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Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law

The Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law (PPEL) Pathway for incoming freshmen explores complex questions through these interconnected disciplines.

Students in the PPEL Pathway build an interdisciplinary foundation through coursework in politics, economics, philosophy and law while completing the high-impact experiences, service, seminar and thesis requirements of the Kugelman Honors Program.

When to Apply

To maximize your scholarship opportunities, complete your UWF application with all required items by the Dec. 1 Scholarship Priority Consideration Deadline (for freshmen beginning Summer/Fall only).

For more information, visit the Freshman Scholarships webpage.

Honors Admissions Process

Step 1: Honors Freshman Admission Requirements for Consideration Eligibility

Admission to the Kugelman Honors Program is based on a merit-based review of GPA and test scores. High-performing students who have submitted their UWF application to Undergraduate Admissions and meet the following qualifications may be considered for admission.

  • 3.95+ GPA weighted high school GPA as calculated by UWF
  • One of the following test scores:
    • 25+ ACT
    • 1200+ SAT
    • 83+ CLT
Step 2: Invited Freshmen Respond to Invitation

The Kugelman Honors Program begins sending invitations in January; eligible incoming freshmen can accept or decline their invitation until April 1 or until all spots are filled. Invitations are sent to eligible students via the My Messages app in MyUWF. Once invited, students must accept or decline the invitation by selecting one of three options:

  1. Join Honors*
  2. Join Honors and will be transferring in more than 45 credit hours to UWF*
  3. Decline Honors

*Official admission to UWF will need to be confirmed by UWF staff.

The following table shares the required courses, credit hours and corresponding semester.

PPEL Pathway Program* Requirements and Timeline
Requirement Credits Semester
AMS 2010 Civil Discourse and the American Political Order 3 Freshman-Fall or Spring
ECO 2013 Principles of Economics Macro 3 Freshman-Fall or Spring
PHI 2010H Honors Intro to Philosophy 3 Freshman-Fall or Spring
PLA 2013H Honors Survey of American Law 3 Freshman-Fall or Spring
IDH 3701 Service Learning and E-Portfolio Development 1 Sophomore-Fall or Spring
IDH 3055 Honors Thesis Research Methods 1 Sophomore-Spring
IDH 3916 High Impact Experience 1-3 Varies; may be embedded in a course
IDH 403@ Honors Seminar 3 Varies
IDH 4970 Thesis (or complete Capstone as Thesis) 3-6 Senior-Fall, Spring and/or Summer
ePortfolio - Begin in IDH 3701; finalize by graduation
Community Service - Minimum of 80 hours by graduation
Presentation of Honors Thesis - Typically last semester of thesis

*New pathway beginning Fall 2026