Outline of academic disciplines

Outline of academic disciplines is a comprehensive list of the various fields of study that exist within academia. These disciplines are often divided into several sub-disciplines, each with its own unique set of methodologies, theories, and practices.

Definition

An academic discipline or field of study is a branch of knowledge, taught and researched as part of higher education. A scholar's discipline is commonly defined by the university faculties and learned societies to which they belong and the academic journals in which they publish research.

Classification

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) provides a taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity.

Disciplines and sub-disciplines

Humanities

Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. They include:

• Philosophy - the study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and ethics.
• History - the study of past events.
• Literature - the study of written work, primarily those which are considered part of the canon of great literature.
• Languages - the study of human language, including both natural languages and constructed languages.

Social Sciences

Social sciences are the fields of academic scholarship that explore aspects of human society. They include:

• Psychology - the study of mind and behavior.
• Sociology - the study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture.
• Political Science - the study of politics and power from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives.
• Economics - the study of how societies use scarce resources to produce valuable commodities and distribute them among different people.

Natural Sciences

Natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods. They include:

• Physics - the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force.
• Chemistry - the study of the properties and behavior of matter.
• Biology - the study of life and living organisms.
• Earth Science - the study of the physical constitution of the earth and its atmosphere.

Formal Sciences

Formal sciences are disciplines concerned with formal systems, such as logic, mathematics, statistics, theoretical computer science, information theory, game theory, systems theory, decision theory, and theoretical linguistics.

Applied Sciences

Applied sciences are disciplines that apply existing scientific knowledge to develop more practical applications, like technology or inventions.

See also

• List of academic fields
• Academic degree
• Academic publishing