Aequitas Fellows Program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE)

The Aequitas Fellows Program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) offers you an exciting interdisciplinary educational experience that will deepen your ability to engage a wide variety of public policy issues with the skills and knowledge drawn from all three disciplines.

The Cohort Experience

When you are accepted into the Aequitas PPE program, you will study politics, philosophy, and economics within a cohort of classmates who move together through the four years of curriculum, and you will be able to combine these three fields in creative ways to customize the program to your interests. Faculty theme coordinator Dr. Timothy Taylor will work with your cohort to build an intentional community of Christian student scholars who strengthen one another. You will take courses together, join reading groups on PPE sources, work on policy projects, and have many opportunities for extracurricular social and spiritual development.

Opportunities and Outcomes

You and your fellow students in the Aequitas PPE cohort program will:

• customize your learning to your own interests
• develop a moral philosophy to guide your political objectives
• learn data analysis techniques to test the effectiveness of public policy
• have opportunities for faculty research mentorship to produce analytical public policy essays
• pursue both data-driven statistics and political philosophy approaches to form project proposals that may lead to presentations at relevant think tanks or policy institutes

Preparing For Your Future

These skills and experiences, drawn from all three disciplines, will prepare you for a wide variety of career options and equip you to understand and solve complex problems, making you an ideal candidate for careers in public service and across the private sector.

In addition to these course requirements, students will have additional opportunities to participate in and help organize policy colloquiums hosted by the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics.

• Students are advised to take AQTS 151, PPE 201/PSCI 145, and AQTS 152 during their first year in the program.
• Students are advised to take ECON 211, PPE 201/PSCI 145, PHIL 311/312, AQTS 251, AQTS 252, and AQTS 451 during their second year in the program.

Graduates of the Aequitas Politics, Philosophy, and Economics program receive academic training that prepares them for many careers. With a focus on data analysis and political philosophy, you will be well-versed and adept across multiple dimensions in the modern marketplace. The below list represents some careers for our student graduates:

About the Theme Coordinator

Dr. Timothy Taylor is an Associate Professor of Politics & International Relations at Wheaton College and serves as Theme Coordinator of the Aequitas Fellows Program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. His research and teaching interests include political economy and comparative politics. He specializes in the regions of Asia and Europe and directs undergraduate research projects employing quantitative methodology.  

Dr. Taylor has written numerous articles and essays on diverse topics within political economy that range from international trade to social capital. His research has been published in both academic journals as well as popular outlets such as Christianity Today and The Huffington Post. His research on the determinants of Down syndrome birthrates was awarded the annual Margaret A. Diddams Faith & Learning Lecture, and in 2020, he was recognized with the Wheaton College Junior Faculty Achievement Award. Dr. Taylor has won numerous awards for research with students including the Hatfield Prize. Taylor was awarded the Rothchild Memorial Research Award, and in 2015, was a fellow with the Center for Asian Studies at Ateneo de Manila University. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, where he was a Bilinski Fellow from 2015-2016. Dr. Taylor and his wife reside in Wheaton, Illinois with their four children.

“Studying PPE allows students to benefit from developing a philosophical framework about society and politics while acquiring hard data skills to understand the tradeoffs of policy. PPE maximizes student exposure across several disciplines in a meaningful way to create a holistic education that is needed for a successful career in public service, not-for-profit, or private sector.”  - Dr. Tim Taylor

About the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics (FPE)

The Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics (FPE) helps students and professionals understand the interaction between economics and public life; from the politics and international relations field, to business organizations and corporations, to the community involvement of missionaries and ministers throughout the world. The teaching, research, and public activities of the Center seek to address important policy issues of today. 

The Center seeks to expand curricular offerings, enhance student learning outcomes, organize conferences and seminars for managers, public officials, and ministry executives, and initiate colloquia, workshops, and leaders in residence programs. To accomplish these objectives, the Center provides financial and administrative support for hosting guest lecturers, curriculum development, work on scholarly and policy-relevant research, conferences, public lectures, student seminars, travel-learning experiences and internships.

As an Aequitas PPE student, you will enjoy special access to FPE events and participate in research and travel opportunities.