Subjects

" We teachers are rather good at magic, you know."
—Description of Hogwarts' Professors

Some of the subjects learned in Hogwarts; the Bat represents Defence Against the Dark Arts, the Wand represents Charms, the mortar and pestle represents Potions and the cat represents Transfiguration

Hogwarts has in its faculty an abundance of wise and talented professors. Each specialises in a specific subject. Other staff positions include that of a school nurse, caretaker, librarian, and Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. There are a variety of classes taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These include both the core curriculum and the electives, available from third year forward. Some classes may be dropped in the sixth year.

Numerous lessons are described, instructing the students in various branches of magic. Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Herbology are compulsory subjects for the first five years. At the end of their second year, students are required to add at least two optional subjects to their syllabus for the start of the third year. Five of the choices are Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies.

Transfiguration
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will
learn at Hogwarts.
Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back.
You have been warned."
—Professor McGonagall’s introduction of the subject

Transfiguration is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It teaches the art of changing the form and appearance of an object or a person. This type of magic is commonly referred to as "Transfiguration" and is considered both complex and dangerous.

There are limits to Transfiguration, which are governed by Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. There are also many branches, including Cross-Species Transfiguration and Human Transfiguration. This type of magic is regarded as "very hard work" and is "more scientific" than Charmswork. One has to get it exactly right for the transfiguration to be successful.

The professor of this subject for many years was Albus Dumbledore and later Minerva McGonagall. Transfiguration is a required subject for all first year to fifth year students, with the option of a N.E.W.T. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test) course in sixth and seventh year

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History of Magic
"My subject is History of Magic. I deal with facts, not myths and legends."
—Professor Binns

History of Magic is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This class is a study of magical history. This is one of the subjects where the use of magic practically isn't necessary. History of Magic is taught from the first year to the fifth, with the option of N.E.W.T. courses in sixth and seventh year.

The professor of this subject, Cuthbert Binns, taught at Hogwarts for many years before his death, and even after his death he continued teaching at hogwarts as a ghost. The lesson plan usually consists of lectures on the 'History of Wizards and the Magical World' (in which goblin rebellions appear most memorably). This class is similar to the study of History in the Muggle World, as particular emphasis is placed upon remembering dates, names and events.

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Herbology
"Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology,
with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout,
where they learned how to take care of strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for."
—Harry Potter's description of the subject

Herbology is the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi, making it the wizarding equivalent to botany. Herbology is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Castelobruxo in which students learn to care for and utilise plants, learn about their magical properties and what they are used for. Many plants provide ingredients for potions and medicine, while others have magical effects of their own right.

Herbert Beery was the professor of this subject at Hogwarts for many years prior 1955. After he retired, Pomona Sprout took over the post

Herbology is a mandatory class at Hogwarts for the first five years of a student's education. Students spend class time learning about the different varieties of magical plants that exist. The further into a student's education the more difficult and dangerous the plants become.

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Charms
"I see Charms as a slightly lighter subject than Transfiguration which is very hard work. With Charms there would be a little more leeway for a little more personal creativity— "
—J. K. Rowling on the nature of charms work

Charms is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unsurprisingly, it specialises in the teaching of charms. Even though mastering the science of charmwork is clearly essential to performing the greater part of magic, charmwork is seen as a "softer option" by some such as Augusta Longbottom who, incidentally, failed her Charms O.W.L.

Professor Filius Flitwick taught Charms for many years. It was rumoured that his expertise with charmwork made him a duelling champion.

Charms is a required subject for all students in their first five years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The spells learned in Charms class are taken from textbooks. Students are taught specific wand movements and proper pronunciation. Often students partner up in class to experiment on one another

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Potions
"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the minds, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
—Professor Snape's introduction of the subject

Potions is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this class, students learn the correct way to brew potions. They follow specific recipes and use various magical ingredients to create the potions, starting with simple ones and moving to more advanced ones as they progress in knowledge. A standard potions kit includes plant ingredients such as Belladonna and supplies such as glass phials and weighing scales. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Potions is a required subject for students, from first year to fifth year. Potion recipes can be found in many books, including the books the students at Hogwarts use in their classes, but the intricacies of timing, ageing, stirring techniques, and bottling which are much more difficult to learn without the mentoring of the experienced masters. Certain ingredients can be found in the cupboard in the classroom, but others have to be bought before the start of the year at the apothecary

The professor of this subject is referred to as a Potions Master. The Potions Master at Hogwarts for many years was Horace Slughorn and later Severus Snape.

