yale phd program requirements

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Graduate & professional study.

Yale offers advanced degrees through its Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and 13 professional schools. Browse the organizations below for information on programs of study, academic requirements, and faculty research.

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Yale’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences offers programs leading to M.A., M.S., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in 73 departments and programs.

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The School of the Environment is dedicated to sustaining and restoring the long-term health of the biosphere and the well-being of its people.

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The Jackson School of Global Affairs trains and equips a new generation of leaders to devise thoughtful, evidence-based solutions for challenging global problems.

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The Yale School of Music is an international leader in educating the creative musicians and cultural leaders of tomorrow.

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The Yale School of Nursing community is deeply committed to the idea that access to high quality patient‐centered health care is a social right, not a privilege.

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The School of Public Health supports research and innovative programs that protect and improve the health of people around the globe.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS)

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is composed of the departments and academic programs that provide instruction in Yale College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Centers & Institutes

A number of our centers and institutes offer additional opportunities for graduate and professional study.

Fields include clinical psychology; cognitive psychology; developmental psychology; neuroscience; and social/personality psychology.

• Programs of Study
• PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
• Combined PhD
• Department of Psychology

Melissa Ferguson

Director of Graduate Studies

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Fredericka Grant

Departmental Registrar

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Admission Requirements

Standardized testing requirements.

GRE is optional. 

English Language Requirement

TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English.

You may be exempt from this requirement if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and if you have studied in residence at that institution for at least three years.

Combined Degree Program Application Deadline

*The deadline to submit an application to a combined program is always the earlier deadline of the two individual programs, or December 15, whichever comes first.

Academic Information

Combined phd information.

Psychology offers a combined PhD in conjunction with Philosophy .

Program Advising Guidelines

GSAS Advising Guidelines

Academic Resources

Academic calendar.

The Graduate School's academic calendar lists important dates and deadlines related to coursework, registration, financial processes, and milestone events such as graduation.

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Registration Information and Dates

https://registration.yale.edu/

Students must register every term in which they are enrolled in the Graduate School. Registration for a given term takes place the semester prior, and so it's important to stay on top of your academic plan. The University Registrar's Office oversees the systems that students use to register. Instructions about how to use those systems and the dates during which registration occurs can be found on their registration website.

Financial Information

Phd stipend & funding.

PhD students at Yale are normally full-funded for a minimum of five years. During that time, our students receive a twelve-month stipend to cover living expenses and a fellowship that covers the full cost of tuition and student healthcare.

• PhD Student Funding Overview
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• Tuition and Fees

Alumni Insights

Below you will find alumni placement data for our departments and programs.

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Department of Physics

You are here, apply to the yale physics phd program.

The Yale Department of Physics welcomes applications to our matriculating graduate class of 2024 beginning around August 15th, 2024. The General GRE and Physics GRE scores are Optional for applications received by the December 15, 2023, submission deadline.

We recognize the continuing disruption caused by COVID-19 and that the hardship of taking GREs falls unequally on individual students. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all; therefore, we do not require these standardized tests for admission to our program. All applications are reviewed holistically, and preference will not be given to students who do or do not submit GRE scores.

Frequently Asked Physics Questions General Application Questions Application Fees and Fee Waivers* Accommodations for Applicants Facing Extenuating Circumstances

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• Doctoral Admissions

How to Apply to the Doctoral Program

Our doctoral program offers scholars from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue a highly individualized area of inquiry under the mentorship of a YSE faculty member. The research conducted by YSE PhD candidates spans global and disciplinary boundaries — and what’s more, it is fully funded. Learn more about how to join this vibrant and dynamic intellectual community.

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Doctoral Program Application Deadline

The application deadline for admission to the fall class in a given year is typically the preceding January 2 of that year.

Applications are submitted through the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) website .

Before You Apply

All applicants must identify and contact one or two faculty members who they think could serve as their major advisor. Applicants will not be accepted unless a faculty member in the Yale School of the Environment (YSE) agrees to become their mentor. We do not do lab rotations. Once an applicant is admitted they immediately work with the chosen advisor.

• Applicants should begin contacting prospective faculty advisors between late September and late October to discuss their research interests and determine if they and the prospective faculty member are a good match.  This initial contact is normally done by email.
• As part of that initial contact, applicants should explain in writing what research questions they would like to pursue during their doctoral studies, what kind research experience and expertise they already have gained, and why they wish to work with the prospective faculty member.  Applicants should provide a CV at that time they initiate contact.
• Applicants are also encouraged to contact current students and alumni from their potential advisor’s research group for more information about working with their advisor, the doctoral program, and life in New Haven.

Application Elements

The PhD application has several elements:

• Biographical information ,
• Transcripts of course work and proof of degrees,
• Test scores (e.g., GRE, and English language proficiency test (TOEFFL, IELTS) as appropriate). NOTE: The GRE is optional. Applicants should check with their prospective advisors whether or not they wish to see the scores.
• A CV describing research and professional experience and a list of any scholarly work,
• A personal statement describing the goals for graduate study including the dissertation research topic as well as professional aspirations beyond the PhD. (Note: The goal of the YSE doctoral program is to train students to pursue post PhD positions that align with their professional goals and aspirations. These may include academic or non-academic [public or private sector] careers.) 
• Three letters of reference that can describe the applicant’s character, abilities and professionalism, and attest to the applicant’s scholarly aptitude and future potential.  Ideally, at least two of the three letters should come from academic advisors or research mentors.
• Applicant may provide a writing sample (e.g. a pdf reprint of a publication) but this is not required.

All elements of the application will be given equal consideration in the decision-making; there are no cut-off’s for test scores.

How to Apply for Combined PhD Programs

Application Fee and Fee Waivers

The application fee for all degree-seeking applicants is $105.00. The fee must be paid, or a fee waiver must be granted, before an application will be reviewed. Application fees are non-refundable. Some applicants may be eligible for a fee waiver; U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and non-U.S. citizens are all eligible to request a fee waiver. Fee waivers may be granted on the basis of:

• Participation in a special program, event, fellowship, or status.
• Documented financial hardship

Examples are listed by GSAS .

The eligibility requirements and process to request a waiver are described in detail on the GSAS application fees and fee waivers page . Fee waiver requests are due by November 30.

Information on fee waivers can be found at:

Fee and fee waiver info Fee waiver request form

Application Review Process

Once the application is submitted to the Yale Graduate School it is forwarded to the doctoral program in the School of the Environment (YSE). This normally happens in the middle of January, at which time the doctoral admissions committee engages in the review of the applications.  

• Applications are reviewed by the doctoral admissions committee which is comprised of seven members of the YSE faculty that represent the breadth of the scholarly disciplines within YSE.
• Applicants are ranked for admissibility by the admissions committee.
• The top ranked applicants are invited to an open house, which takes place sometime in early February, at which time applicants have a chance to meet and engage with students and faculty in YSE.
• Following the open house, the admissions committee will decide which applicants will be recommended for admission to the doctoral program in the School of the Environment.
• The YSE doctoral committee recommendations will be sent to the Graduate School for final approval.  

Admission into the Program and Funding Information

Students approved for admission to YSE will be sent a formal letter of offer of admission from the Dean of the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. This normally happens in late February. The letter will explain: the terms and expectations of doctoral studies within the YSE, which includes a guarantee of 5 years of stipend funding, health care coverage and a waiver of tuition and an explanation of teaching expectations. 

