Academic discipline

This is a list of academic disciplines (and academic fields). An academic discipline is a branch of knowledge which is formally taught, either at the university, or via some other such method. Functionally, disciplines are usually defined and recognised by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies to which their practitioners belong.

Each discipline usually has several sub-disciplines or branches and distinguishing lines are often both arbitrary and ambiguous.

Historically (in medieval Europe) there where only four faculties in a university: Theology, Medicine, Jurisprudence and Arts, with the last one having a somewhat lower status than the other three. Today's disciplines have their roots in the mid- to late-19th century secularization of universities, when the traditional curriculum was supplemented by non-classical languages and literatures, physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. In the opening decades of the 20th century, education, sociology, and psychology took their place in the university curriculum.

A "*" denotes a field whose academic status is debated.

Natural sciences

Astronomy

• Astrophysics
  • Cosmogony
  • Cosmology

Behavioral science

Biology

• Aerobiology
• Anatomy
  • Comparative anatomy
  • Human anatomy
• Animal communications
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics
• Biophysics
• Botany
• Cell biology
• Chronobiology
• Cryobiology
• Ecology
  • Human ecology
  • Landscape ecology
• Endocrinology
• Entomology
• Evolutionary biology
• Genetics
• Human biology
  • Human anatomy
• Limnology
• Linnaean taxonomy
• Marine biology
• Microbiology
• Molecular biology
• Mycology
• Neuroscience
• Ornithology
• Paleontology
• Parasitology
• Pathology
• Phycology
• Physiology
  • Human physiology
• Virology
  • Molecular Virology
  • Epidemial Virology
• Xenobiology
• Zoology
  • Cryptozoology
  • Entomology
  • Herpetology
  • Ichthyology
  • Oology
  • Ornithology
  • Primatology
  • Zootomy

See also: #Anthropology, #Psychology

Chemistry

• Alchemy
• Analytical chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Computational chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Physical chemistry
• Theoretical chemistry

Physics

• Acoustics
• Astrophysics
• Atomic, molecular, and optical physics
• Biophysics
• Computational physics
• Condensed matter physics
• Cryogenics
• Fluid dynamics
• Newtonian Dynamics
• Optics
• Nuclear physics
• Plasma physics
• Particle physics
• Vehicle dynamics

Earth sciences

• Environmental science
• Geodesy
• Geography
• Geology
• Geomorphology
• Geophysics
• Glaciology
• Hydrogeology
• Hydrology
• Meteorology
• Mineralogy
• Oceanography
• Pedology
• Paleontology
• Planetary science
• Sedimentology
• Soil science

Mathematics and computer science

Mathematics

• Algebra
• Analysis
• Calculus
• Game theory
• Geometry
• Information theory
• Number theory
• Probability theory
• Statistics
• Topology
• For a more extensive list, see list of mathematics articles, and list of mathematics lists.

Computer science

• Algorithms
• Artificial intelligence
• Computer security
• Computing
• Complexity theory
• Cryptography
• Distributed systems
• Hardware
• Programming (see List of programming languages)
• Formal methods
• Information systems
• Robotics
• Visual Analytics

See also: ACM Computing Classification System

Social sciences

Anthropology

• Biological anthropology
  • Primate behavior
  • Human evolution
  • Population genetics
  • Forensic anthropology
• Anthropological linguistics
  • Synchronic linguistics (or Descriptive linguistics)
  • Diachronic linguistics (or Historical linguistics)
  • Educational
  • Ethnolinguistics
  • Sociolinguistics
• Archeology
• Cultural anthropology
  • Anthropology of religion
  • Anthropology of technology
  • Economic anthropology
  • Ethnography
  • Ethnohistory
  • Ethnology
  • Ethnomusicology
  • Human behavioral ecology
  • Mythology
  • Political anthropology
  • Psychological anthropology
  • Urban anthropology
• Historical anthropology

Archaeology

Communications

• Animal communications
• Information theory
• Interpersonal communications
  • Marketing
  • Propaganda
  • Public affairs
  • Public diplomacy
  • Public relations
  • Technical Writing
• Nonverbal communications
• Speech communications
• Telecommunications
  • Computer-mediated communications
  • Telecommunications Systems Management

Economics

• Econometrics
• Game theory
• Human development theory
• Labour economics
• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics

Ethnic Studies

• Asian American Studies
• Black Studies or African American Studies
• Latino/Latina Studies
• Native American Studies

Ethnology

• Ethnomusicology
• Folklore

History

• Ancient history
• Diplomatic history
• European history
• Military history
• Modern history

