056 PPE Integrative Seminar Year 3: Classic Literature in PPE

PHIL1004 Fundamental Ideas in Philosophy: An Introduction

PHIL1005 Logic and Critical Thinking

PHIL2116 PPE Integrative Seminar Year 2

POLS1002 Introduction to Politics

POLS1008 PPE Integrative Seminar Year 1: Puzzles in Politics, Philosophy and Economics

POLS1009 Research and Writing in Political Science

A minimum of 6 units from completion of courses from the following list, which must also be counted towards completion of any other requirements for the Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics:

ECON2141 Strategic Thinking: An introduction to Game Theory

POLS2125 Game Theory and Social Sciences

POLS2130 Public Choice and Politics

12 units from completion of courses from the following list:

POLS2063 Contemporary Political Theory

POLS2094 Issues in International Political Economy

POLS2105 Political Leadership and Executive Government

POLS2111 Elections, Political Behaviour and Public Opinion in Australia

POLS2114 Australian Political Institutions

POLS2120 Foundations of Political Theory

POLS2125 Game Theory and Social Sciences

POLS2126 Democracy: Its causes and consequences

POLS2130 Public Choice and Politics

POLS3029 Sharing Power: Federalism in Comparative Perspective

POLS3031 Comparative Judicial Politics

POLS3034 Comparative Political Parties and Party Systems

12 units from completion of courses from the following list:

PHIL2020 Theories of Social Justice

PHIL2057 Philosophy of Science

PHIL2080 Logic

PHIL2113 Global Justice

PHIL2121 Philosophical Logic

PHIL3073 Advanced Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy

12 units from completion of courses from the following list:

CRIM2000 The Illicit Economy

ECHI1006 The Australian Economy: Past and Present

ECHI3008 History of Economic Thought(P)

ECON1102 Macroeconomics 1

ECON2013 Behavioral Economics

ECON2014 Managerial Economics

ECON2026 Money and Banking

ECON2120 Law and Economics(P)

ECON2141 Strategic Thinking: An introduction to Game Theory

EMET1001 Foundations of Economic and Financial Models

INDG3003 The Indigenous Economy

6 units from the completion of 2000- and 3000-level courses from the following subject areas and courses:

ANIP Australian National Internship

ECON Economics

PHIL Philosophy

POLS Political Science

ASIA2090 The Political Economy of Myanmar

The Bachelor of Statistics flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must consist of:

48 units from the completion of one of the following statistics majors:

Applied Statistics

Probability and Stochastic Processes

Statistical Data Analytics

Theoretical Statistics

18 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

STAT2001 Introductory Mathematical Statistics

STAT2005 Introduction to Stochastic Processes

STAT2008 Regression Modelling

6 units from completion of an introductory statistics course from the following list:

STAT1003 Statistical Techniques

STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods

6 units from completion of an introductory computing course from the following list:

COMP1040 The Craft of Computing

COMP1100 Programming as Problem Solving

12 units from completion of an introductory mathematics courses from the following list:

MATH1013 Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1014 Mathematics and Applications 2

MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2

6 units from completion of a discrete mathematics course from the following list:

MATH2301 Games, Graphs and Machines

MATH3511 Scientific Computing

If your flexible double degree is within the College of Business and Economics (for example Commerce and Economics), the below study plan may show the same course twice. If this is the case, you must only do the course once and replace the other course with a CBE List 1 elective.

Students enrolled in Bachelor of Statistics/Bachelor of Advanced Computing (Hons) degree will need to enrol in MATH1115 and MATH1116, instead of MATH1013 and MATH1014. Also, in the Bachelor of Statistics, these students should replace COMP1100 with an elective, as they will completing COMP1130 in the BAC (Hons) degree, which is an incompatible course

For majors and minors offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, students may count a course towards multiple majors and minors. If a minor is a subset of all stated courses and/or prerequisites for a major, then completion of the major overrides completion of the minor, and only the major is regarded as having been completed. If all courses in a major and/or minor are compulsory courses in the degree, the major and/or minor will not be listed on the transcript.

Majors

Bachelor of Statistics Majors

Minors

Bachelor of Statistics Minors

Study Options

Honours

For information about honours, please see Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Honours) and Bachelor of Economics (Honours)

Students may proceed to the fourth honours year in Statistics. Entry to the honours year program is subject to an appropriately high average grade (generally distinction level or above) in the 3000-level compulsory subjects described in the course listings and requires the approval of College. Other conditions may also apply. Students who are interested in the honours program should seek further advice from the Convenor of the Program in the Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Applied Statistics.