How does AI influence markets, innovation, our social lives and our political institutions? Should we use AI to make decisions about hiring or college admissions? Can you build a computer model to predict social change? In this far-reaching major, you’ll learn about the dynamic relationships among politics, economics and theories of justice. You’ll also see how AI is quickly shaping these fields, and how AI can help us understand these rapid changes. If you want to solve moral, social and political problems — and you’re interested in how AI is creating new opportunities and new challenges — then this major might be the perfect fit for you.
To build your understanding of AI, you’ll take classes about AI ethics and the potential and pitfalls of AI for the public good. You’ll learn to use AI tools to better understand complex social problems, and study the fundamentals of economics, public policy, and how to apply models to propose solutions guided by questions of justice and legitimacy. As you advance, you’ll explore the impact of AI on the future of work, how AI shapes culture and power structures, and how AI can help create a freer, more equitable society. Our emphasis on experiential learning and community engagement means you’ll not just speculate about these multifaceted issues, you’ll put your skills to work, gaining practical experience and novel insight. Depending on your interests, you can choose from electives in game theory, social philosophy, urban economics, negotiation and other topics. You can delve deep into computational modeling and analytical tools, or focus on using AI to be a more effective community leader. Finally, you’ll work with a team in a capstone course that lets you solve a real-world problem to help society.
Hang out with other people who love talking about technology and social change. Get hands-on experience with AI. Make new friends at special events, including a Local Leader Speaker series, a PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) Speaker Series, and even movie and game nights. At UB, you’ll have all of these opportunities — and many more.
Internships, research and experiential learning. Here, you can test your AI skills in on-campus engineering intramurals, work directly with professors on groundbreaking studies, and get real-world experience through an internship. At UB, we pair cutting-edge research with practical know-how to make a lasting social impact. Opportunities include:
Study abroad. How do other countries use AI to improve public policy, the economy and other parts of society? Get a fresh perspective when you spend a semester abroad.
Student groups and events. With more than 500 clubs, there’s something for everyone at UB — including groups for students interested in AI, public policy, politics, philosophy, economics, and much more. Our PPE Club is one of the largest groups on campus. And if you want to be inspired, check out the guest speakers and other events throughout the year.
This program opens doors in law, politics, business, economics, social sciences and many other fields because it teaches you how society works — and how to use AI to analyze complex situations and predict what happens next.
Throughout your career, you might find yourself working for a business, nonprofit organization or government agency in one of these roles:
If you want to continue your education after graduation, you could also choose to go to law school, business school, or graduate school in a field like political science, public policy, economics or philosophy.
Thanks to the wide range of topics in this major, you’ll have opportunities to take core classes with professors in philosophy, political science, economics, and computer science (AI). Of course, you can also choose electives with faculty throughout UB.
If you’re looking for mentors, you’ll appreciate that our faculty work closely with students and have earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and UB Teaching Innovation Award, among many other honors.
UB’s PPE program is a global leader in the field. We have one of the most pre-eminent research groups in the country. They have been awarded well over ten million dollars in research grants, consulted for major international agencies like the World Bank and UNICEF, given keynote addresses around the world, are editors of the major journals and book series for the field, and have published in the top journals in their respective fields, including “Ethics,” “Philosophy and Public Affairs,” “Journal of Political Philosophy,” “American Political Science Review,” “Journal of Politics,” “American Journal of Political Science,” “PLoS ONE,” “Journal of Network and Computer Applications,” “Journal of Peace Research” and “Journal of Comparative Economics.”