yale graduate programs phd

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Yale University

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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.

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

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.

School of Architecture

The Yale School of Architecture’s mandate is for each student to understand architecture as a creative, productive, innovative, and responsible practice.

School of Art

The Yale School of Art has a long and distinguished history of training artists of the highest caliber.

Divinity School

Yale Divinity School educates the scholars, ministers, and spiritual leaders of the future.

David Geffen School of Drama

The David Geffen School of Drama graduates have raised the standards of professional practice around the world in every theatrical discipline, creating bold art that engages the mind and delights the senses.

School of Engineering & Applied Science

The Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science is at the cutting edge of research to develop technologies that address global societal problems.

School of the Environment

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.

Jackson School of Global Affairs

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

Yale Law School hones the world’s finest legal minds in an environment that features world-renowned faculty, small classes, and countless opportunities for clinical training and public service.

School of Management

School of Management students, faculty, and alumni are committed to understanding the complex forces transforming global markets and building organizations that contribute lasting value to society.

School of Medicine

Yale School of Medicine graduates go on to become leaders in academic medicine and health care, and innovators in clinical practice, biotechnology, and public policy.

School of Music

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

School of Nursing

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.

School of Public Health

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.

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.

Department of Psychology

You are here, overview of the program.

These are remarkable times for psychology. Scientific breakthroughs concerning the biological, emotional, cognitive, and social basis of normal and abnormal behavior are reported in the media almost daily. The faculty associated with the Department of Psychology at Yale University represents the cutting edge of research and scholarship in this broad and exciting field.

The primary goal of graduate education in psychology at Yale University is the training of researchers, for academic and applied settings, who will broaden and deepen the knowledge base on which the science of psychology rests. The graduate program in the Department of Psychology annually enrolls about 15 new Ph.D. students. When applying to the Department, each potential graduate student indicates one of five areas of concentration, and usually has a “home” in a particular lab, but it is also possible to collaborate with faculty and students in other labs and participate in programs that cut across these traditional areas (e.g., cognitive, affective and social neuroscience; health sciences).

Our Department has an illustrious history, but, more important, continues to reinvigorate itself by recruiting the most outstanding scholars we can identify in clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and social-personality psychology, with special efforts to attract those whose interests bridge these areas. These scholars include faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates in Psychology and other programs (e.g., the School of Management, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program).

A primary objective of our graduate program is to encourage research that follows from an understanding of the substantive and methodological bases of scientific psychology as well as from other social and biological sciences. We encourage students to appreciate the multiple historical and theoretical contexts from which the field has emerged, and to create an environment that facilitates student and faculty interest and participation in research activities. Moreover, many members of the faculty are committed to exploring the impact of their work on individual, community, and societal problems. Consequently, faculty and student interests and research often bridge basic science to issues of public policy, providing opportunities for students to develop broad areas of expertise.

We are deeply committed to graduate education and are eager to work closely with students to help them take advantage of the rich offerings of our Department and University in ways that suit their interests and talents. Our department is a thriving and diverse intellectual community that is committed to a culture of inclusiveness. The relatively small size of our graduate program and the large number of primary and affiliated faculty ensure that each student receives extensive attention in following an individualized curriculum. Over the years, we have cultivated a supportive environment that provides rigorous training. Our program is an active, exciting, flexible, and challenging setting in which qualified students who share our interests thrive. We welcome your application.

• Dates & Deadlines
• PhD/Master's Application Process

Deadlines below are for degree-seeking (PhD or Master's) applicants. Please note that all deadlines are subject to change at any time.

Summer-Fall 2023

Applicants should schedule any necessary standardized tests no later than November, in order to allow time for official scores to reach the Graduate School before the program application deadline.

December 1, 2023

Application deadline for:

• Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
• Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• English Language and Literature*
• History of Art*
• Linguistics
• Psychology*
• Statistics and Data Science (MS)

December 15, 2023

• African American Studies*
• American Studies*
• Anthropology*
• Applied Physics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical and Environmental Engineering
• Comparative Literature*
• Computer Science (PhD)
• Electrical Engineering
• Film and Media Studies*
• Germanic Languages and Literatures*
• History of Science and Medicine
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
• Personalized Medicine and Applied Engineering
• Political Science*
• Public Health
• Religious Studies*
• Slavic Languages and Literatures*
• Statistics and Data Science* (PhD)
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies*

January 2, 2024

Deadline for fee waiver requests .

• African Studies
• Applied Mathematics
• Archaeological Studies
• Architecture
• Computer Science (MS)
• Earth and Planetary Sciences
• East Asian Languages and Literatures*
• East Asian Studies
• Environment*
• European and Russian Studies
• International Development and Economics
• Investigative Medicine
• Italian Studies*
• Medieval Studies
• Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
• Philosophy*
• Spanish and Portuguese*

*Note regarding combined programs: 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.

Letters of recommendation do not need to be received before you will be able to submit your application. However, since programs begin reviewing applications shortly after the respective application deadline, please be sure that your letters of recommendation are submitted promptly.

All application deadlines are as of 11:59 pm Eastern time.

December 2023-March 2024

Applications are reviewed by departments and programs after the respective application deadline passes.

