Academic department
Encyclopedia
An academic department is a division of a university
or school
faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline
. This article covers United States
usage at the university level.
The organization of faculties into departments is not standard, but most U.S. universities will have at least departments of History, Physics, English (language and literature), Psychology, and so on. Sometimes divisions are coarser: a liberal arts college
which de-emphasizes the sciences may have a single Science department; an engineering university may have one department for Language and literature (in all languages). Sometimes divisions may be finer: for example, Harvard University
has separate departments of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Some disciplines are found in different departments at different institutions: biochemistry may be in biology, in chemistry or in its own department; computer science may be in mathematics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering, or its own department (the usual case nowadays).
Departments in professional graduate school
s will be specialized like the school itself, so a medical school
will probably have departments of Anatomy
, Pathology
, Dermatology
, and so on.
Departments are generally chaired by a member of the department, who may be elected by the faculty of the department, appointed by the dean
of the faculty, or assigned by simple rotation among the tenure
d faculty. The duties, importance, and power of the department chair vary widely among institutions and even among departments within an institution.
Course
s are generally given within a department, and often named for the department, e.g. Physics 230: Quantum mechanics.
Undergraduate academic major
s or degree programs are generally administered by departments, although there may also be interdisciplinary committees for subjects which touch more than one department.
Graduate students in academic (as opposed to professional) programs are much more closely tied to their departments than undergraduates, and the department, rather than the university, is almost completely responsible for their selection (cf. college admissions
) and course of study.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
or school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline
Academic discipline
An academic discipline, or field of study, is a branch of knowledge that 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...
. This article covers United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
usage at the university level.
The organization of faculties into departments is not standard, but most U.S. universities will have at least departments of History, Physics, English (language and literature), Psychology, and so on. Sometimes divisions are coarser: a liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
which de-emphasizes the sciences may have a single Science department; an engineering university may have one department for Language and literature (in all languages). Sometimes divisions may be finer: for example, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
has separate departments of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Some disciplines are found in different departments at different institutions: biochemistry may be in biology, in chemistry or in its own department; computer science may be in mathematics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering, or its own department (the usual case nowadays).
Departments in professional graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
s will be specialized like the school itself, so a medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
will probably have departments of Anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, Pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, Dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, and so on.
Departments are generally chaired by a member of the department, who may be elected by the faculty of the department, appointed by the dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the faculty, or assigned by simple rotation among the tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
d faculty. The duties, importance, and power of the department chair vary widely among institutions and even among departments within an institution.
Course
Course (education)
The very broad dictionary meaning of the word course is the act or action of moving in a path from point to point . There are multiple meanings for this word, some of which include: general line of orientation, a mode of action, part of a meal, a mode of action, and many more. This article focuses...
s are generally given within a department, and often named for the department, e.g. Physics 230: Quantum mechanics.
Undergraduate academic major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
s or degree programs are generally administered by departments, although there may also be interdisciplinary committees for subjects which touch more than one department.
Graduate students in academic (as opposed to professional) programs are much more closely tied to their departments than undergraduates, and the department, rather than the university, is almost completely responsible for their selection (cf. college admissions
College admissions
University admission or college admissions is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution....
) and course of study.