The Oxford Curriculum That American Universities Need
One of the world’s oldest universities offers a degree program to help students navigate the uncertainties of modern life.
Where the PPE degree got its start.
Photographer: Carl Court/Getty Images EuropeOf all the hallowed American institutions that have experienced a loss in public esteem over the last few years, perhaps none has suffered a bigger drop than higher education. Whether the explanation is sky-high tuition, grade inflation, moral confusion or, lately, the milk and cookies for students anxious about the election, the most egregious examples always seem to be from the most elite institutions.
There is a way to restore trust, but it will require buy-in from both universities and employers: Focus more on what people study rather than where they study. And one of the most valuable courses of study is a curriculum developed a century ago, commonly known as Philosophy, Politics and Economics, or PPE.