History Main / MuggleWithADegreeInMagic

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyANewGeneration'', the DistantSequel to ''Frienship is Magic'' above, despite being of a race that can't fly or cast any magic spells even in the presence of magic, Sunny is determined to restore Equestria's magic if it kills her. [[spoiler Averted at the end once she becomes an [[WingedUnicorn alicorn and gains access to a horn and wings]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley has an encyclopedic knowledge of magic from tabletop games and card games that are based on historical events and can easily figure out how to make magical spells work, but he lacks the gift of magic and thus cannot use it himself. When he learns that his younger brother Ian has a natural affinity for magic, Barley decides to mentor Ian in magic.

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': Several [[JobSystem Careers]] allow characters to study the academic theory of magic or learn a LanguageOfMagic without necessarily being able to use magic themselves. A LanguageOfMagic is necessary but not sufficient for spellcasting, and magic theory is neither.

* Waldo Butters, the geeky, polka-loving mortician-and-not-really-a-doctor in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', is one of the foremost experts in the world on wizard physiology. He studies Harry whenever the titular wizard gets injured (which is a lot), and also gets a crash course on magical theory (circles and the use of "will") in ''Dead Beat''. By ''Changes'', he knows more about how Harry's body works than Harry does, and as of ''Ghost Story'', [[spoiler: he has Bob the Skull, who he loves to quiz for more information, which Bob is only too happy to provide]]. While Butters has exactly zero magical aptitude himself, he knows more about magical ''theory'' than any other main character and even some of the wizards on the Senior Council. This makes Butters a ''very'' dangerous man, and also a very big weakpoint, given that his knowledge could be used against everyone if he's captured. [[spoiler: So it's a good thing that as of ''Skin Game'', [[TookALevelInBadass he's now a Knight of the Cross, wielding an honest-to-God-with-a-capital-G]] ''[[LaserBlade lightsaber]]''.]]

* In the ''Literature/{{MythAdventures}} book ''Literature/AnotherFineMyth'', Aahz loses his apparently high-level powers to a stunt of Garkin's. Unable to do magic and with Garkin dead by the end of the first chapter, Aahz takes on Garkin's apprentice Skeeve and begins to teach him. This relationship continues after Aahz finds out the cause, [[spoiler:a practical joke powder, and that there's no antidote, ''and'' it'll take a hundred years to wear off.]]

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': Takahata grew up around experts in FunctionalMagic and KiManipulation, but lacks the ability to use them himself. To make up for this he became a master of Kanka -- the simple but difficult technique of [[YinYangBomb connecting your body's mana and ki flows together]] to increase your physical abilities. True mages rarely bother with Kanka since [[AwesomeButImpractical while powerful it drains a lot of energy, and spells that enhance the user's strength are easier to learn]].

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In the Advanced Generation of the anime, May's brother Max is too young to be a trainer, but he studies Pokémon day and night, and is more knowledgeable about the Hoenn region and its creatures than anyone else on the team...[[KnowNothingKnowItAll or so he says.]]

* Manga/RanToHaiiroNoSekai: [[spoiler: Tamaso-sensei]] is a MuggleBornOfMages, but that doesn't stop her from being the leading expert on magic in the story.
* ''Manga/MitamaSecuritySpiritBusters'': Soya is a professional spirit-hunter, having aced all of his exams back at the training academy and naturally gifted in anti-spirit fighting techniques, despite not being able to see them at all. PlayedForLaughs, as Soya isn't aware that other people ''can'' see spirits and technology to detect them doesn't exist in this series, resulting in him trying to fight ghosts by attacking aimlessly. The one reason he still has his job is because, thanks to his knowledge, he is unparalleled in administrative work in exorcism.

* ''FanFic/TheGreatAlicornHunt'' gives us Presto, who, despite born an Earth Pony (ironic, considering both his parents are a. Unicorns, and b. profs. of magic at the local university), is deeply fascinated with learning about and experimenting with magic. This, combined with his EideticMemory, means he's learned more about magic than most folks have forgotten about. What's more, he's figured out how to channel spells into crystals via his innate Earth Pony magic.

* ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'': Artemis decodes a fairy's book to learn their language, and uses it to learn the limitations of their magic, and uses those limitations against them, despite not having any magic himself.
* Detective Steele, in the ''Daggers and Steele'' series of fantasy police procedural books, has a degree in the study of practical magic. She has no magic talent herself, but an early conceit of the series (more or less dropped in later books) is that she pretends to be a seer to get people to take her seriously despite being female in a male-dominated field. As it is, her understanding of the mechanics of magic frequently comes in handy when they have to investigate crimes involving magic.

