Common Fields of Studies (aka Academic Fields)

Humans’ appetite of knowing and understanding their world is insatiable. Since time immemorial, human beings have been gathering knowledge and evolving it. The universe is so vast and there is so much to learn that no one person can study all the aspects of life and the world. Therefore, fields of studies or academic fields have been developed. A field of study focuses on a specific aspect of overall universe of knowledge. People often tend to study one (or, more uncommonly, a few) of these academic fields.

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects (like planets, solar system, black holes, galaxies etc.) and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution.

Physics

Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. Physics is one of the most fundamental scientific disciplines.

Chemistry

Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds composed of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior and the changes they undergo during a reaction with other substances.

Biology

Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary information encoded in genes, which can be transmitted to future generations.

History

History is the study and the documentation of the past. It uses narrative to describe, examine, question, and analyze past events, and investigate their patterns of cause and effect.

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order and social change.

Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between the natural and social sciences.

Statistics

Statistics is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, industrial, or social problem, it is conventional to begin with a statistical population or a statistical model to be studied.

Journalism

Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the news and that informs society to at least some degree. Journalistic media include: print, television, radio, Internet, and, in the past, newsreels.

Economics

Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods, services and money.

Political Science

Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws.

Accounting / Accountancy

Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations.

Anthropology

Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species.

Engineering

Engineering is the study and use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings.

Law

Law is the study of set of rules that are created and are enforced by social or governmental institutions to regulate human behavior.

Genetics

Genetics is a branch of biology concerned with the study of genes, process of gene expression, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.

Sexology

Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions.

Physiotherapy

Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, concerns with promotion, maintenance, or restoring health through physical examination, diagnosis, prognosis, patient education, physical intervention, rehabilitation, disease prevention, and health promotion.

Oncology

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer.

Theology

Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries.

Linguistics

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure.

Archeology

Archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities.

Philosophy

Philosophy is the systematic study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Philosophical methods include questioning, critical discussion, rational argument, and systematic presentation.

Medicine

Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, and promoting their health. Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences, biomedical research, genetics, and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease, typically through pharmaceuticals, surgery, and therapies.

Geography

Geography is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of the Earth and other planets.

Earth Science

This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth’s four spheres, namely biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere.