Tieteenalat

Tieteenalat, a Finnish term meaning branches of science, refer to broad categories used to organize scientific disciplines. They are social constructs that help structure knowledge, research, education, and funding by grouping related fields that share common methodologies, epistemologies, or areas of inquiry. In Finland, as in many other countries, tieteenalat are used to classify academic programs, guide funding decisions, and facilitate statistical reporting.

Common groupings of tieteenalat include natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, with additional divisions such as health sciences and engineering-related disciplines. Examples within natural sciences include physics, chemistry, biology, and earth sciences. Social sciences encompass disciplines like psychology, sociology, political science, and economics. Humanities cover history, philosophy, linguistics, and literature. Health sciences include medicine, dentistry, and nursing; engineering and technology cover various branches of engineering and applied sciences; agricultural, veterinary, and environmental sciences represent other important tieteenalat.

Tieteenalat function as umbrella categories under which more specific disciplines and subfields are organized. They influence how degree programs are structured, how curricula are designed, and how research is grouped for funding and evaluation. These categories are also used in national statistics to track research output and funding trends, enabling comparisons across institutions and over time. Increasing interdisciplinarity continues to blur boundaries between tieteenalat, fostering collaborations that address complex, real-world problems.