Department vs. Faculty: Difference and Comparison
Edited by Muazma Batool — By Muneeza Rehman — Updated on September 7, 2023
A department refers to a distinct division within an organization or institution, while faculty can refer to a group of teachers at a school or the inherent powers of an individual.
Difference Between Department and Faculty
A department typically signifies a distinct segment or section of an educational or corporate institution, often specialized in a specific discipline or field. On the other hand, faculty primarily refers to the academic teaching staff of an institution or their collective presence.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 07, 2023
In many universities or colleges, a department is delineated based on academic subjects like the "Department of History" or "Department of Computer Science." Faculty, however, embodies the professors, lecturers, and teachers who deliver the courses and educational content, irrespective of their departmental affiliation.
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Sep 07, 2023
A department's main objective is to organize, manage, and streamline academic or business functions. Whereas, faculty's primary function is the dissemination of knowledge, research, and instruction to students.
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Sep 07, 2023
A department can exist without a faculty in non-academic contexts, such as in businesses or governmental bodies. Conversely, a faculty is inherently linked to educational establishments, as its primary focus is on teaching and academic activities.
Lucas
Sep 07, 2023
While a department might have its own dedicated faculty, it's equally plausible for faculty members to be affiliated with multiple departments, particularly if their expertise spans several disciplines.
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Sep 07, 2023
Department vs. Faculty Comparison Chart
Primary Context
A subdivision in an organization or institution
Group of teachers or inherent powers of an individual
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Relation to People
Can be staffed by people but isn't a group of people
Often refers to a group of educators
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Outside Educational Context
Still refers to a division or segment
Refers to inherent abilities or capabilities
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Physical Spaces
Can refer to physical areas like offices or classrooms
Doesn't refer to physical space
Kaitlyn
Sep 07, 2023
Department vs. Faculty Definitions
◉Department
An administrative division in certain governments.
The Department of Agriculture issued a new guideline.
William
Sep 07, 2023
◉Faculty
An inherent power or ability of an individual.
He has the faculty to understand complex ideas.
Levi
Sep 07, 2023
◉Department
A distinct division within an organization or institution.
She works in the marketing department.
William
Sep 07, 2023
◉Faculty
A division within a university.
She is part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
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Sep 07, 2023
◉Department
A specialized segment of something larger.
Which department of the store sells electronics?
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◉Faculty
A group of educators in an academic institution.
The faculty of the university is on strike.
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◉Department
A division of official business.
That's not my department; I handle sales.
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Sep 07, 2023
◉Faculty
Natural capacity or ability.
His faculties were impaired after the accident.
Nolan
Sep 07, 2023
◉Department
A territorial division for administrative purposes.
The entire department will participate in the event.
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Sep 07, 2023
◉Department
A principal administrative division of a government
the department of public works.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
A talent or natural ability for something
has a wonderful faculty for storytelling.
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◉Department
A division of a business specializing in a particular product or service
the personnel department.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
(used with a sing. or pl. verb) The teachers and instructors of a school or college, or of one of its divisions, especially those considered permanent, full-time employees.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
A division of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge
the physics department.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
One of the divisions of a college or university
the faculty of law.
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◉Department
Department One of the principal executive divisions of the federal government of the United States, headed by a cabinet officer.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
A section of a department store selling a particular line of merchandise
the home furnishings department.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
A unit of a warship's crew, organized by function, such as gunnery or engineering.
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◉Faculty
The academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
An area of particular knowledge or responsibility; a specialty
Getting the kids to bed is my department.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
A division of a university.
She transferred from the Faculty of Science to the Faculty of Medicine.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
(Often in the plural): an ability, power, or skill.
He lived until he reached the age of 90 with most of his faculties intact.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like.
Technical things are not his department; he's a people person.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
An authority, power, or privilege conferred by a higher authority.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
A specified aspect or quality.
The 2012 Boston Marathon was outstanding in the temperature department; runners endured temperatures of no less than 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
One of the principal divisions of executive government
the Treasury Department; the Department of Agriculture; police department
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◉Faculty
Ability to act or perform, whether inborn or cultivated; capacity for any natural function; especially, an original mental power or capacity for any of the well-known classes of mental activity; psychical or soul capacity; capacity for any of the leading kinds of soul activity, as knowledge, feeling, volition; intellectual endowment or gift; power; as, faculties of the mind or the soul.
