Course Summary
The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) department at AUB-M teaches and researches from a multidisciplinary perspective the social, economic, and political issues and challenges facing our world in general and the eastern Mediterranean in particular. Research wise, the department is focused on supporting and promoting multidisciplinary projects, themes, and initiatives that combine the three disciplines. Educationally, the PPE department offers a PPE degree that combines the rigorous tools and theories of political science and economics with normative philosophical analysis, to foster broader vision and critical understanding of our institutions, practices, and policies at local, regional, and international levels. The department provides foundational courses in each of the three disciplines as well as a unique set of gateway, bridging, and capstone courses designed for the PPE degree. After graduating, the PPE degree opens pathways for its alumni in graduate studies in various disciplines (development studies, economics, political science, international affairs, and moral/political philosophy). It also trains, equips, and prepares its alumni for careers in public service, political science, international organizations, and business. In line with AUB’s mission, the department promotes freedom of thought and respect for diversity, enhancing critical thinking, protecting personal integrity, and encouraging civic engagement.
Career Prospects
After graduation:
After completing the BA degree, students can opt to pursue graduate studies in various fields related to their areas of interests and training, such as development studies, economic, politics and moral/political philosophy. They may also opt for careers in public service, international organizations, business, and others.
Modules
PHIL 210 Ethics
An introduction to some of the major normative ethical theories based on the study of the original writings of selected philosophers, including a section on applied ethics.
PHIL 211 Introduction to Logic
An introduction to basic concepts and tools which, in addition to being of interest in themselves, also inform various philosophical discussions and are taken for granted in different areas of contemporary philosophy.
PHIL 216 Political philosophy
An examination of the main issues of political philosophy, such as political obligation, justice, political rights, and other issues.
PHIL 252 Special topics in political and moral philosophy
The course focuses on a selected topic (theme or author) in the field of moral or political philosophy.
ECON 203 Survey of economics
Elementary principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics and applications.
ECON 217 Intermediate microeconomics
Theory of allocation of resources; consumers’ choice and classical demand theory, exchange and welfare; theory of production and cost; price and output determination under alternative market structures; game theory and applications to oligopoly.
ECON 227 Intermediate macroeconomics
A study of the aggregate approach to economics, including the determination of output, employment, interest rates, and the price level. Inflation and stabilization policies, budget deficits and the national debt, business cycles, theories of consumption, and investment behavior.
ECON 215 Applied economics
A comprehensive treatment of econometric techniques applied in cross-sectional and time series models. Topics include but are not limited to the estimation of bivariate and multiple regression models; validation tests; corrective methods employed when assumptions are violated; regressions with a qualitative dependent variable; Logit models; VAR; and cointegration.
PSPA 213 International politics
Through a set of fundamental questions, and building upon students’ knowledge of, and interest in, international relations and world politics, this course intends to accompany students in a reflection upon some of the most important international issues.
PSPA 210 Introduction to political thought
An introduction to the main currents of political thought in the world (Jewish, Christian-western, Islamic, Black-American, Indigenous), with a focus on theories such as liberalism, libertarianism, Marxism, anarchism, and decolonization.
PSPA 260 Policy analysis
This is a course on the analysis of contemporary government and policy making. It approaches policy as a multiple hybrid space between state and society, expertise and politics, science and democracy, nature and culture, power and knowledge.
PSPA 201 Introduction to politics
An introduction to the study of politics with emphasis on the basic concepts, ideas, and issues relating to the process of government in modern societies.
PPE 201 Introduction to PPE
Introduction to PPE is the first gateway course students take. It combines all PPE disciplines and should be taught by at least two faculty members from distinct disciplines. In this course students are introduced to the emergence of the social sciences from philosophy in the 19th century and how they forged their identities in the 20th century. As each discipline has established its boundaries, we bring them back together in the PPE degree. The recent re-emergent interest in the benefits of interdisciplinarity, in how the three disciplines can complement each other working in pairs or as triples, in both theoretical and applied work, will cover a significant portion of the course. The course also introduces the history of the PPE degree and the varied career paths it offers its holders.
