Fachgebiete

Fachgebiete (sing. Fachgebiet) is a term used in German-speaking higher education and research to denote a defined subject area within which teaching and research are organized. A Fachgebiet describes the domain of inquiry, the methods, and the questions that scholars in that area address. It is closely related to, but not always identical with, terms such as Fachrichtung (specialization) or Fach (subject in school).

In universities, Fachgebiete form the organizational basis for chairs, institutes, and curricula. A professorship is typically assigned to a specific Fachgebiet, and faculties or departments are organized around several Fachgebiete. Researchers publish and apply for funding within their Fachgebiet, and evaluation exercises group work by Fachgebiet.

Common examples of Fachgebiete include Mathematik, Physik, Chemie, Biologie, Medizin, Informatik, Rechtswissenschaft, Politikwissenschaft, Soziologie, Psychologie, Geschichte, and Germanistik. Subfields can be treated as sub-Fachgebiete, or related Fachgebiete may be integrated in interdisziplinäre Forschung.

Outside academia, Fachgebiete are used to describe areas of expertise in organizations or professions, e.g., a physician’s Fachgebiet in Kardiologie or a lawyer’s Fachgebiet in Intellectual Property.

Classification schemes and funding programs often group research under defined Fachgebiete for reporting and evaluation. International systems such as the OECD’s Fields of Science and Technology are used for cross-national comparisons, sometimes mapped onto German Fachgebiete.