---
title: "Outline of academic disciplines"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_academic_disciplines"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:29:41.611121+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

An academic discipline or academic field is a subdivision 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 within colleges and universities to which their practitioners belong. Academic disciplines are conventionally divided into the humanities (including philosophy, languages, art and cultural studies), the scientific disciplines (such as physics, chemistry, and biology); and the formal sciences like mathematics and computer science. The social sciences are sometimes considered a fourth category. It is also known as a field of study, field of inquiry, research field and branch of knowledge. The different terms are used in different countries and fields.
Individuals associated with academic disciplines are commonly referred to as experts or specialists. Others, who may have studied liberal arts or systems theory rather than concentrating in a specific academic discipline, are classified as generalists.
The following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to academic disciplines. In each case, an entry at the highest level of the hierarchy (e.g., Humanities) is a group of broadly similar disciplines; an entry at the next highest level (e.g., Music) is a discipline having some degree of autonomy and being the fundamental identity felt by its scholars. Lower levels of the hierarchy are sub-disciplines that do generally not have any role in the title of the university's governance. The proper criteria for organizing knowledge into disciplines is open to debate.


== Humanities ==


=== Performing arts ===


=== Visual arts ===


=== History ===

Also regarded as a Social science


=== Languages and literature ===

Linguistics listed in Social science


=== Law ===

Also regarded as a Social science


=== Philosophy ===

Also regarded as the separate, an entry at the highest level of the hierarchy


=== Religious studies ===

Also regarded as a social science


=== Divinity ===


=== Theology ===


=== Religion ===


== Social science ==


=== Anthropology ===


==== Archaeology ====


=== Business ===


=== Economics ===


=== Futurology ===
(also known as future studies or prospective studies)
Main articles: Outline of futures studies and Futures studies


=== Geography ===


=== Linguistics ===

Also regarded as a formal science


=== Political science ===


=== Psychology ===


=== Sociology ===


=== Interdisciplinary studies ===


==== Area studies ====


==== Ethnic and cultural studies ====


==== Organizational studies ====


== Natural science ==


=== Physical Science ===


==== Space sciences ====


===== Astronomy =====


==== Physics ====


==== Chemistry ====


==== Earth science ====


=== Life science ===


==== Biology ====


== Formal science ==


=== Computer science ===

Also a branch of electrical engineering


=== Logic ===

Mathematical logic
Set theory
Proof theory
Model theory
Recursion theory
Modal logic
Intuitionistic logic
Philosophical logic
Logical reasoning
Modal logic
Deontic logic
Doxastic logic
Logic in computer science
Programming language semantics
Formal methods (Formal verification)
Type theory
Logic programming
Multi-valued logic
Fuzzy logic


=== Mathematics ===


==== Pure mathematics ====


==== Applied mathematics ====


===== Statistics =====


== Applied science ==


=== Agriculture ===


=== Architecture and design ===


=== Education ===


=== Engineering and technology ===


==== Chemical engineering ====


==== Civil engineering ====


==== Educational technology ====


==== Electrical engineering ====


==== Materials science ====


==== Mechanical engineering ====


==== Systems science ====


=== Environmental studies and forestry ===


=== Family and consumer science ===


=== Human physical performance and recreation ===


=== Journalism, media studies and communication ===


=== Library and museum studies ===


=== Medicine and health ===


=== Military sciences ===


=== Public administration ===


=== Public policy ===


=== Social work ===


=== Transportation ===


== See also ==


== Notes ==


== Further reading ==
Abbott, Andrew (2001). Chaos of Disciplines. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-00101-2.
Oleson, Alexandra; Voss, John (1979). The Organization of knowledge in modern America, 1860–1920. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-2108-8.
US Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences. Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). National Center for Education Statistics.


== 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 Archived 2010-12-12 at the Wayback Machine) Chapter 3 and Appendix 1: Fields of research classification.
Fields of Knowledge, a zoomable map allowing the academic disciplines and sub-disciplines in this article be visualised.
Sandoz, R. (ed.), Interactive Historical Atlas of the Disciplines, University of Geneva