PPE 203 PPE economic justice
This course introduces and examines different conceptions of economic justice. It looks closely at different answers that contemporary philosophers and economists give to the question: How and on what grounds should economic benefits and burdens be distributed? The aim of the course is to deepen the students' understanding of debates, issues, and distinctions related to economic justice. It equally aims at developing and sharpening students' powers of critical thinking and analysis.
PPE 202 Research design in PPE
Research design is taught in year three by one instructor from politics and one instructor from economics. It introduces PPE students to the different applied research methods and tools they are likely to encounter and employ in economics and politics. It is divided in two parts, the quantitative and the qualitative. This course is a pre-requisite for ECON 215.
PPE 204 Conflict, peace, and justice
This course introduces and examines different phenomena of war, conflict, peace and conflict resolution from the perspective of politics and philosophy. It explores the different conceptions of violence in contemporary societies and approaches violence as a political, philosophical and epistemological issue. The aim of the course is to deepen the students' understanding of debates, issues, and distinctions related to conflict, peace and violence. It equally aims at developing and sharpening students' powers of critical thinking and analysis.
PPE 205 Political Economy
This course starts from the premise that a long-term view of production, power and social change is essential for understanding enduring patterns of wealth and poverty in the contemporary world. By emphasizing the historical and ecological specificity of the infrastructures of social power inherited from the agrarian past, the course tries to highlight the pitfalls of deploying models based on European example for understanding development and social change in other parts of the globe.
PPE 206 Ethics and public affairs
Ethics and public affairs engages PPE students on critical societal issues that arise in ethics, economics, politics, globalization, and the daily life of citizens. Students will discover and discuss public affairs that arise within a context of ethics, politics and economics.
PPE 207 Regional topics
This course is open to disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary approaches that take the region - Middle East & Mediterranean - as the venture point both for theory production and empirical focus. Themes can include the following: human development in the region; gender in the Middle East and North Africa; humanitarian intervention and crisis in the Global South; Government in the Middle East and the Arab world; Political Islam; maritime politics; refugees, borders, and migration; etc.
PPE 208 Special topics
This course is open to disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary approaches that take the faculty’s own research as the core content both for teaching and empirical focus. AUB Mediterraneo faculty will be invited to teach in a gamut of themes that touch upon PPE interdisciplinary aspects, including gender; crisis; government; inequality; solidarity; social movements; disaster; behavioral public policy; etc.
PPE 209/210 Application/dissertation
This capstone sequence of courses starts in the Fall of the final year and takes two semesters to complete. Its completion entails the writing of a substantive piece of research that combines at least two disciplines. Students will work with a primary advisor from one discipline and a secondary advisor from another discipline. A thesis of about 10,000 words will be written and will form the grade.
Assessment Method
Curriculum:
The department of PPE offers a wide range of introductory and advanced courses in all the disciplines of philosophy, politics, and economics. It also offers a set of specially designed courses that bridge these three disciplines. Students obtain a rich and dynamic understanding of the ways these disciplines inform various approaches to public affairs at the global, regional, and local levels. They also engage in sustained research projects in their fourth year through the application and dissertation capstone courses. Students also have the opportunity to learn more about research through departmental colloquia, in which international and local speakers present their latest work across a variety of topics.
Student Activities:
In addition to the comprehensive undergraduate curriculum, our students can gain practical experience through volunteer work and community engagement, and research assistantships that prepare them for applying their academic training to the outside world.
The students and faculty maintain a caring and friendly community. The Chairperson acts as a point-of-contact in the case of any dispute or disagreement. Students also have the opportunity to receive support and learn from their peers. The PPE Student Society will be an active hub that engages students in seminars, lectures, workshops and extracurricular activities.
How to apply
For EU Students:
Prospective students must submit an undergraduate first-year application with the following documents:
High school transcript for grades 10 and 11 or their equivalent
An entrance exam is required which can be one option from the below types*:
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
The SAT can be taken several times. Students can benefit from “super scoring". (i.e., taking the maximum score for each section (Math or Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) from all sessions).
