Hamilton Center at UF announces two new majors

The Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida has announced two new undergraduate majors: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law, and Great Books and Ideas. The approval of these majors last week by the State University System of Florida Board of Governors marks a new chapter for the Gator community, providing students with rich, multidisciplinary educational opportunities that are both timely and timeless. 

The Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law major is inspired by the iconic curriculum pioneered by Oxford University, blending classic texts of the Western tradition with modern analytic and quantitative skills essential for professional success in the 21st century.

Students enrolled in this bachelor of arts program will engage with pivotal ideas, thinkers, and debates that have shaped the world. The curriculum emphasizes critical reading, writing, and thinking, preparing graduates for diverse careers in law, public policy, business, and beyond. The program will offer both a major and a minor. 

Similarly, the Great Books and Ideas program will immerse students in the works of some of history's most influential authors, including Shakespeare, Plato, Dante, Austen, Nietzsche, Augustine, Freud, Hobbes, and Darwin. Through this multidisciplinary approach, students will learn to think more clearly, write more effectively, and speak more persuasively. The program will offer a major and a minor, inviting students to explore the great ideas that continue to resonate today. 

"These majors offer Gator students some exciting new choices and opportunities," said William Inboden, Ph.D., the director of the Hamilton Center. "We believe that studying philosophy, politics, economics, and law – and engaging with the greatest books and core texts of our tradition – will equip our students with depth of mind and soul, as well as offer pathways to professional success." 

Students interested in these new programs can begin registering this week for Spring 2025 classes.  

For more information about the PPEL and GBI programs, visit hamilton.center.ufl.edu. 

About the Hamilton Center 
The Hamilton Center at the University of Florida is dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary studies that integrate the great ideas and texts of the Western tradition and American founding. Our mission is to inspire critical thinking, build professional skills, and cultivate informed citizenship among students.