Doctoral students at YSE receive 5 years of guaranteed funding. Funding packages consist of a stipend ($32,700 for the 2020-2021 academic year), full tuition coverage, and health insurance. For more information on funding and benefits for doctoral students at Yale, visit the following Graduate School of Arts and Sciences webpages:

Stipend Payments Funding PhD Students

Contact the Doctoral Program

Elisabeth Barsa is the contact for students interested in the YSE doctoral program.

Elisabeth Barsa

Doctoral Program Coordinator

Apply to the YSE PhD Program

Applications for the YSE PhD program are submitted through the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

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• Application Procedures

Prospective applicants can apply to the Ph.D. Program in Economics using the following options that can be found on the  Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  website.  Please be aware the application deadline for the Economics Department Ph.D. program is December 1, 2023.

• On-line applications are accepted by the Yale Graduate School
• Paper copy of the application is no longer available

All information regarding the Graduate Program in Economics is available on this web site. Hard copy of materials will not be mailed.

Note: Do not request materials from this email site. Please see  Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Official score reports must be submitted for all required examinations. Ask the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to report your scores to the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, code 3987.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  The General Test is required of all applicants. Applicants should take the GRE no later than November. Applicants are strongly encouraged to register early to schedule test dates and times. For registration forms, test dates, test centers, and general information contact  www.gre.org(link is external) . 

Test of English as a Foreign Language.  The TOEFL is required of all applicants whose native language is not English.  This requirement is waived only for applicants who have received a baccalaureate degree, or its foreign equivalent, prior to matriculation at Yale, from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction. NOTE:  1 or 2 year MA degree does not qualify for the waiver.  If you do not qualify for a waiver but have taken the TOEFL within the last two years you will need to have your TOEFL scores released to us (code 3987). If your scores can no longer be released, you will need to take the test. The test should be taken as early as possible to ensure that your scores are received in time to be incorporated in your file.  Normally TOEFL scores will not be released if they are older than two years. If you took the TOEFL before and ETS will release those scores then you should no have to retake the examination.

International English Language Test System (IELTS).  You may substitute IELTS for TOEFL. 

If you are still not sure if you must submit TOEFL scores, please review this flowchart:  Is English Language Testing Required for My Application?  (start with the question “Is your native language English?”)

For additional information and the latest updates on the TOEFL and TSE, please visit the ETS website:  www.toefl.org(link is external) .

Test of Spoken English (TSE).  All international applicants who accept offers of admission to the Ph.D. program and whose native language is not English are strongly encouraged to present scores on the Test of Spoken English by the time of enrollment in the fall. The TSE is administered in the United States and abroad. For further information check the  www.toefl.org(link is external)  web site. Students who do not demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English may be retested and/or asked to take courses in English for speakers of other languages. A high level of proficiency is required for students to serve as teaching fellows.

More information about  TOEFL and IELTS tests  can be found on the Yale Graduate School website.

Doctoral and master’s degrees. Students may enter the Graduate Economics Program after earning a bachelors degree (or the equivalent) or a master’s degree. The Master of Philosophy is awarded to students who complete all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation. The Doctor of Philosophy is awarded upon acceptance of the doctoral dissertation. The Economics Department does not accept students into a terminal master’s program. The Economic Growth Center offers a one-year MA program in International and Development Economics.

Full-time and Part-time Study.  Doctoral students are expected to devote their full energies to course work and preparation for the qualifying examinations in the first years, and dissertation research and writing in the final years of graduate study. There is no part-time study available to applicants to the Department of Economics.

Nondegree Study.  Qualified individuals who wish to study at the graduate level but not pursue a degree may be admitted to the Division of Special Registration (DSR) as “special students.” Admission to this program is for one term or one year only and carries with it no commitment for further study. These students are not eligible for financial aid or loans. Applicants interested should apply in the same fashion as for full-time study.

Interdisciplinary Study.  Students may apply for admission to only one department or program within the Graduate School per year. Students may take one or more courses in a related department, and are often advised by faculty members from more than one department during their dissertation research. Students in the Graduate School, may, with permission, take advantage of course or research opportunities in Yale College and in the professional schools.

Joint-degree Programs.  The Department of Economics offers a joint J.D./Ph.D. degree with the Yale Law School. Students must apply to and be admitted to the Yale Law School independently of the Graduate School. Applicants may apply to both schools at the same time or they may enter one school and apply to the second during their first year of study. A separate application is required for each school, and each makes its own admission decision. Students who apply simultaneously to two schools should indicate that they are doing so on both applications. For information on the Yale Law School see the following web site:  www.law.yale.edu/yls/admis-jdindex.htm .

Transfer Students.  The Yale Graduate School does not admit transfer students. The presumption is that students who receive a Yale doctoral degree do their studies at Yale. Students currently enrolled in a doctoral program elsewhere who wish to apply to a Yale doctoral program may do so through the normal admissions procedure. They must meet all the application requirements, including the deadline for submission. Some very successful students have entered the Yale program in this way. Such students may petition the Economics Department and Graduate School to waive a portion of the Ph.D. course requirement (normally a maximum of three courses) in recognition of previous graduate-level work done at Yale or elsewhere. All other requirements, including the comprehensive examination, the economic history requirement, the oral examination, and the econometrics paper, must be completed at Yale. Students who enter the program from another doctoral program receive the full six-year financial aid package.

Those interested in transferring to Yale might consider the Exchange Scholars Program as an alternative. At participating institutions, students may petition their own schools to enroll full-time at Yale for a term or for an academic year as exchange scholars. Participating universities include Berkeley, Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Stanford.

Further Graduate School Information.  A comprehensive description of academic rules and regulations of the Yale Graduate School will be made available to students when they are registered. The Programs and Policies booklet may be found on the Internet at the  Graduate School  website.

Length of Study.  Students are expected to complete the requirements for the degree in six years of registration. The first two years are generally spent taking courses full time; the third is spent preparing a dissertation prospectus within workshops and completing all requirements except the dissertation; the remaining years are spent pursuing and writing up a work of original research. The average length of time required to complete the program is five years. A small percentage finish in four years, although students are guaranteed registration for 6 years in which to finish their degree.

Residency Requirement.  Doctoral students in this program are required to be in residence in New Haven for at least three years.

Dissertation.  The doctoral dissertation is the climax of the graduate school experience. Every dissertation makes an original contribution to a student’s field of study by discovering significant new information, achieving a new synthesis of ideas, developing new methods or hypotheses, or applying established methods to new materials. A dissertation also demonstrates the student’s mastery of relevant resources and methods. Students work with two advisers throughout this process.

In the academic year 2023-24 tuition for full-time study is $48,300. This rate is expected to increase in subsequent years. Ph.D. candidates are charged four years of full tuition. Thereafter students are charged a modest continuing registration fee each term until the dissertation is submitted or the terminal date is passed.  For the 2023-24 academic year this fee is $790 per semester.

The Graduate School provides full tuition, health insurance and stipend fellowship for the first six years of study. Normally the Department of Economics provides additional stipend support. There is a combined award policy that applies to students who obtain outside fellowships. This policy gives students a financial incentive to obtain outside awards.

Teaching Fellowships.  Because the faculty considers teaching to be essential to the professional teaching of all doctoral students, they serve as teaching assistants in the third and fourth years of study.

Research Fellowships.  Department faculty often hire students as research assistants either part-time or full-time.  During this academic year there are seven students supported as full-time research assistants where this funding replaces the need to serve as a teaching fellow.  In the summer of 2020, twenty-five students were supported as part-time research assistants for faculty. 

Outside Fellowships.  All applicants for admission are strongly urged to compete for outside fellowships which can be used at Yale. These fellowships are sponsored by both public and private agencies and are often more generous than those awarded by the University. In addition to their financial advantages, distinction is conferred on a student who wins an award. The  McDougal Graduate School Center  maintains a library of fellowship information; incoming students seeking external aid are advised to consult it on arrival in New Haven.

Federal and Non-Federal Student Loans.  Loans administered by the University are available to citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. The types of loans and amounts a student is eligible to borrow are based entirely on financial need as determined by federal formula.

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Department of History

Ph.d. programs.

The Department of History’s doctoral degree program seeks to train talented historians for careers in scholarship, teaching, and beyond the academy. The department typically accepts 22 Ph.D. students per year. Additional students are enrolled through various combined programs and through HSHM.  All admitted Ph.D. students receive a  full  financial aid package  from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. 

History of Science and Medicine

The  Program in the History of Science and Medicine  (HSHM)  is a semi-autonomous graduate track within the Department of History. HSHM students receive degrees in History, with a concentration in the History of Science and Medicine.  There is a separate admissions process for students interested in the History of Science and Medicine. For more information, please see the  HSHM website . 

Combined Doctoral Programs

Joint ph.d. programs.

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Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Programs and Policies 2023–2024

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Degree Requirements

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The requirements set forth in the pages that follow are the minimum Graduate School degree requirements and apply to all degree candidates. Students should consult the listings of individual departments and programs for additional specific departmental requirements.

Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Length of study.

In most fields of study, six years is normally sufficient for the completion of the Ph.D. Departments and programs make every effort to design a course of study and to provide advice and guidance to make it possible for students to complete their work within six years. Normally three, or at most three and one-half, years are devoted to the completion of predissertation requirements (courses, examinations, selection of a dissertation topic). The remaining time, typically two to three years, is devoted to conducting research and writing the dissertation.

Residence Requirement

Students seeking the Ph.D. degree are required to be in residence in the New Haven area during at least three academic years. This is an academic requirement, distinct from and independent of the tuition requirement described below. The residence requirement must normally be met within the first four years of study. Any exception to the residence requirement must be approved by the department and by the appropriate associate dean.

Tuition Requirement and the Continuous Registration Fee

All Ph.D. candidates are charged four years (eight terms) of full tuition, or proportionately less if all degree requirements, including submission of the dissertation, are completed in fewer than four continuous years of full-time study from the date of matriculation in the Ph.D. program.

Once the full-tuition obligation has been completed, registered students are charged the Continuous Registration Fee (CRF).

Transfer Credit/Course Waivers

The Graduate School does not award transfer credit for graduate work completed before matriculation at Yale.

Non-Yale courses A department may, with the approval of the Graduate School, waive a portion of the Ph.D. course requirement (typically three courses) in recognition of previous non-Yale graduate-level work completed after receipt of the bachelor’s or bachelor’s-equivalent degree. Such a waiver does not affect the tuition requirement. Courses taken prior to matriculation at Yale will not appear on the student’s Graduate School transcript. The Yale courses waived will be recorded on the student’s transcript and in the degree audit system as waived.

Yale courses With the approval of the department, a doctoral student who is currently enrolled may petition to count up to one year of relevant coursework completed in a Yale master’s or professional doctoral program as partial fulfillment of the Ph.D. course requirements. This petition must be received by the appropriate associate dean in the Graduate School before the end of the student’s first year of study in the Ph.D. program. The dean may reduce the four-year tuition requirement by either one or two terms, based on the number of courses accepted. The courses accepted will be listed on the student’s transcript.

Waived courses are not counted in determining a student’s eligibility for either terminal or en route M.A. or M.S. degrees.

Foreign Language Requirement

Language requirements are set by individual departments and programs. Specific language requirements are explained in the individual department listings. All departmental requirements are subject to initial approval by the Executive Committee of the Graduate School and are monitored by the Degree Committee. A department cannot make exceptions to its own requirements without authorization by the Degree Committee.

Graduate students taking undergraduate language courses are graded according to the Yale College grading scale. Where applicable, language courses may count toward graduate degree requirements in some programs (see program descriptions). Undergraduate language courses do not count toward the Honors requirement.

The required level of proficiency in foreign languages, and the method for demonstrating it, are determined by the individual departments. Students are urged to be prepared to meet language requirements at the beginning of their first year of study.

Course, HP-Average, and Honors Requirements

The course requirements for the Ph.D. degree are set individually by each department or program. Each course offered in the Graduate School counts for a single credit or, in rare cases, one-half credit. Only courses offered by the Graduate School and officially numbered on the graduate level (i.e., 500 or higher), and receiving a qualitative grade of Honors, High Pass, or Pass, can fulfill requirements for the doctoral degree, with the exception of certain undergraduate language courses or where specified in advance by the department or program. Although departments may set more stringent requirements, to meet the minimum Graduate School quality requirement for the Ph.D., students must achieve the grade of Honors in at least one full-year, two-credit graduate course or two one-credit graduate courses taken after matriculation in the Graduate School and during the nine-month academic year and achieve an HP average in coursework required towards the Ph.D. The HP-average and Honors requirements must be met in courses other than those concerned exclusively with dissertation research and preparation.

A student who has not met the HP-average and Honors requirements at the end of the fourth term of full-time study will not be permitted to register for the fifth term. A student who is not in academic good standing with regard to course work or research, as defined by the minimum standards established by the Graduate School and the expectations outlined by the student’s department or program, may be dismissed from the Graduate School. Such dismissal will be recorded on the student’s transcript.

Qualifying Examination

Each Ph.D. student must pass a general examination, separate from course examinations, in a major subject and in such subordinate subjects as may be required by the department. Such examinations are described in the individual department listings. Students must assemble a qualifying examination committee in consultation with their program. Students unable to constitute a committee that satisfies the academic requirements of their program will normally be withdrawn from the Graduate School at the end of year three. Students should consult with their director of graduate studies for further information about this requirement.

Committee Constitution Requirement

Each Ph.D. student must have a dissertation committee, including an adviser who is a member of the Graduate School faculty, satisfactory to the student’s department and in accordance with Graduate School requirements in order to register for the fourth year of study. Students without an approved committee will normally be withdrawn from their program.

The dissertation topic, in the form of a prospectus, must be approved by the department. Certification of this approval, together with a copy of the prospectus, must be filed with the Graduate School registrar at least six months prior to the submission of the dissertation. By the time a prospectus is submitted, the department must approve a member of the graduate faculty to serve as the primary adviser for the dissertation. Students who plan to submit the dissertation before the end of the fourth year of study should be sure to reserve time to satisfy this requirement.

The prospectus should be viewed as a preliminary statement of what the student proposes to do in the dissertation and not as an unalterable commitment. However, substantive deviation from the dissertation project outlined in a prospectus (as determined by the director of graduate studies and associate dean) will require that the student draft a new prospectus to be approved by the dissertation committee at least six months prior to the submission of the dissertation.