Geography

• Cultural geography
• Economic geography
• Environmental geography
• Human geography
• Physical geography

Linguistics

• Historical linguistics
• Interlinguistics
• Morphology
• Phonetics
• Phonology
• Semantics
• Sociolinguistics
• Syntax

Political science

• Civics
• International relations
• Political philosophy
• Psephology
• Public policy

Psychology

• Astropsychology*
• Behavioural psychology
• Cognitive psychology
• Cognitive science
• Differential psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Evolutionary psychology
• Experimental psychology
• Intrapersonal communications
• Neuropsychology
• Organisational psychology
• Psychology of work
• Parapsychology*
• Psychoanalysis
• Social psychology

Semiotics

• Vexillology*

Sociology

• Collective behavior
• Computational sociology
• Environmental sociology
• Interactionism
• Economic development
• Economic sociology
• Feminist sociology
• Functionalism
• Future studies
• Human ecology
• Industrial sociology
• Media Sociology
• Medical sociology
• Political sociology
• Program evaluation
• Public sociology
• Pure sociology
• Rural Sociology
• Science studies
• Science and technology studies
• Social change
• Social demography
• Social inequality
• Social movements
• Social Theory
• Sociobiology
• Sociology of culture
• Sociology of conflict
• Sociology of deviance
• Sociology of disaster
• Sociology of the family
• Sociology of markets
• Sociology of religion
• Sociology of sport
• Urban studies or Urban sociology
• Visual sociology

Humanities and arts

Area studies (sometimes called cultural studies)

• American studies
• African studies
• Asian Studies
• Catholic studies
• Chinese studies
• Eastern European studies
• Esperanto studies
• German studies
• International Studies
• Japanese studies
• Latin American studies
• Irish studies
• Islamic studies
• Jewish studies
• Russian studies

Art

• Art history
• Studio art

Classics

Creative writing

• Creative nonfiction
• Fiction writing
• Non-fiction writing
• Literary journalism
• Poetry composition
• Screenwriting

Dance

• Choreography
• Dance analysis
• Dance notation
• Dance studies
• Ethnochoreology
• History of dance
• Performance, somatic practice

English literature

also see Literature

• American literature
  • African American literature
  • Southern literature
• Australian literature
• British literature (literature outside England may be written in Celtic languages)
  • English literature
  • Northern Ireland literature
  • Scottish literature
  • Welsh literature
• Canadian literature (a significant amount of Canadian literature is also written in French)
• Irish literature
• New Zealand literature

Film studies and film criticism

• Animation

Folklore

History

• Ancient history
• Diplomatic history
• Ethnohistory
• European history
• History of science and technology
• Military history
• Modern history

Linguistics

see entry under social sciences

Literature and cultural studies

• English studies
• Comparative literature

Literatures

• English literature
  • African American literature
  • American literature
  • British literature
  • Indian literature
  • Irish literature
• French literature
• Gaelic literature
• German literature
• Hindi literature
• Modern Hebrew Literature
• Portuguese & Brazilian literature
• Spanish literature
• Yiddish literature
• other languages' and cultures' literatures

Methods and topics

• Literary criticism
• Literary theory
• Media studies
• New media
• Poetics

Music

• Accompanying
• Arts leadership
• Chamber music
• Church music
• Musical composition
• Conducting
  • Choral conducting
  • Orchestral conducting
  • Wind ensemble conducting
• Early music
• Jazz studies and new media
• Music education
  • Music theory pedagodgy
• Music history
• Music theory
• Musicology
  • Ethnomusicology
• Performance and literature
  • Organ and historical keyboards
  • Piano
  • Strings, harp, and guitar
  • Voice
  • Woodwinds, brass, and percussion
• Orchestral studies

Museology

Mythology

Philology

Philosophy

• Aesthetics
• Continental philosophy
• Eastern philosophy
• Epistemology
• Ethics
• Hermeneutics
• History of philosophy
• Logic
• Metaphysics
• Philosophy of language
• Philosophy of mathematics
• Philosophy of mind
• Philosophy of religion
• Philosophy of science

Religious studies

• Canon law
• Catholic studies
• Comparative religious studies
• Islamic studies
  • Hadith
  • Islamic history
  • Islamic jurisprudence
  • Qur'an
• Jewish Studies
  • Bible
  • Halacha
  • Jewish history
  • Jewish philosophy
  • Jewish literature
• Mythology
• Theology
  • Astrology*
  • Christology
  • Kabbalah
  • Midrash
  • Moral theology
  • Mystical theology
  • Numerology*
  • Spirituality
  • Talmud