* ''Series/NowhereBoys''

* Claus from ''Videogame/TalesOfPhantasia'' is a human scholar in a world where magic can only be used by those with elven blood. He gets around this by rediscovering a different type of magic that involves [[SummonMagic making pacts with spirits and binding them into magical rings]].

** Sunburst. While he is indeed a unicorn and can cast spells, his magic skills are on the level of common people. Yet, his knowledge is far greater, and he considers it an embarrassment that he can't actually use that knowledge. However, Sunburst saves the day in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E2TheCrystallingPart2 "The Crystalling - Part 2"]] with his magic knowledge -- he identifies the exact combination of obscure spells needed to avert the wintery apocalypse, though he has to rely on others to cast them.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

Occasionally appears as a magic-user who was BroughtDownToNormal by [[DePower losing their powers]]; they didn't start as a muggle, but ended up that way without losing their knowledge. These ones often gravitate toward a {{Mentor}} role, because those who can't do, teach.

** Motoharu [[MeaningfulName Tsuchimikado]] was once a master UsefulNotes/{{Onmyou|do}}ji, but since infiltrating Academy City and becoming an [[PsychicPowers esper]] he [[MutuallyExclusiveMagic can no longer channel external forces through his body without suffering extreme pain, internal bleeding and potentially death]] (and being a ''[[RandomPowerRanking Level 0]]'' esper, he didn't even gain any useful powers in exchange). While he is ''incredibly'' well-informed on both the Magic and Science sides, he uses magic only as a last resort and when he's sure that an ally will be able to complete his mission while he's disabled. In all other situations he FightsLikeANormal, using firearms and mundane spy skills.

* Waldo Butters, the geeky, polka-loving mortician-and-not-really-a-doctor in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', is one of the foremost experts in the world on wizard physiology. He studies Harry whenever the titular wizard gets injured (which is a lot), and also gets a crash course on magical theory (circles and the use of "will") in ''Dead Beat''. By ''Changes'', he knows more about how Harry's body works than Harry does, and as of ''Ghost Story'', [[spoiler: he has Bob the Skull, who he loves to quiz for more information, which Bob is only too happy to provide]]. While Butters has exactly zero magical aptitude himself, he knows more about magical ''theory'' than any other main character, and even some of the wizards on the Senior Council. This make Butters a ''very'' dangerous man, and also a very big weakpoint, given that his knowledge could be used against everyone if he's captured. [[spoiler: So it's a good thing that as of ''Skin Game'', [[TookALevelInBadass he's now a Knight of the Cross, wielding an honest-to-God-with-a-capital-G]] ''[[LaserBlade lightsaber]]''.]]

* ''Literature/JasonWood'' in ''Paradigms Lost''. A data and image analyst, he has built a huge library magical and supernatural creatures from folklore and other sources, and makes use of that to both counter and communicate with them.

* ''Literature/{{Vampirocracy}}'': Leon doesn't ''literally'' have a degree (he was forced to drop out), but took college classes in [[FictionalFieldOfScience Mythozoology, Thaumobiology, and Thaumodynamics]]. He understands how magic works, even if he doesn't or can't practice it himself. He's also part of the roughly 50% of humanity that can "feel" magic, and has deliberately cultivated this awareness. All this is important to his job as a [[OccultDetective supernatural PI]] and HunterOfMonsters.

* On ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', Hunters are BadassNormal who hunt monsters. Most have no magical abilities and compensate by relying on centuries of accumulated anti-monster lore to give them a fighting chance. Sam and Dean are often shown studying old journals, books or searching the Internet to figure out what type of monster they are fighting and what its weaknesses are. Bobby used to have an extensive library of lore books and was often consulted by other Hunters who faced an unusual monster.

** The "Use Magic Device" skill, normally found on Rogue-type classes, allows the user to ignore the requirements of magic items. This includes using a MagicWand or [[LimitedUseMagicalDevice scroll]] without having the ability to cast spells, or using a sword designed for elves without being an elf.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'', in a Low or Normal Mana world only characters with the Magery advantage can cast spells. Because the standard magical system treats spells as skills like any other, it's entirely possible for characters without Magery to ''learn'' spells, even if they can't cast them. The Thaumatology skill represents a knowledge of the underlying structure of magic, and likewise does not require Magery or spellcasting ability.

** Also in 5[[superscript:th]], while it's hard to impossible for mundanes to gather knowledge from first hand experience for how magic works, they are still able to learn a great deal from what other people have discovered and shared. Notably, the ''Arcana'' skill, which is the skill that associates with magical theory, is the only magic skill that doesn't actually require a Magic attribute.