In consultation with their faculty advisers and directors of graduate studies, students should give serious thought to the scale of proposed dissertation topics. There should be a reasonable expectation that the project can be completed during the stipulated duration of the degree program.

The appropriate form and typical content of a prospectus inevitably vary from field to field. In most cases, however, a prospectus should contain the following information:

• The name of the dissertation adviser.
• A statement of the topic of the dissertation and an explanation of its importance. What in general might one expect to learn from the dissertation that is not now known, understood, or appreciated?
• A concise review of what has been done on the topic in the past. Specifically, how will the proposed dissertation differ from or expand upon previous work? A basic bibliography should normally be appended to this section.
• A statement of where most of the work will be carried out—for example, in a Yale library or another library or archive, in the laboratory of a particular faculty member, or as part of a program of fieldwork at specific sites in the United States or abroad.
• If the subject matter permits, a tentative proposal for the internal organization of the dissertation—for example, major sections, subsections, sequence of chapters.
• A provisional timetable for completion of the dissertation.

Admission to Candidacy

Admission to candidacy indicates that the department and the Graduate School consider the student prepared to do original and independent research. Students will be admitted to candidacy when they have completed all predissertation requirements, including the dissertation prospectus and excluding any required teaching. Admission to candidacy will normally take place by the end of the third year of study. Any programmatic variations from this pattern that have been approved by the Executive Committee of the Graduate School are described in the individual department statements. Training in teaching can occur both before and after a student is admitted to candidacy. A student who has not been admitted to candidacy at the expected time will not be permitted to register for the following term and will be withdrawn from their program. At the time of advancement to candidacy, eligible students who have not petitioned for or received en route degrees (e.g., M.A., M.S., M.Phil.) will automatically be considered for such degrees. If a student advances to candidacy after the deadline to submit a petition for a degree in that term, the student will be considered for a degree in the following term.

Training in Teaching

The Teaching Fellow Program (TFP) is the principal framework at Yale in which graduate students learn to become effective teachers. Learning to teach and to evaluate student work is fundamental to the education of graduate students. Teaching is required in many departments and is an expectation for all doctoral students. All graduate students teaching for the first time at Yale are required to attend a “Teaching @ Yale Day” (T@YD) orientation. The TFP provides opportunities for graduate students, under faculty guidance, to develop teaching skills through active participation in the teaching of Yale undergraduates. Teaching fellows who encounter problems or difficulties related to their teaching appointments are encouraged to meet with their associate dean. A student must be registered at least half-time in the Graduate School to be appointed as a teaching fellow (TF) or as a part-time acting instructor (PTAI). TFs assist faculty in teaching relatively large undergraduate courses. PTAIs are responsible for small undergraduate courses, subject to guidance and advice by department faculty. For a more detailed description of these types of appointments, see Teaching Fellow Levels in the Financial Aid section under Financing Graduate School .

Faculty should clearly communicate to students and teaching fellows their expectations about the evaluation of work, feedback to students, and grading policies. Faculty are expected to prepare course syllabi, assignments, and examinations. Typically, they should not ask teaching fellows to give lectures when they are unable to attend class, although they are encouraged to offer occasional opportunities for student lectures when they can attend and advise. While on rare occasions teaching fellows may be asked to assist with administrative activities (such as placing course material on library reserve or online, making photocopies for class, ensuring that audiovisual resources are available and working, and the like), in general the faculty member is responsible for such activities.

Graduate students may occasionally serve as graders for graduate-level courses, but only in highly quantitative courses with frequent, graded assignments. To avoid conflicts of interest, teaching fellows should not normally be assigned to evaluate the work of graduate student peers. However, in courses requiring extensive quantitative work, teaching fellows may score quantitative homework and exams submitted by graduate students, using nondiscretionary scoring keys approved by the faculty instructor. In these instances, the faculty member should review the teaching fellow’s scoring and must assign the final grade. In courses that are double-titled with both graduate and undergraduate numbers, the same guidelines hold for the grading of assignments; all other grading of graduate students should be done by the faculty member.

The Graduate School requires that all students who teach be in academic good standing. In addition, they must be fluent in English. Graduate students whose native language is not English are required to meet the oral English proficiency standard before they may begin teaching. This includes teaching in foreign language courses. The standard may be met by (1) passing the Center for Language Study oral exam, (2) passing the speaking section of the iBT TOEFL, (3) passing the speaking portion of the IELTS exam, or (4) having received an undergraduate baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an institution where the principal language of instruction is English and the student was in residence for at least three years. In some instances, a student’s academic dean or director of graduate studies may require that students with an undergraduate degree from English-speaking institutions also pass an oral English exam to satisfy the language requirement. Doctoral students who have not met the oral English proficiency standard must enroll in at least one course offered by the Center for Language Study’s English Language Program each term.

Advancing or Deferring the Teaching Years

In the humanities and social sciences, students in a teaching year, normally years three and four, may defer a teaching year or term into the fifth or sixth year. Students in the humanities and social sciences may teach earlier if there are appropriate teaching opportunities available. Such requests are subject to approval by their director of graduate studies.

Dissertation

The dissertation should demonstrate the student’s mastery of relevant resources and methods and should make an original contribution to knowledge in the field. Normally, it is expected that a dissertation will have a single topic, however broadly defined, and that all parts of the dissertation will be interrelated but can constitute essentially discrete units. Beyond this principle, the faculty will apply the prevailing intellectual standards and scholarly practices within their fields in advising students with regard to the suitable scope, length, and structure of the dissertation, including what constitutes an original contribution to that field.

In accord with the traditional scholarly ideal that the candidate for a doctorate must make a contribution to knowledge, all dissertations that have been accepted by the Graduate School are published electronically through ProQuest and are deposited in the collection of the Sterling Memorial Library. As such, classified or restricted research is not acceptable as part of the dissertation. Exceptions must be approved in advance by the Degree Committee.

Dissertations must be written in and submitted in English except in some disciplines in which there are strong academic reasons for the submission of a dissertation in a foreign language. At the time of the submission of their prospectus, students must petition for permission to submit all or a portion of their dissertations in a foreign language. The petition should be submitted in the form of a letter explaining the academic reasons for using a foreign language and will be evaluated by the director of graduate studies and the appropriate associate dean. Petitions for writing and submitting a dissertation in a foreign language will not be accepted after students have advanced to candidacy. A dissertation may not be translated into English by someone other than the student.

Dissertations must be submitted to the Graduate School by the respective deadlines in the academic calendar to be considered for December or May degrees. No exceptions are made to these deadlines, which have been established to allow sufficient time for departments to receive evaluations from readers and recommend students to the Degree Committee. Once the adviser and committee have approved a dissertation for submission and the director of graduate studies has been notified, the student submits the dissertation along with the degree petition and other forms based on the requirements set forth on the Dissertation Progress Reporting and Submission (DPRS) site ( https://dissertation.yale.edu/dprs ). The director of graduate studies must approve a complete list of dissertation readers for each dissertation on the Notification of Readers (NOR) link on the DPRS site.