Theatre

• History
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Design
  • Dramaturgy

Women's studies and gender studies

• Queer studies

Professions / Applied sciences

Design

• city planning, urban planning
• industrial design, product design
• graphic design, interface design
• architecture
• interior design (also see family and consumer science below)
• landscape architecture

Business

• Accounting scholarship
• Business ethics
• Finance
• Industrial and labor relations
  • Collective bargaining
  • Human resources
    • Organizational Behavior
  • International and comparative labor
  • Labor economics
  • Labor history
  • Labor statistics
• Information systems
• Management
• Marketing
• Manufacturing

Education

• Curriculum and instruction
  • Elementary Education (Primary education & Intermediate education)
  • Middle school education
  • Secondary education
  • Higher education
• Physical Education
• Educational administration
• Educational psychology
• Educational technology

Engineering

• Acoustic engineering
• Agricultural engineering
• Architectural engineering
• Bioengineering
  • Biomaterials engineering
  • Biomedical engineering
• Chemical engineering
• Civil engineering
• Combat engineering
• Computer engineering
• Control systems engineering
• Ecological engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Electronic engineering
  • Microelectronics and semiconductor engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Industrial engineering
• Materials engineering
  • Ceramic engineering
  • Metallurgical engineering
  • Polymer engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Mining engineering
• Nuclear engineering
• Ocean engineering
• Optical engineering
• Quality assurance engineering
• Petroleum engineering
• Robotics
• Safety engineering
• Telecommunications engineering
• Transportation engineering
  • Aerospace engineering
  • Automotive systems engineering
  • Naval engineering
    • Marine engineering
    • Naval architecture

Ergonomics

Agriculture

• Animal science
• Agrology
• Agricultural economics
• Aquaculture
• Beekeeping (Apiculture)
• Horticulture
• Plant science

Forestry

• Forestry organisation
• Silviculture

Family and consumer science

• Foodservice management
  • Hotel administration
• Consumer education
• Housing
• Interior design (also see architecture and environmental design above)
• Nutrition (also see medical sciences below)
• Textiles

Journalism and mass communications

• Advertising
• Film
• Journalism
  • Broadcast journalism
  • New media journalism
  • Print journalism
• Public relations
• List of journalists

Law

• Canon law
• Comparative law
• Constitutional law
• Civil law
  • Accounting law
  • Admiralty law
  • Corporations
  • Civil procedure
  • Contracts
  • Environmental law
  • International law
  • Labor law
  • Property law
  • Tax law
  • Torts
• Criminal law
  • Criminal procedure
  • Criminal justice (also see Public Affairs and Community Service below)
    • Police science
    • Forensics
• Islamic law
• Jewish law
• Jurisprudence
• Philosophy of law

Library and information science

Health sciences

• Medical Sciences
  • Dentistry
    • Dental hygiene and Epidemiology
    • Dental surgery
    • Restorative dentistry and Endodontics
    • Orthodontics
    • Oral and maxillofacial surgery
    • Pedodontics (Pediatric dentistry)
    • Periodontics
    • Prosthodontics
    • Implantology
  • Human medicine
    • Cardiology
    • Endocrinology and diabetology
    • Epidemiology
    • Forensics
    • Geriatrics
    • Hematology
    • Internal medicine
    • Health science
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Neurosurgery
    • Pathology
    • Pediatrics
    • Psychiatry (see also: Anti-psychiatry*)
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • Midwifery
  • Nursing
  • Veterinary medicine
• Nutrition (also see family and consumer science above)
• Optometry
• Pharmacy
• Physiotherapy
• Public health

Military science

• Artillery
• Air force studies
• Campaigning
• Combat engineering
• Comparative military systems
• Doctrine
• Force planning
• Game theory (also see economics above)
• Generalship
• Joint warfare studies
• Leadership
• Logistics
• Military ethics
• Military history
• Military intelligence
• Military law
• Military medicine
• Naval science
  • Naval engineering
  • Naval tactics
  • Naval architecture
  • Weapons systems
• Special operations and low intensity conflict
• Strategy
• Tactics
  • Naval tactics

Public affairs and community service

• Criminal justice (also see Law above)
  • Corrections
• Nonprofit administration
• Parks and recreation management
• Public administration
  • Industrial and labor relations (also see Business above)
• Social work
  • Gerontology

See also

• Academic conference
• List of science topics
• Interdisciplinarity
• de:Studiengang