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. In the fifth year, students take the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) exams to determine whether they can achieve a score to continue to Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.) levels of the class in the upcoming year. Some classes, including the core classes, may be dropped in sixth year.
All first-years at Hogwarts must take seven subjects: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Herbology. At the end of their second year at Hogwarts, students are required to choose a minimum of two additional subjects from the following list: Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, Divination, Study of Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.
Very specialised subjects such as Alchemy are sometimes offered in the final two years, if there is sufficient demand.
Charms: 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 pronounciation. Often students partner up in class to experiment on one another.
Transfiguration: Transfiguration is a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It teaches the art of changing of the form and appearance of an object. This type of magic is commonly referred to as "Transfiguration." There are limits to transfiguration, which are governed by Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. There are also many branches of Transfiguration, including Cross-Species Transfiguration and Human Transfiguration.
Transfiguration is a required subject for all first year to fifth year students, with the option of a N.E.W.T. course in the sixth and seventh years. Like Charm work, Transfiguration is achieved through concentration, precise wand movements, and the proper pronunciation of an incantation. However it is generally more difficult than Charms and requires great effort. Students practise actual transfigurations during Transfiguration classes. Accidents sometimes result in partial transfigurations.
Defense Aginst The Dark Arts: Defence Against the Dark Arts (sometimes written as D.A.D.A.) is a mandatory subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in which students learn how to magically defend themselves against Dark Creatures and the Dark Arts. The curriculum of the class varies greatly depending on what the professor at the time deems appropriate.
Potions: Potions is a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this class, students learn the correct way to brew potions, following specific recipes and using various magical ingredients to create their potions, starting with simple ones first and moving to more advanced ones as they progress in knowledge.
Astronomy: Astronomy is a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is a required subject for first to fifth years, but can be dropped in the sixth year. Astronomy classes take place in the top-most level of the Astronomy Tower, the tallest tower in Hogwarts Castle, and include sky observation sessions with telescopes (each student has to buy one of his/her own). 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.
History of Magic: History of Magic is a required class for all students attending Hogwarts. The class is a study of magical history. History of Magic is taught from the first year to the fifth, with the option of N.E.W.T. courses in the sixth and seventh years.
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.
Herbology: Herbology is the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi. In Herbology, students learn to care for and utilize plants, and 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.
These classes are held in the grounds of Hogwarts, in the greenhouses. The greenhouses are located below the two main Bell Towers of the castle. Classes are held in different greenhouses depending on the students' year, with more advanced and dangerous plants typically reserved for O.W.L. or N.E.W.T.-level study.