Registered doctoral candidates must have a principal adviser with an appointment on the Graduate School faculty. The Graduate School requires that each dissertation be read by at least three people but not more than five, at least two of whom hold faculty appointments in the Graduate School. All readers must hold the Ph.D. degree as well as a faculty position or be considered otherwise qualified to evaluate the dissertation. The process for assigning readers is determined by the department, which is responsible for confirming the qualifications, contact information, and willingness of all readers before notifying the Graduate School of these appointments. All appointments of readers are subject to review by the associate dean. The department is responsible for reassigning readers as necessary, and this process will not extend the deadline for readers’ reports to be returned to the Graduate School. Once all readers’ reports have been submitted, students may view them in the DPRS system. Readers’ reports become part of the student’s permanent academic record.

Award of the Ph.D. will be considered by the Degree Committee only if all readers’ evaluations have been received by the Graduate School and are positive, all other degree requirements have been met, and the department has recommended the awarding of the degree. Should a reader indicate that a dissertation contains significant errors in typing, grammar, spelling, reference citations, or other textual matters, the student will be required to revise the dissertation by a date provided by the registrar. A new pdf of the dissertation must be uploaded in the DPRS system. The Graduate School must receive a letter from the director of graduate studies indicating that the student has addressed the readers’ concerns, before the dissertation can be recommended for a degree. In the event that a dissertation is evaluated as failing, departmental practice determines the number of reevaluations normally permitted.

The Graduate School does not require departments to evaluate the dissertations of degree candidates who are no longer registered. The decision to review such dissertations rests entirely with the department.

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy

The Master of Philosophy is awarded en route to the Ph.D. in many departments. The minimum general requirements for this degree are that a student shall have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. except required teaching, the prospectus, and dissertation. Students will not generally have satisfied the requirements for the Master of Philosophy until after two years of study, except where graduate work done before admission to Yale has reduced the student’s graduate course work at Yale. In no case will the degree be awarded for less than one year of residence in the Yale Graduate School.

Not all departments offer the M.Phil. degree. Information regarding special departmental requirements for the degree, if any, are stated in the individual department listings.

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts or Master of Science

Except in the case of programs listed below under Terminal M.A./M.S. Degrees, students are not admitted as candidates for the Master of Arts or Master of Science degree. However, students in doctoral departments may be awarded the M.A. or M.S. en route to the Ph.D. degree if offered by their program.

Although departments may set more stringent requirements, the minimum general requirements must comply with the credit hour standards set by the U.S. Department of Education and include the (1) completion of a minimum of seven courses leading to the Ph.D. or the equivalent of such courses, with grades that satisfy the departmental requirements; (2) completion of one academic year in full-time residence, or the equivalent, at Yale; (3) recommendation by the department for award of the degree, subject to final review and approval by the Degree Committee. In no case may courses taken prior to matriculation in the Graduate School, or in Yale College or other summer programs, be applied toward the requirements for the M.A. or M.S. degree.

Some departments do not offer the M.A. or M.S. en route to the Ph.D., or award it only to students who are withdrawing from the Ph.D. program. For information about this or any special departmental requirements additional to the general requirements stated above, see the department listings.

Students enrolled in a Ph.D. program may receive a master’s degree from another department provided that it is in a related field of study and deemed necessary for the completion of the proposed dissertation research. The student’s proposed program of study must receive formal approval in writing from the directors of graduate studies in both departments and the appropriate associate dean prior to enrollment in courses that will fulfill master’s degree requirements in another department. Courses taken toward a master’s degree in another department must be part of the student’s course requirement for the Ph.D., as approved by the directors of graduate studies in both departments. However, such course work cannot also be counted toward a master’s degree in the department to which the student was admitted. A student may not advance to candidacy until all requirements have been completed for both the en route master’s degree in the program to which the student was admitted and the proposed master’s degree in a related field. Students who wish to obtain a master’s degree in a field that is not directly related to the doctoral degree must apply for a personal leave from the Ph.D. program and submit an application for admission to the master’s program. Any financial aid offered to the student for a Ph.D. program may not be transferred to a master’s degree course of study. Students enrolled in combined programs normally receive combined en route degrees, if the en route is offered individually by both programs.

Terminal M.A./M.S. Degrees

The M.A. and M.S. degrees are offered as terminal degrees in eighteen departments and programs: African Studies, American Studies, Applied Physics, Archaeological Studies, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Computer Science, East Asian Studies, Engineering & Applied Science, English, European and Russian Studies, History, History of Science and Medicine, International and Development Economics (IDE), Medieval Studies, Music, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Public Health, and Statistics and Data Science.

The residence and tuition requirements for a terminal M.A./M.S. degree are a minimum of one year of full tuition and course work in residence in one-year programs, or a minimum of two years of full tuition and course work in residence in two-year programs. For information about which departments offer one-year programs and which offer two-year programs, see the department listings. Students who extend their program to retake a class in order to be eligible to graduate and who have met the tuition requirement will be charged the Continuous Registration Fee.

With the approval of the department and the appropriate associate dean, a student may be admitted for part-time study toward a master’s degree. In that case, tuition will be charged on a per-course basis. Part-time study does not change the one- or two-year full-tuition obligation described above. Part-time students must complete all degree requirements within five years of matriculation. Part-time status may affect a student’s eligibility for Yale Health coverage.

Individual departments establish the specific course and language requirements for these degrees. Although departments may set more stringent requirements, the minimum Graduate School requirement for students admitted for M.A./M.S. degrees is an overall grade average of High Pass, including a grade of Honors in at least one one-credit graduate course (for students enrolled in one-year programs), or in at least two one-credit graduate courses (for students enrolled in two-year programs). In order to maintain the minimum average of High Pass, each grade of Pass on the student’s transcript must be balanced by one grade of Honors. Each grade of Fail must be balanced by two grades of Honors. If a student retakes a course in which the student has received a failing grade, only the newer grade will be considered in calculating this average. The initial grade of Fail, however, will remain on the student’s transcript. A grade awarded at the conclusion of a full-year course in which no grade is awarded at the end of the first term would be counted twice in calculating this average.

Each course offered in the Graduate School counts for one or one-half credit. Only courses offered by the Graduate School and officially numbered on the graduate level can fulfill requirements for the master’s degree, with the exception of certain language courses or when specified in advance by the department or program. A student who has not fulfilled the course requirements for the degree at the conclusion of the standard duration of the program can, at the discretion of the department and associate dean, be granted one additional term to fulfill degree requirements. If the student has not taken the requisite number of courses but has fulfilled the tuition requirement, the student will be charged the Continuous Registration Fee. If the student must take additional courses beyond the number required, the student will be charged tuition on a per-course basis.

No credit will be awarded toward the M.A./M.S. degree for courses taken prior to matriculation in the Graduate School or taken in Yale or other summer programs. Students in one of Yale’s professional schools who matriculate in the Graduate School to complete a joint master’s degree may, however, with the permission of their director of graduate studies, count courses already completed in their professional school program toward the joint degree. See the individual program or department listings.

The master’s degree may also be earned jointly with the B.A./B.S. in certain departments by students enrolled in Yale College. For further information, see Yale College Programs of Study, available from the Office of the Dean of Yale College.

Requirements for Joint-Degree Programs

Students who are candidates for degrees in any of the joint programs sponsored by the Graduate School and Yale’s professional schools must meet the requirements established by each school for the degree they are seeking. Degree requirements in the Graduate School include both the Graduate School’s general requirements and any special requirements set by the relevant department or program. In all cases the Honors requirement must be fulfilled in non-research courses offered primarily for Graduate School students, taken after matriculation in the Graduate School.