The International AS-level exam:
3 AS-Levels with the following subjects:
Mathematics (Math or Math - Further), and two non-language subjects
Cypriot Lyceum B Class standardized exams
Two subjects, one in Math (Basic or Advanced), and another non-language subject
For Non-EU Students:
Visa for American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo
Required documents for the issue of visa or entry permit that need to be submitted to the Civil Registry and Migration Department of Cyprus
- Duly certified copy of passport or other travel document, with a validity of at least the expected duration of studies and/or at least two years.
- In the case of minors, duly certified parental approval of the suggested residence.
- Original Certificate of Criminal Record from the country of origin (if the applicant resides in a country other than the country of origin, the certificate should be issued from the country of residence).
- Duly certified original results of medical tests showing that the applicant does not bear/suffer from HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, or Tuberculosis – TB (through chest x-ray), from country of origin with validity of four months.
- Acceptance letter from AUB Mediterraneo, including a description of the specific program of study and its duration.
- Receipt of payment of registration fees to AUB Mediterraneo.
- Duly certified copy of confirmation letter from a banking institution in country of residence, of financial ability to cover tuition fees, living and repatriation expenses or duly certified confirmation letter of scholarship, issued by the awarding institution, if this is in the country of residence.
- Receipt of payment of application fees.
- Application Form M58 thoroughly completed and signed.
After arrival to Cyprus, the below need to be submitted to the Civil Registry and Migration Department within ten days of entry:
- Duly certified copy of passport or other travel document, with a validity of at least the expected duration of studies and/or at least two years (shortest period of validity of any of the two) – during the meeting at the department, the applicant also needs to bring the original passport for verification purposes.
- Proof of comprehensive health insurance in the Republic, unless the applicant is automatically insured with their registration to AUB Mediterraneo.
- Duly certified original results of medical tests showing that the applicant does not bear/suffer from HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, or Tuberculosis – TB (through chest x-ray), from Cyprus stamped and signed by a doctor with validity of four months.
- Confirmation from a banking institution in the Republic that the applicant has transferred sufficient funds to their personal account to cover tuition fees, accommodation, and living expenses for the period that the residence permit is applied for.
- Personal Bank Guarantee or Bank Guarantee from AUB for repatriation expenses.
- Receipt of payment of application fees.
- Application Form M61 thoroughly completed and signed.
Documents not in Greek or English require a certified translation as well into one of the two languages to accompany them. Official documents issued by Russia and Serbia do not require legalisation or ratification, but official documents from any other country will require legalisation by apostille – if the country of issuance is not party to the Apostille Convention, the documents should bear diplomatic ratification. Please find herein more information on ratification of accompanying documents.
Apply
Application deadline
Application Deadline
Application deadlines and the corresponding latest SAT sessions considered for each admission type are as follows:
Fall 2023
| Early Admissions to Fall 2023-24 |
May 31, 2023 |
May 2023 |
by end of June 2023 |
| Regular Admissions to Fall 2023-24 |
June 30, 2023 |
June 2023 |
by end of July 2023 |
Fall 2024
| Early Admissions to Fall 2024-25 |
October 31, 2023 |
October 2023 |
by end of December 2023 |
| Regular Admissions to Fall 2024-25 |
December 20, 2023 |
December 2023 |
by end of March 2024 |
* Note: SAT registration deadlines are approximately 1-2 month(s) before the SAT test session date. To know more about the SAT exam and its registration, please refer to: www.collegeboard.org
2023-07-25
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
Admission is competitive and based on the results of entrance exam scores provided and the high school transcript as follows:
- 50% on an entrance exam (SAT, AS-Levels, or Cypriot Lyceum B Class standardized exams)
- 50% on the standardized high school averages in grades 10 and 11
In terms of standardized high school averages, students are compared to their class average and to the average of applicants from the same school.
There are no specific cut-off scores. The higher the student's score, the better the chances of being admitted.
Additional entry requirements
Early Admission Requirements:
- Submit an application form by the early admissions deadline
- Class rank in the top 25 percent in Grade 10 and Grade 11
- Entrance exam score(s) is required which can be one option from the types in the below table*
- An Interview, if you are not providing the SAT exam scores
Table1: Entrance exam minimum scores
* Important Notes on the entrance exam types:
- Only one exam type is considered, and in case multiple exam types are provided one exam per the following precedence order will be chosen: SAT exam then AS-level exams, and then Cypriot Lyceum B Class standardized exams.