But know that in the soulAre many lesser faculties that serveReason as chief.
What a piece of work is a man ! how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculty !
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
One of the divisions of instructions
the physics department; the history department; the math department
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◉Faculty
Special mental endowment; characteristic knack.
He had a ready faculty, indeed, of escaping from any topic that agitated his too sensitive and nervous temperament.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
A territorial division; a district; especially, in France, one of the districts into which the country is divided for governmental purposes, similar to a county in the UK and in the USA. France is composed of 101 départements organized in 18 régions, each department is divided into arrondissements, in turn divided into cantons.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
Power; prerogative or attribute of office.
This DuncanHath borne his faculties so meek.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
(historical) A military subdivision of a country
the Department of the Potomac
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
Privilege or permission, granted by favor or indulgence, to do a particular thing; authority; license; dispensation.
The pope . . . granted him a faculty to set him free from his promise.
It had not only faculty to inspect all bishops' dioceses, but to change what laws and statutes they should think fit to alter among the colleges.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
A body of a men to whom any specific right or privilege is granted; formerly, the graduates in any of the four departments of a university or college (Philosophy, Law, Medicine, or Theology), to whom was granted the right of teaching (profitendi or docendi) in the department in which they had studied; at present, the members of a profession itself; as, the medical faculty; the legal faculty, etc.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
Act of departing; departure.
Sudden departments from one extreme to another.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
The body of person to whom are intrusted the government and instruction of a college or university, or of one of its departments; the president, professors, and tutors in a college.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province.
Superior to Pope in Pope's own peculiar department of literature.
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May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
the body of teachers and administrators at a school;
the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
Subdivision of business or official duty; especially, one of the principal divisions of executive government; as, the treasury department; the war department; also, in a university, one of the divisions of instruction; as, the medical department; the department of physics.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Faculty
Authority, license, or privilege.
He spoke with all the faculty of a seasoned professional.
Nolan
Sep 07, 2023
◉Department
A territorial division; a district; esp., in France, one of the districts composed of several arrondissements into which the country is divided for governmental purposes; as, the Department of the Loire.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Department
A military subdivision of a country; as, the Department of the Potomac.
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
a specialized division of a large organization;
you'll find it in the hardware department
she got a job in the historical section of the Treasury
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
the territorial and administrative division of some countries (such as France)
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May 03, 2023
◉Department
a specialized sphere of knowledge;
baking is not my department
his work established a new department of literature
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May 03, 2023
Department vs. Faculty Frequently Asked Questions
Can a department refer to a store section?
Yes, a department can refer to a specialized segment of a store, like the "shoe department."
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Sep 07, 2023
What is the "Department of State"?
The Department of State is a principal executive department in the U.S. government, handling foreign affairs.
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Sep 07, 2023
Can one's "mental faculties" refer to cognitive abilities?
Yes, "mental faculties" often refer to one's cognitive abilities or capacities.
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Sep 07, 2023
How is faculty related to education?
Faculty refers to the collective body of teachers or professors in a particular institution or department.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 07, 2023
Can a business have multiple departments?
Yes, large businesses often have multiple departments like Human Resources, Marketing, and Finance.
William
Sep 07, 2023
Can faculty mean a division in a university like a department?
Yes, in some contexts, especially outside the U.S., a faculty can be a division within a university, like the "Faculty of Engineering."
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 07, 2023
What is a department in a university?
A department is a distinct division within a university that specializes in a specific discipline or field of study.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 07, 2023
Is faculty always related to teaching staff?
While often used to describe a group of educators, faculty can also refer to an individual's inherent abilities or powers.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 07, 2023
Do all universities have the same departments?
No, the departments vary based on the university's focus, size, and resources.
Olivia
Sep 07, 2023
Is there a difference between a school's faculty and its staff?
Yes, faculty typically refers to the teaching professionals, while staff can include other employees such as administrators, clerical workers, and maintenance personnel.
William
Sep 07, 2023
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