In addition to the J.D./Ph.D., J.D./M.A., M.D./Ph.D., and Ph.D./M.B.A. programs described below, joint-degree programs with other professional schools have been approved for students in Chemical & Environmental Engineering, European and Russian Studies, International and Development Economics, and Nursing. These programs are described in the individual department listings.

J.D./Ph.D. and J.D./M.A. Programs

Admission to the Graduate School joint-degree programs with the Law School, described below, requires separate admission to both schools as well as approval by the appropriate associate dean in each school, and by the director of graduate studies in the student’s Graduate School department. Students must apply for admission to a joint program no later than their first year of study in a J.D., Ph.D., or two-year M.A. program, and must matriculate in the joint program no later than the beginning of their second year. Students wishing to pursue a J.D./M.A. in a one-year M.A. program must matriculate in the M.A. program as a joint-degree candidate.

In the J.D./Ph.D. program, the first year of study is spent principally in the Law School. The second and third years are combined according to the interest of the student. As many as six term courses, designated by the student at the beginning of the term, may be counted toward both degrees. During this time all course work and language requirements for the Ph.D. program are normally completed. The J.D. should be completed by the end of the fourth year. During the fifth year the student is expected to complete all remaining predissertation requirements and be admitted to candidacy. The teaching requirement for the Ph.D. will normally be completed by this time. Any exception to this pattern of study must be approved by the appropriate associate dean.

The minimum residence requirement in the J.D./Ph.D. program is four years. The tuition requirement is two and one-half years in the Law School and three and one-half years in the Graduate School. Financial aid for tuition is provided by each school according to its own criteria, typically for two and one-half years in the Law School and three and one-half years in the Graduate School, and is awarded by each school during the terms in which the student pays tuition in that school. Students are not eligible for financial aid from the Graduate School during terms in which they are registered at another school.

In the J.D./M.A. program, the J.D. and M.A. degrees are awarded simultaneously at the end of the fourth year of study in one-year M.A. programs and at the end of four and one-half years of study in two-year M.A. programs. The Graduate School residence and tuition requirement for J.D./M.A. students in one-year M.A. programs is one year; students in two-year M.A. programs have a one and one-half year tuition and residence requirement in the Graduate School. In all cases students pay three years of tuition in the Law School. Students in J.D./M.A. programs, like other students in M.A. programs, are not ordinarily eligible for University Fellowship aid through the Graduate School. Students usually enroll in the Law School during the first year of study. The pattern of enrollment in subsequent years depends on whether the M.A. program is a one-year or a two-year program.

M.D.-Ph.D. Program

This program is sponsored jointly by the Graduate School and the School of Medicine. Applications for admission to the joint program are reviewed by a committee composed of faculty members and deans from both schools. Normally, admission to the program includes simultaneous admission to both schools. However, students may apply to the joint program normally by October 15 of their second year of study in either the M.D. or Ph.D. program, and they must matriculate in the joint program no later than the beginning of the following year.

Students request affiliation with a particular department or program in the Graduate School by the beginning of their third year of study in the joint program, after their course and research interests have been defined. Although students usually pursue their research in one of the biological sciences, those interested in earning the Ph.D. through work in another department may do so under certain circumstances, with the approval of the M.D.-Ph.D. committee and of the relevant department or program. At the time of the student’s affiliation with a non-biological/biomedical science department or program, permission for any adjustment to the teaching requirement must be obtained from the Graduate School. Requests for adjustments to the program’s teaching requirement should be submitted by the director of graduate studies and by the director of the M.D.-Ph.D. program, as part of a student’s proposed plan of study, to the associate dean for graduate student advising and academic support.

The residence requirement in this program is seven years. The tuition requirement is three and one-half years in the School of Medicine and two and one-half years in the Graduate School. To qualify for the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, students must satisfy all degree requirements of both schools. Normally, a student admitted to this joint program must satisfy the Graduate School Honors requirement and all predissertation requirements within four terms of affiliation with the Ph.D. department. This schedule may be adjusted for students who have been enrolled in either the School of Medicine or the Graduate School before admission to the M.D.-Ph.D. program.

Ph.D./M.B.A. Program

The joint-degree program combines the two-year M.B.A. degree from the School of Management (SOM) with the six-year Ph.D. It allows students to complete requirements for both degrees in roughly seven years rather than the eight or more years that would be required if the degrees were pursued separately. Both degrees will be awarded simultaneously once the student has fulfilled the degree requirements of both programs. Like all graduate students, joint-degree students receive a full financial aid package from the Graduate School during the terms registered there. For students in the humanities and social sciences, this includes four years of tuition fellowship, five years of stipend, and health fellowship for Yale Health coverage for each term registered. Funding for students in the sciences reflects standard, departmental packages. Students will pay one and one-half years of tuition for the three terms registered at SOM.

The SOM and the Graduate School use independent admissions processes and make independent admissions decisions. Applicants must submit the results of the GMAT and, if required by the prospective Ph.D. program, the results of the GRE. Prospective students who are not currently enrolled in either the Graduate School or SOM may apply to both schools simultaneously. Students already enrolled in the Graduate School normally apply to SOM after taking one course at SOM and apply to matriculate at SOM any time after they have passed their Ph.D. qualifying examinations at the Graduate School but prior to beginning the fifth year of study. This pattern, however, is flexible, and students interested in the joint degree should consult the websites of their departments or programs for further information. Students enrolled at SOM may apply to the Graduate School during the first year of study at SOM. Following admission to both programs, each student must complete a form requesting joint-degree status. The form must be signed by the appropriate associate dean at the Graduate School and at SOM and the student’s director of graduate studies.

A student in the Graduate School who wishes to pursue the joint degree will normally be required to take one course at SOM before applying there. To enroll in the course, the student will need to obtain the permission of the SOM instructor and state the intention to apply to the joint-degree program. The Graduate School will waive one course during the term in which the student takes this preliminary course at SOM. For students in some disciplines, this prerequisite to admission will be waived. The student is expected to complete the qualifying exams and prospectus according to the standard schedule set by the Graduate School. The student will normally begin study at SOM after completing the departmental Ph.D. qualifying examinations at the Graduate School, but there are exceptions to this pattern described on the departmental websites. Upon admission to SOM, the joint-degree student will register at SOM for the first-year core of courses. Students may not fulfill any Graduate School requirements during this time, nor may they serve as teaching fellows in the Graduate School in any capacity. The student must register for a third term at SOM and complete four additional courses, normally prior to the beginning of the sixth year of study at the Graduate School. Depending on the schedule of individual students, they may or may not complete all four of these remaining courses within a single term at SOM. If they do not, they may complete outstanding courses while registered at the Graduate School, but in all circumstances, students are required to pay a third term of tuition to SOM.

A student who has been admitted to the Graduate School while completing the first-year core at SOM may begin course work in the Graduate School the following year. Once a joint-degree student has matriculated at the Graduate School, it is expected that the student remain registered continuously until completing the qualifying exams. During this time, the student may undertake limited course work at SOM, but may not register there for the third and final term until the student has passed qualifying exams at the Graduate School. Prospective students who apply simultaneously may start the joint degree at either school and follow the schedules outlined above.