%%* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'': Copen is not an [[PsychicChildren Adept]], but he's gifted with genius mind that he uses to build gadgets that work for his Adept-hunting, including his special device that lets him [[PowerCopying take the power of Adepts for his use]].

** Zecora, despite being a zebra, which functionally means she has no way to use magic like unicorn characters can, knows an incredible amount about magic. She knows enough to where she can function as Twilight's mentor on the subject, despite that she herself can't use any magic. On several occasions she's used her knowledge to either create potions for the ponies or to give them the information that leads to the episode's solution.

* The Wise Man from ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' knows a lot about magic but doesn't seem to be able to any until Ash gets him the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Necronomicon]].

* ''Series/NowhereBoys''.

* Agent Fox Mulder of ''Series/TheXFiles'' seems versed in the mystical and arcane, including raising golems, voodoo curses, and dark magic blood sacrifices. He's paired with the science and medicine Agent Dana Scully. Together, TheyFightCrime that's tinged with weirdness.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': In Origins, Dagna is a dwarf who wants to study at the Circle of Magi. Dwarves have absolutely no magical talent beyond rune crafting and enchanting, which is a slight problem. However, Dagna's analytical understanding of magical theory is so impressive that she's made breakthroughs that gained the recognition of archmages. She puts this to use, along with her background as a smith's daughter, to craft [[InfinityPlusOneSword masterworks]] in Inquisition.

* Waldo Butters, the geeky, polka-loving mortician-and-not-really-a-doctor in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', is one of the foremost experts in the world on wizard physiology. He studies Harry whenever the titular wizard gets injured (which is a lot), and also gets a crash course on magical theory (circles and the use of "will") in ''Dead Beat''. By ''Changes'', he knows more about how Harry's body works than Harry does, and as of ''Ghost Story'', [[spoiler: he has Bob the Skull, who he loves to quiz for more information, which Bob is only too happy to provide]]. While Butters has exactly zero magical aptitude himself, he knows more about magical ''theory'' than any other main character, and even some of the wizards on the Senior Council. This make Butters a ''very'' dangerous man, and also a very big weakpoint, given that his knowledge could be used against everyone if he's captured. [[spoiler: So it's a good thing that as of ''Skin Game'', [[TookALevelInBadAss he's now a Knight of the Cross, wielding an honest-to-God-with-a-capital-G ''lightsaber''.]]]]

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': Takahata grew up around experts in FunctionalMagic and KiAttacks, but lacks the ability to use them himself. To make up for this he became a master of Kanka -- the simple but difficult technique of [[YinYangBomb connecting your body's mana and ki flows together]] to increase your physical abilities. True mages rarely bother with Kanka since [[AwesomeButImpractical while powerful it drains a lot of energy, and spells that enhance the user's strength are easier to learn]].

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': Several [[JobSystem Careers]] allow characters to study the academic theory of magic or learn a LanguageOfMagic without necessarily being able to use magic themselves, as these abilities are necessary but not sufficient for spellcasting.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley has an encyclopedic knowledge of magic and can easily figure out how to make magical spells work, much of the knowledge comes from tabletop games and card games that are based on historical events, but he's unable to use it himself since he lacks the gift of magic. As a result, he takes it upon himself to become a magical mentor to his younger brother, Ian, who does have the gift of magic.

** Even though [[BlindSeer Chirrut Imwe]] from ''Film/RogueOne'' has a jedi master-like understanding of the force, he can't use it the way a jedi can. Though he has learned to sense it, which comes useful in both defensive and offensive combat applications.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley has an encyclopedic knowledge of magic and can easily figure out how to make magical spells work, but he's unable to use it himself since he lacks the gift of magic. As a result, he takes it upon himself to become a magical mentor to his younger brother, Ian, who does have the gift of magic.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley has an encyclopedia knowledge of magic and can easily figure out how to make magical spells work, but he's unable to use it himself since he lacks the gift of magic. As a result, he takes it upon himself to become a magical mentor to his younger brother, Ian, who does have the gift of magic.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley has an encyclopedia knowledge of magic and can easily figure out how to make magical spells work, but he's unable to use it himself. As a result, he takes it upon himself to become a magical mentor to his younger brother, Ian, who does have magical ability.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley has an encyclopedia knowledge of magic and how to work it, but he's unable to use it himself, so he takes it upon himself to mentor his younger brother, Ian, who does have magical ability.

* ''Literature/DrGretaHelsing'': The title character is an internationally acclaimed (within the {{Masquerade}}, at least) medical doctor to supernatural entities of all kinds, so she's well-studied in everything from ghoul immunology to the RitualMagic involved in rewrapping a {{Mummy}}. She has no magical ability herself, but has a witch as an assistant and knows which supernatural entities to call in for jobs she can't personally do.