What subject areas can I explore on the University of Reading website?

Updated

The University of Reading website (rdg.ac.uk) organises its subject areas into an A–Z directory, so you can browse everything from Agriculture to Zoology in one place. The list covers undergraduate, postgraduate, and International Foundation Pathways study levels, which means the same site serves prospective students at different entry points. Use the subject list when you already have a broad field in mind and want to find the specific courses attached to it.

How the subject directory is structured

The site groups subjects alphabetically rather than by faculty or school. In the excerpt from the homepage, the directory is split into three letter ranges:

  • Subjects a – b: Agriculture; Building and Surveying
  • Subjects c – e: Construction Management; Consumer Behaviour and Marketing; Economics
  • Subjects f – g: Finance; Food
  • Subjects h – m: International Foundation Pathways; Marketing
  • Subjects n – t: Surveying and Construction Management

A second, fuller A–Z list then runs across the full alphabet, from Accounting and Agriculture through to War and Peace Studies and Zoology.

What fields are covered

The breadth is wide, spanning science, business, humanities, and professional training. Grouped roughly, the listed areas include:

Category Example subjects
Land, environment and agriculture Agriculture, Food, Food and Nutritional Sciences, Environmental Science, Ecology, Climate Science, Meteorology and Climate, Geography and Environmental Science, Zoology
Built environment Building and Surveying, Construction Management, Construction Management and Engineering, Architecture, Real Estate and Planning
Business and economics Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business and Management (Pre-Experience), Business (Post-Experience), Marketing, Consumer Behaviour and Marketing, Digital Business, International Development and Applied Economics, Project Management, Management, Strategic Studies
Science and technology Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, Microbiology, Energy and Environmental Engineering, Engineering
Health and life sciences Dietetics, Nutrition, Pharmacy, Physician Associate, Healthcare, Speech and Language Therapy, Psychology
Humanities and social sciences Ancient History, Archaeology, Classics, History, English Literature, English Language and Applied Linguistics, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, Law, Social Policy, War and Peace Studies
Arts, design and media Art, Film, Theatre and Television, Graphic Design, Typography and Graphic Communication, Theatre
Education Education, Teacher Training

Study levels to keep in mind

The directory is not limited to one level. It explicitly distinguishes:

  • Undergraduate and Postgraduate as top-level entry points
  • International Foundation Pathways, listed under the h–m range, for students preparing for degree study
  • Business (Post-Experience) and Business and Management (Pre-Experience), which signal different stages of professional experience

This matters because the same subject name can appear at more than one level, and the level you choose changes which courses you will see.

How to use the list to find a course

  1. Identify the broad field you are interested in — for example, Finance or Psychology.
  2. Find it in the A–Z subject list on the site.
  3. Select the subject to move toward the courses and programmes attached to it.
  4. Check the study level (undergraduate, postgraduate, or foundation) before you go further, so you are looking at the right entry route.

If you are unsure where a subject sits, the alphabetical grouping is the quickest way in: scan for the first letter of the field rather than trying to guess a faculty name.

Practical notes

  • The homepage also surfaces Undergraduate Open Days (Saturday 10 October and Saturday 7 November), which is a useful next step once you have narrowed down a subject.
  • Fee-related information is reachable through the site's Payment of fees page, so cost details sit alongside the academic listings rather than being separate from them.

The subject directory is best treated as a starting map: it tells you what exists, and the individual subject pages tell you what you can actually study.