All joint-degree students are subject to the codes of conduct published in the bulletins of their respective programs. Joint-degree students will receive separate transcripts from SOM and the Graduate School. Each transcript will list the courses required for the respective school’s portion of the joint degree. Each course taken may be counted toward one degree only. Students’ transcripts will reflect the joint-degree status. A joint-degree student who decides not to complete both degrees may petition both schools to receive a single degree if the requirements for the single degree, including the two-year tuition requirement at SOM, are met.

Professional Ethics and Responsible Conduct in Research

Professional Ethics and Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) training is intended to establish a basis of understanding among graduate students concerning their rights and obligations as scholars and researchers, as noted below.

Master’s and Ph.D. Students

At the start of their first year of study, all master’s and Ph.D. students are required to attend sessions on professional ethics, including academic integrity, prevention of sexual misconduct, and discrimination and harassment reporting. Students must also complete an approved online training module in professional ethics before they can register for the second term of their first year.

Additional requirements: (1) Students in the natural sciences must complete a department-based RCR course by the end of their first year of study. Master’s students in the natural sciences will not be charged tuition for this course; (2) Students in the humanities and social sciences who receive funding from a U.S. government grant or fellowship are required to complete an online RCR course offered by CITI within one month of the start of the funding.

Students in the Division of Special Registration (DSR)

All DSR students in the natural sciences, and DSR students in the humanities and social sciences who receive funding from a U.S. government grant or fellowship, are required to complete an online RCR course offered by CITI. This requirement must be fulfilled within one month of receiving a Yale NetID and even if RCR training was completed at another university.

Additional requirements: (1) All DSR students registered in the fall term must complete an approved online training module in professional ethics before they can register for the spring term; (2) DSR students in the natural sciences who intend to study at Yale for one year or more are required to complete, at no charge, the department-based RCR course taken by degree-seeking students.

Petitioning for Degrees

Graduate School degrees are awarded twice each year, at Commencement in May and at the end of the fall term (normally in December, depending on the schedule of the Yale Corporation). Degrees are not granted automatically. Students must file a petition for each degree by the appropriate date. (See Schedule of Academic Dates and Deadlines .) Petitions that have received favorable recommendations from the student’s department are reviewed by the Degree Committee. When the Degree Committee has given its approval, the petition is forwarded to the faculty of the Graduate School and then to the Yale Corporation for approval.

Students enrolled in Ph.D. programs should not petition for en route degrees (e.g., M.A./M.S. and M.Phil.) until after the term in which requirements for the degree are completed (e.g., students completing degree requirements during the spring term should petition for award of the degree the following fall). Students who have not petitioned for or received en route degrees (e.g., M.A., M.S., M.Phil.) will automatically be considered for such degrees in the term following advancement to candidacy. Students in terminal M.A./M.S. programs may petition for their degrees in the term in which they expect to complete their degree requirements.

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Doctoral Programs

Doctoral programs in accounting, financial economics, marketing, operations, and organizations and management.

The Doctoral Program gives students unparalleled expertise in management. Candidates work under Yale SOM's distinguished faculty, learning side by side with diverse and accomplished scholars.

Deadline: December 15

The application deadline is December 15 of the year in which admission is sought.

Specializations

Students focus in one of the core disciplines of management, developing in-depth knowledge and pursuing their own research interests: Accounting , Finance , Marketing , Operations , or Organizations and Management .

Application for admission to the Doctoral Program in Management is made through the Yale Graduate School.

Students take foundational PhD-level courses in their areas of specialization, and then choose from a course list that spans the university, drawing from some of the best academic departments in the world.

The program's small size allows senior faculty to take an active role in preparing each student for the job search.

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PhD Program in Nursing

Mentoring nurse scientists of the future is our priority.

PhD Program

Financial support.

Meet the Students

Focus on Clinical Research

Experience Yale

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How to Apply

About the Program

The Schmidt Program on Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technologies, and National Power fosters research and teaching that spans the disciplines of computer science, data science, economics, engineering, history, international relations, law, philosophy, physics, and political science. The Schmidt Program serves as a hub for scholars and practitioners to work across disciplines on the technological and strategic transformations that are reshaping our world.  It was founded on a recognition that cyberspace is now the backbone of our global commerce, communication and defense systems, and a key aspect of the critical infrastructure that powers our modern civilization. Technologies and information spread nearly instantaneously, while the world economy and supply chains are integrated to a degree unprecedented in history.

Yet despite the immense benefits that have resulted from this global connectivity, significant vulnerabilities persist and threats are on the rise. Competition over strategic technologies and contests for advantage in the “information space” are growing, so far without standard international rules of the road. Moreover, the future likely will prove even more transformative due to advances in artificial intelligence (AI). Machines capable of sophisticated information processing, towards the frontier of autonomy, pose tremendous opportunities for economic growth and societal well-being. But the potential threats also are extraordinary: autonomous weaponry, AI-augmented cyberwarfare, sophisticated disinformation campaigns, and geopolitical instability as nations race to deploy these unpredictable technologies.

The Schmidt Program examines how AI has the potential to alter the fundamental building blocks of world order. A particular focus is whether there exist any parallels between the development of AI and nuclear weapons, and the relationship among technology, strategy, and power in the digital age. In addition, a focus on nanotechnology, quantum science, synthetic biology, hypersonic technologies, and long-term space development equips aspiring policy leaders with the requisite technical fluency to identify and respond to emerging threats.

The program was made possible by a $15.3 million gift from the Schwab Charitable Fund through the generosity of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, and by recommendation of Schmidt Futures.  Read more

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The "Why" for Yale Urology Research Faculty

A snapshot of the department's basic science expertise and motivation, yale urology's basic science research team, cancer metabolism focus: it's personal.

First, her grandfather died of a rare cancer just five months after being diagnosed. Then, her uncle passed away from the disease. And an aunt had cancer and died, as well.

“To me – especially in my young girl mind – cancer is a death sentence,” admits Yale Urology Assistant Professor Jiyeon Kim, PhD.

She was 11 when her grandfather got sick, and she remembers the fear it caused. “The cancer was aggressive and life-changing,” says Kim.

Instead of debilitating her, though, it became a motivation.

Kim says she has always been interested in science, with both of her parents being doctors. Something involving medicine was a clear path. While working on her PhD in biology, she focused on cancer metabolism.

“Tumors grow and change quite fast. They need lots of energy and become increasingly dependent on searching for and feeding on nutrients,” says Kim. “If we can identify the system's metabolic pathways, we hope to kill the tumor cells without hurting normal tissue.”

Cancer Modeling

One of Kim’s colleagues within Yale Urology is Darryl Martin, PhD, assistant professor, who specializes in factors that influence cancer progression and metastasis. Like Kim, Martin is passionate about bridging the gap between patient care and research findings.

“My interest deepened during my early college years while working as a medical service aide at a children’s hospital. There, I witnessed firsthand the impact of cancer on children and their families.”

Some of Martin’s recent research concentrates on modeling or mimicking how urologic cancers grow, particularly in cases of treatment resistance. Once understood, explains Martin, it can be easier to stop the growth.

Martin’s expertise in disease progression and Kim’s in metabolomics and cell pathway mapping complement each other well. They recently started a project together looking at bladder cancer, demonstrating yet again that science is all about collaboration.

