List of academic disciplines
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Fields of study usually have several sub-disciplines or branches, and the distinguishing lines between these are often both arbitrary and ambiguous. [1]
Difference between Field and Dicipline
'Field' is a branch of knowledge with its distinct scientific methods, conferences, traditions, etc. For example, field of computer science, field of cryptography, etc.A field may have sub-fields. For example, number theory is a sub-field (or simply the field) within the field of mathematics.
Different field may also overlap, in terms of knowledge.
When a field become big enough then it may get the status of 'Discipline'. Note that 'Disciplines' are defined by academics; e.g., some universities consider the classic field of mass communication to be discipline and therefore have a seperate department, faculty members, admin staffs for this discipline; while some universities do not give the field of mass communication the status of discipline and therefore it is taught within other departments such as computer science, informatics, etc.
In short, 'field' is from theoretical knowledge point of view, while 'discipline' represent recognized academic point of view by universities
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 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, Sociology, 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
History
- See also Branches of history
Languages and linguistics
Literature
Performing arts
Philosophy
- See also Branches of philosophy
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Religion
- See also List of religions
Visual arts
Social sciences
Anthropology
- See also Branches of anthropology
Archaeology
- See also Branches of archaeology
Area studies
- See also Branches of area studies
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Cultural and ethnic studies
Economics
Gender and sexuality studies
Geography
- See also Branches of geography
Political science
- See also Branches of political science
Psychology
- See also Branches of psychology, Cognitive science, Affective science, and Behavioural science
Sociology
- See also Branches of sociology
Natural sciences
Space sciences
- See also Branches of astronomy
Earth sciences
- See also Branches of earth sciences
Life sciences
- See also Branches of life sciences
Chemistry
- See also Branches of chemistry
Physics
- See also Branches of physics
Formal sciences
Computer sciences
- See also Branches of computer science and ACM Computing Classification System
Logic
Mathematics
- See also Branches of mathematics and AMS Mathematics Subject Classification
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Statistics
Systems science
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Professions and Applied sciences
Agriculture
Architecture and design
Business
Divinity
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Education
Engineering
- See also Branches of engineering
Environmental studies and Forestry
Family and consumer science
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Health sciences
- See also Branches of medicine
Human physical performance and recreation*
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Journalism, media studies and communication
Law
Library and museum studies
Military sciences
Public administration
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Social work
Transportation
See also
- Academia
- Academic genealogy
- Curriculum
- Fields of science
- Interdisciplinarity
- Classification of Instructional Programs
- Joint Academic Classification of Subjects
- List of education topics
- List of fields of doctoral studies
- Transdisciplinary studies
Notes
References
- Andrew Abbott, Chaos of Disciplines University Of Chicago Press 2001 ISBN 0226001016
- Alexandra Oleson & John Voss (eds) The Organization of Knowledge in Modern America, 1860-1920 Johns Hopkins University Press 1979 ISBN 0801821088
External links
- Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2000): Developed by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics to provide a taxonomic scheme that will support the accurate tracking, assessment, and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity.
- Complete JACS (Joint Academic Classification of Subjects) from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in the United Kingdom
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC 2008) (web-page) Chapter 3 and Appendix 1: Fields of research classification.
