Academic Discipline

An Academic Discipline is a Field of Study, its Academic Institutions, and its corresponding Field of Knowledge from some Subject Area.

• AKA: Discipline, Research Discipline, Academic Area, Research Domain, Academic Subject, Research Area.
• Context:
  • It can be composed of Subdisciplines.
  • It can range from being a Theoretical Discipline to being an Applied Discipline.
  • It can involve a Set of related Research Questions that are formally Analyzed and the supporting Institutions.
  • It can be the focus of:
    • an Educational Practice with Courses that aims to disseminate its Field of Knowledge to Students.
    • a Research Practice that aims to advance knowledge (which can be advanced through Research Activity reported in Academic Journals or Academic Conferences).
    • an Applied Practice that aims to apply knowledge.
  • Its Field of Knowledge can be disseminated by Educators.
• Example(s):
  • Computing Science Discipline
    • Database Systems Discipline
    • Operating Systems Discipline
    • Compilers Discipline
    • Artificial Intelligence Discipline
      • Machine Learning Discipline Discipline.
      • Computational Linguistics Discipline.
    • Data Mining Discipline Discipline
    • Natural Language Processing Discipline.
  • Mathematics Discipline
    • Statistics Discipline
      • Statistical Inference Discipline.
  • Biomedicine Discipline.
  • Humanities Discipline.
• Counter-Example(s):
  • an Applied Practice/Professional Area.
    • Data Mining Practice.
    • Legal Practice.
    • Medical Practice.
    • Nursing Practice.
• See: Applied Practice, Field, Knowledge Branch.

References

2009

• http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=discipline
  • S: (n) discipline, subject, subject area, subject field, field, field of study, study, bailiwick (a branch of knowledge) "in what discipline is his doctorate?"; "teachers should be well trained in their subject"; "anthropology is the study of human beings"
  • ...
• (Wikipedia, 2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_academic_disciplines
  • An academic discipline, or field of study, is a branch of knowledge which is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties to which their practitioners belong.
  • Fields of study usually have several sub-disciplines or branches, and the distinguishing lines between these are often both arbitrary and ambiguous.

2007

• http://www.elearners.com (2007). http://www.elearners.com/resources/glossary.asp
  • Doctoral Degree - An earned degree carrying the title of doctor. The Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) is the highest academic degree and requires mastery within a field of knowledge and demonstrated ability to perform scholarly research.

2003

• (2003). http://www.athabascau.ca/handbook/glossary.htm
  • Discipline. Refers to courses within a specific subject area, for example, English in Humanities, biology in the Sciences, or accounting in Administrative Studies.
  • Major. A major is a designated program of study within a discipline or a field of knowledge.