Imaging and Artificial Intelligence

John Onofrey, PhD, assistant professor, brings data science, machine learning, and radiology to the Yale Urology table.

Onofrey started using artificial intelligence and its techniques more than fifteen years ago - long before it was popular. For example, some of his work has involved combining the data of both MRIs and ultrasounds to give a clearer picture of where — and at what level — a person’s prostate cancer is.

“The perfect application of my work is when AI can benefit the patient,” says Onofrey. “People can produce hundreds of papers on developing novel algorithms, and very few have practical use for the physician and/or patient care. I’m interested in developing clinically impactful AI software tools.”

Onofrey likes to think big and broad.

“If [an algorithm or theory] works well at Yale, that’s a good start,” says Onofrey. “But I ultimately want to see it work well at other institutions and sites, too. That’s the real impact.”

He explains that data, particularly medical data, can be “messy.” It is difficult to combine data from different sources into a single computer program. But that is what Onofrey hopes to refine – all in an effort to catch cancer sooner and choose more appropriate treatments.

Different Expertise; One Mission

Whether it is through metabolomics [the study of metabolites in an organism], investigating disease progression, or AI image analysis, all three researchers are driven by a desire to troubleshoot a clinical or patient problem.

“We can kill cancer. That’s certainly the end goal,” says Kim.

Featured in this article

• Jiyeon Kim, PhD Assistant Professor of Urology and Cellular & Molecular Physiology
• Darryl T. Martin, PhD Assistant Professor
• John Onofrey, PhD Assistant Professor of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging and of Urology

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PhD in Biostatistics

Biostatistics involves the development and application of sound statistical and mathematical principles to research in the health sciences. Because original theoretical research in biostatistics flows from medical research, the foundations of methodological development must be firmly grounded in sound principles of statistical inference and a thorough knowledge of the substantive area that provides the source of the medical questions being addressed. Thus, the Department of Biostatistics encourages excellent methodological work that is motivated by sound science that includes but is not limited to active collaborations with other investigators.

Students will be able to choose either the Standard Biostatistics Pathway or the newly created Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway , directed by Professor Donna Spiegelman, director of the Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science . The rigorous training in the theory of and methods of biostatistics, with a specialization in implementation and prevention science methods promotes the adoption and integration of evidence-based practices, interventions and policies into routine health care and public health settings to improve the impact on population health.

Research collaborations for biostatisticians take place both within and across departments in the School of Public Health, as well as with other departments in the School of Medicine and the University at large. Areas of current research include the development of general methods that have wide applicability across different areas of health research, as well as more specific techniques for dealing with the underlying processes that give rise to the data of interest. A broad range of health topics addressed by students in this department includes chronic diseases such as cancer, genetic epidemiology, clinical research, and mathematical models for infectious diseases.

Graduates of the doctoral program in Biostatistics are employed in universities throughout the country, as well as in such dedicated research institutions such as the National Institutes of Health. In addition, graduates have pursued careers in the pharmaceutical industry, in which they are actively involved in the evaluation of new therapeutic strategies.

This program requires General GRE test scores. Please send them to institution code 3987 (there is no department code).

More on Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway

Yale’s new pathway is the first degree program to provide rigorous training in implementation and prevention science methods , including training in the development of new methods to advance the field. Other programs, importantly but quite differently, focus on the practice of implementation science and are targeted to those with subject matter expertise (e.g., in mental health or cancer prevention). Yale’s new program, by contrast, targets those wishing to develop scholarly methodological expertise.

If you plan to attend Yale, you will be able to choose this pathway or the Standard Biostatistics Pathway . You will have until the beginning of the spring term to decide which pathway you wish to follow.

2023 Biostatistics Information Session for the MPH, MS and PhD programs

Biostatistics Information Session for the MPH, MS and PhD programs.

November 16, 2023

• Shuangge (Steven) Ma -Department Chair and Professor of Biostatistics
• Mary Keefe - Director of Admissions
• Lisa Calvocoressi - Research Scientist in Biostatistics
• Michael Kane - Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
• Donna Spiegelman - Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Biostatistics and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine
• Kei-Hoi Cheung - Professor of Biomedical Informatics & Data Science; Professor of Biostatistics
• Katie Doucet - Assistant Director, Student Affairs

Learn more about the Department of Biostatistics

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What's new with the university PCard program

May 31, 2024

We’ve heard your feedback! The Yale University Purchasing Card Program (PCard) team has taken proactive steps to align the PCard to usage needs and behaviors. Since the program’s inception, PCard limits have not changed to keep up with rising inflation and technology. Likewise, the program’s structure had not evolved to meet the community’s growing demands. After careful analysis and benchmarking against other higher education institutions, we approved several initiatives to improve the user experience and add efficiencies. These PCard projects and the solid partnership with our card provider have reduced cardholder declines, enhanced new cardholder training, lowered the number of cards suspended, simplified the exception process, removed outdated cards, and added new publishing fee limits. 

In addition to improving user experience, adherence to policies and procedures was also a priority for these projects. An overall assessment was performed to determine the initial areas of focus to provide the most impact. Engaging the business community was vital to the university’s mission and the project’s success. The project teams worked closely with the lead administrators, operations managers, and the finance Senior Leadership Team. The project team thanks these individuals who devoted their time to providing input, guidance, and invaluable feedback to enhance the PCard program.  

The following are some of the latest accomplishments from the collaboration and efforts of several projects and individuals working on the PCard program: 

•   Training for new PCard holders : Working with the Finance Training and Development team, a new interactive training module was created and is now accessible through Workday Learning. This training will continue to evolve and may be expanded to include existing cardholder refresher training.
• Increased PCard limits : Proactive steps were taken to address purchasing card (PCard) limit issues. Careful analysis was performed to determine what the new limits should be, and approval the Senior Leadership Team provided approval to automatically and seamlessly increase PCard spending limits with minimal disruption to university business. In alignment with the One Finance North Star, increasing PCard limits will make life easier by reducing the need for temporary and permanent limit exception requests and decreasing the number of point-of-sale (transaction) declines. These increases align with current PCard spending behavior and changing trends in cardholder usage and account for rising inflation.
• Added separate publishing fee limits : Cardholders can now request a separate limit for publication and publishing fee type purchases.   
• PCard Exceptions : In alignment with our One Finance  North Star, the new automated form simplifies the request process by eliminating the manual PDF form and automating the routing of PCard Exception requests. The online form saves considerable time printing/scanning, physically obtaining signatures, and manually transmitting the form through email. As an additional enhancement, the PCard department will now have more visibility into the status of the form and will facilitate the collection of data to be evaluated for future process improvements.
• Auto suspension notices : To encourage the timely submission of expense reports, we’ve clarified the process around actions needed, developed notification content, and determined the frequency of notifications. This collaborative effort with Finance Systems Support and Change Management resulted in reminders, warnings, and suspension notices to PCard holders who have unprocessed expense transactions. The unprocessed transactions violate Policy 3215 Yale Purchasing Card  and the Yale University Purchasing Cardholder Agreement. This increased transparency, by alerting lead administrators and business managers of delinquent cardholders, has resulted in fewer and fewer suspensions each week since launch.

The PCard program, part of Procurement Operations, will continuously look for ways to improve cardholder experience by working with JP Morgan, Finance departments and most importantly the Yale community.