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List of Academic Disciplines Information

An academic discipline, or field of study, is a branch of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined (in part), and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties to which their practitioners belong.

Fields of study usually have several sub-disciplines or branches, and the distinguishing lines between these are often both arbitrary and ambiguous.[1]

Contents

Overview

The University of Paris in 1231 consisted of four faculties: Theology, Medicine, Canon Law and Arts.[2] Most academic disciplines have their roots in the mid- to late-19th century secularization of universities, when the traditional curricula were supplemented with non-classical languages and literatures, social sciences such as political science, economics, sociology and public administration, and natural science and technology disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering.

In the early 20th century, new disciplines such as education and psychology were added. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was an explosion of new disciplines focusing on specific themes, such as media studies, women's studies, and black studies. Many disciplines designed as preparation for careers and professions, such as nursing, hospitality management, and corrections, also emerged in the universities. Finally, interdisciplinary scientific fields such as biochemistry and geophysics gained prominence as their contribution to knowledge became widely recognized.

There is no consensus on how some academic disciplines should be classified, e.g., whether anthropology and linguistics are social sciences disciplines or humanities disciplines. More generally, the proper criteria for organizing knowledge into disciplines are also open to debate.

An asterisk (*) denotes a field whose academic status has been debated among this article's editors.

Humanities

Main article: Humanities

History

Main articles: History and Branches of history

Languages and linguistics

Main articles: Language, Linguistics, Lists of languages, and Branches of linguistics

Literature

Main articles: Literature and Outline of literature

Performing arts

Main articles: Performing arts and Outline of performing arts

Philosophy

Main articles: Philosophy and Outline of philosophy

Religion

Main article: Religious studies See also: List of religions and spiritual traditions

Visual arts

Main articles: Visual arts and Outline of visual arts

Social sciences

Main article: Social science

Anthropology

Main articles: Anthropology and Outline of anthropology

Archaeology

Main articles: Archaeology and Outline of archeology See also: Branches of archaeology

Area studies

Main article: Area studies

Cultural and ethnic studies

Main articles: Cultural studies and Ethnic studies

Economics

Main articles: Economics and Outline of economics

Gender and sexuality studies

Main article: Gender and sexuality studies

Geography

Main articles: Geography and Outline of geography

Political science

Main article: Political science See also: Outline of politics

Psychology

Main article: Psychology See also: Branches of psychology, Cognitive science, Affective science, and Behavioural sciences

Sociology

Main articles: Sociology and Outline of sociology

Natural sciences

Main articles: Natural science and Outline of natural science

Space sciences

Main article: Space science
See also Outline of astronomy

Earth sciences

Main articles: Earth science and Outline of earth science
See also Branches of earth sciences

Life sciences

Main article: Life sciences
See also Branches of life sciences

Chemistry

Main articles: Chemistry and Outline of chemistry
See also Branches of chemistry

Physics

Main articles: Physics and Outline of physics
See also Branches of physics

Formal sciences

Main article: Formal sciences

Computer sciences

Main articles: Computer sciences and Outline of computer science
See also Branches of computer science and ACM Computing Classification System

Logic

Main articles: Logic and Outline of logic

Mathematics

Main articles: Mathematics and Outline of mathematics
See also Branches of mathematics and AMS Mathematics Subject Classification

Statistics

Main articles: Statistics and Outline of statistics

Systems science

Main article: Systems science

Professions and Applied sciences

Main articles: Profession and Applied science

Agriculture

Main articles: Agriculture and Outline of agriculture

Architecture and design

Main articles: Architecture and Design

Business

Main articles: Business and Business education

Divinity

Main article: Divinity (academic discipline)

Education

Main articles: Education and Outline of education

Engineering

Main articles: Engineering, Outline of engineering, and Engineering education
See also Branches of engineering

Environmental studies and Forestry

Main articles: Environmental studies and Forestry

Family and consumer science

Main article: Family and consumer science

Health sciences

Main article: Health science
See also Branches of medicine

Human physical performance and recreation*

Journalism, media studies and communication

Main articles: Journalism, Media studies, and Communication studies

Law

Main article: Law

Library and museum studies

Main articles: Library science and Museology

Military sciences

Main article: Military science

Public administration

Main article: Public administration

Social work

Main article: Social work

Transportation

Main article: Transportation theory

See also

Main article: Branches of science

Notes

  1. ^ Andrew Abbott, Chaos of Disciplines University Of Chicago Press 2001 ISBN 0-226-00101-6
  2. ^ History of Education, Encyclopædia Britannica (1977, 15th edition), Macropaedia Volume 6, p. 337

References

External links

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