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Defence Against the Dark Arts
"When it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. "
—Barty Crouch Jr (disguised as Alastor Moody) on his approach of the subject

Defence Against the Dark Arts (sometimes written as DADA) is a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this class students learn how to magically defend themselves against Dark Creatures, the Dark Arts, and other dark charms. Offensive magic is also taught in this class, such as how to duel, which requires the use of both offensive and defensive magic.

The subject is the core class at Hogwarts. The position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor here was once rumoured to be jinxed, as no teacher could hold the post for more than a year. Tom Marvolo Riddle jinxed the position because Dumbledore did not give him the job when he applied for it. The fact that no teacher has lasted longer than a year meant that the subject has had numerous Professors.

Defence Against the Dark Arts is a required subject from first year to fifth year. The curriculum of the class varies greatly depending on what the professor at the time deems appropriate.The lessons generally have a practical approach, with many of the teachers believing that when it comes to the Dark Arts a practical approach is the best way, with theoretical assignments given as homework.

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Astronomy
"They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of difficult stars and the movement of planets. "
—Harry Potter summary of the subject

Astronomy is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Astronomy is a branch of magic that studies stars and the movement of planets. It is a subject where the use of practical magic during lessons was not necessary.

Astronomy lessons are spent learning the names of stars and the movements of planets. It is a required class from year one until year five, and becomes an optional subject for the final two years.

In the fifth year, the Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations are taken. During the exam, students fill in a blank star chart. If a student achieves a passing O.W.L. score, they are allowed to advance to N.E.W.T.-level.

Astronomy is one of the only fields of study at Hogwarts which has a direct equivalent in the Muggle world. Known student activities include learning the names of stars, constellations, and planets, as well as their location and movements, and describing the environments of planets and moons.

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Divination
"So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field..."
—Sybill Trelawney talking to the class about Divination

Divination is an elective course taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It teaches methods of divining the future, or gathering insights into future events, through various rituals and tools. The magic taught in this class, as well as the ability to say prophetic things is a branch of magic referred to as "Divination."

Divination is an elective subject available beginning in a student's third year. Students study a myriad of ways to scry information about the future, including tea dregs, crystal balls, visions, and Astrology and horoscope charts. Other methods of divining the future include smoke patterns, dreams, tarot cards, and the interpretation of prophecies, though the latter is quite rare. Guides and textbooks allow students of Divination to discern or translate what observed symbols intend to mean.

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Study of Ancient Runes

The Study of Ancient Runes (commonly shortened to Ancient Runes) is an elective course at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and presumably Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that can be taken by students third year and above.

It is taught by Professor Bathsheda Babbling and it is the study of runic scriptures, or Runology. Ancient Runes is a mostly theoretical subject that studies the ancient runic scripts of magic.Ancient runes are a form of writing which witches and wizards used hundreds of years ago.

Classwork and homework involves plenty of practise translating runes, and the O.W.L. involves translating something written in runes into english.

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Muggle Studies
"Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles... how they are not so different from us..."
—Lord Voldemort's scorn for Muggle Studies

Muggle Studies is an elective class and part of the non-magical studies curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is exactly what the name implies — the study of the daily lives of Muggles and how they cope with electricity, technology and science, and not magic.

This class aims specifically to acquaint wizards and witches who do not have direct contact with Muggles with the way they live; one known essay topic was "Why Muggles Need Electricity." It is an optional subject, taught from the third year to the seventh.

Muggle Studies is considered by some to be a soft option. Muggle games, such as hangman, cards, noughts-and-crosses, rock-paper-scissors, dominoes and crosswords are part of the curriculum, as are playgrounds.

Some wizards doing research into Muggle Studies will use the Internet for such information, a rare example of wizardkind using that service.

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Care of Magical Creatures

Care of Magical Creatures is an elective course at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that can be chosen by students in their third year. In the class, students learn about a wide range of magical creatures, from flobberworms to fire crabs, and even unicorns and thestrals. Students are taught about feeding, maintaining, breeding, and proper treatment of these creatures.

The witches and wizards who succeeded in achieving an O.W.L. in the subject later could become Magizoologists. Care of Magical Creatures is a subject taught only to those in their third year or above who choose to take it.

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