- The AS-Level or Cypriot Lyceum B Class standardized exams results for the required subjects are to be provided before the admission application deadline to complete your application. For the SAT results, refer to the deadline section below under “Latest SAT session considered".
- The university reserves the right to stop considering the SAT alternative exams (AS or Cypriot Lyceum B Class standardized exams) from the above list in any term after fall 2023. Thus students are encouraged to plan and take the SAT exam when applying to fall 2024 or later.
Admissions Conditions
Once accepted, please note that admission is conditional on the following and students may not register unless all conditions are met.
- Successfully met the English language requirement
- Successfully completed Grade 12
- Successfully received the certificate or diploma on the basis of which admission was sought
As for grade 12 records, they do not affect admission (since usually students apply at the beginning of grade 12) nevertheless once the student is admitted, he/she will be required to present evidence of having met the following conditions (in general, no later than 1 month prior to the start of the term):
English language requirements
English Language Requirement
Undergraduate applicants must demonstrate English Language Proficiency by submitting satisfactory and valid scores from one of several tests. A score is considered satisfactory if it meets or exceeds the minimum requirement (see below) set by the American University of Beirut - Mediterraneo.
Demonstrating English Language Proficiency
| SAT (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) |
530 |
2 years |
| TOEFL iBT |
69 |
2 years |
| IELTS (Academic) |
6.0 |
2 years |
All undergraduate applicants are requested to meet the English language requirement as soon as possible after receiving their admissions decision from AUB Mediterraneo.
Fees and funding
Application Fees
Undergraduate Tuition (Per ECTS):
| Faculty of Arts and Sciences |
€ 345 |
| Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture |
€ 400 |
| Suliman S. Olayan School of Business |
€ 385 |
General deposit (Refundable) paid only once € 200
Additional Fee information
Undergraduate Financial Assistance
Financial Aid, Need-Based Grant,
UP TO 70% OF TUITION
1. A grant based on the financial need of the family
2. Financial need is not a factor in the admission decision
3. If awarded, remains valid for the normal period of study as long as student remains in good academic standing
4. Requires a financial aid application in addition to the admission application
Scholarships
President Merit Scholarship100% of Tuition
The President Merit Scholarship Program enables the university to award full-tuition merit scholarships each year to five new undergraduate applicants with outstanding academic qualifications. AUB merit scholarship awardees are selected from among the newly admitted undergraduate students on the basis of academic achievement. Awards are renewable for each undergraduate year provided that the student maintains a minimum cumulative 85% average. No application is required prior to selection. Scholars are selected based on the admissions application only and will be directly contacted.
Early Admissions Merit Scholarship 30% of Tuition
- Merit based on the academic achievements of the student
- No separate application other than the admission application
- Requires submitting an early admission application by the early deadline
- Requires to be admitted based on early admissions criteria
Legacy Scholarship 10% of Tuition
A scholarship percentage awarded to AUB alumni children or grandchildren, who are registered in a school in G12 (or final year at secondary school) class or have graduated from a secondary school and have not attended university yet.
Inaugural Cohorts Scholarship Up to 20% of Tuition
A scholarship percentage for the initial cohorts of undergraduate students at AUB Mediterraneo. If a student decides to leave AUB Mediterraneo, then the scholarship amount needs to be returned to the university. This Scholarship is offered only during the first two years of launching AUB Mediterraneo (AY2023-24 & AY2024-25)
(20% of the tuition for students starting in fall 2023, and 10% of the tuition for students starting in fall 2024)
General scholarship conditions:
- Students have met the application requirements, got admitted and paid the enrollment confirmation fee
- Scholarships are valid for the duration of study as long as the student is in good academic standing
- Scholarships are deducted from the tuition statement after course registration and attendance.
- Scholarships (except for the President Merit Scholarship) and financial aid may be combined unless stated otherwise, but total financial assistance (scholarships, financial aid, grants etc.) cannot exceed 80% of the tuition.
Provider information
Main Contact
Campus Address: Νεοφύτου Νικολαίδη 65, Paphos, Cyprus (Neophytou Nicolaides 65, 8011 Pafos Cyprus)
Contact Person: Mustafa El-Habal