February-March 2024

Applicants are notified as admissions decisions become available.

April 15, 2024

The reply deadline for most offers of admission for fall 2024.

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.

Department of Mathematics

Graduate program.

Application deadline is December 15th, 2023.

Test requirements:

GRE Subject Test:         GRE Subject Math Test scores are OPTIONAL.

GRE General Test:      GRE General Test scores are OPTIONAL.  

TOEFL or IELTS:      Scores are REQUIRED (the link below contains answers to common questions on these exams including who has to take them).

Standardized Test Questions:       Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

Fee waiver:  if you wish to apply to waive the application fee (105$) please apply for the waiver here:  Application Fees & Fee Waivers | Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences . We recommend to do this as early as possible and, at least, several days before the deadline of January 2, 2023. Please note that the department has no control over the waivers. 

Program in Applied Mathematics . Note that there is a separate program in Applied Mathematics. You cannot apply for both programs. Follow  Welcome | Applied Mathematics Program (yale.edu)  for the general information about that program  and  https://applied.math.yale.edu/graduate-program-0  for the information about admissions, requirements, etc.

Welcome to the Yale graduate program in Mathematics.

The transition from mathematics student to working mathematician depends on ability, hard work and independence, but also on community. Yale’s graduate program provides an excellent environment for this, and we are proud of the talented students who come here and the leading faculty with whom they learn the profession.

In their first two years, students focus on building their general knowledge and passing the qualifying exams , but are also encouraged to use the time to think about their areas of interest, work together to explore them, and begin making connections with faculty advisors. There are few formal requirements and this flexibility allows students to develop independence, formulating and following their own goals.

Mathematics, while requiring intense individual focus, also thrives on collaborative work. Students form study groups and seminars together, and also benefit from our excellent cohort of Gibbs Assistant Professors and other Postdoctoral Fellows, who are a source of fresh mathematical perspectives and camaraderie.

Research, and the contribution of new ideas and results to the body of mathematical knowledge, naturally form the main focus of the next few years, and typically students complete their PhD by the end of the 5th (sometimes 6th) year. During this time they also get to know the faculty better, and continue building intellectual and personal connections, horizontally across the discipline and through time to our shared intellectual history and tradition.

Teaching is an important component of our profession, and the department provides support and training to graduate students. Teaching assignments proceed from individual coaching to classroom teaching, with careful mentoring provided by our dedicated team of lecturers.  The Lang Lunch Seminar, in the second year, provides in-depth training to graduate students before they begin to lecture.

Director of Graduate Studies : Van Vu .

Inquiries concerning the graduate program in mathematics should be sent to Van Vu .

Registrar of Graduate Studies: TBA 

Some useful links:

• The mathematics department page in the Graduate School catalog.
• Graduate school homepage for general information.
• Admissions information from the graduate school.
• Mathematics Graduate Program Advising Guidelines

Department of Political Science

Graduate Program

Yale’s Ph.D. program has a strong historical record of producing leading scholars in the field of Political Science. (Please note: The department does not offer a stand-alone MA in Political Science. Information about the Jackson Institute MPP in Global Affairs .) Many Yale graduates have also had successful careers in government, politics, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. This historical strength is matched by a strong faculty deeply engaged in training current graduate students to succeed in contemporary Political Science.

One of the Department’s strengths is substantive and methodological pluralism—there is no single “Yale way,” and our students and faculty are motivated by a range of questions in and across the subfields of Political Science. At the same time as we acknowledge this diversity of interests, the Department’s curriculum is designed to ensure students have adequate opportunities to master the core tools of contemporary social science research, including a four-course sequence in quantitative methodology and research design (statistics), a two course sequence in formal theory, courses on experimental design, implementation, and analysis, and a training program in qualitative and archival methodology.

The Department also offers training in five substantive subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Economy, and Political Theory. In each of these subfields, faculty regularly teach courses that expose students to both the foundational work in these areas and current active research topics. In many subfields, this training takes the form of formal or informal “sequences,” for example Comparative Politics I and II are taught each year. These classes are supplemented by topical seminars on selected and advanced topics.

In addition to regular courses, the Department and affiliated institutions (in particular, the MacMillan Center and the Institution for Social and Policy Studies) host a variety of (near-)weekly workshops in which outside speakers and Yale affiliates present and discuss work. These workshops provide a unique opportunity for students to observe the work of leading scholars, as well as to develop their own research in conjunction with faculty and student review. Information about these workshops is available here.

Students will also take two courses as a cohort. The first, Introduction to Politics, is for all Ph.D. students in their first semester. The second, Research and Writing, spans the second year and is centered on students producing a publishable quality research paper prior to embarking on the dissertation. Students in Research and Writing present their final paper in the Department’s mini-APSA conference in April.

About eighteen students enter the Ph.D. program each year. The total number of students in residence at any one time, including students working on their dissertations, is approximately 100, of whom about 40 are taking courses.

The Director of Graduate Studies for the Political Science Department is Hélène Landemore . Professor Landemore’s DGS office is located in Room 234  in Rosenkranz Hall, 115 Prospect Street. To contact Professor Landemore or sign up for DGS office hours, email her at dgs.polisci@yale.edu .

The Graduate program registrar is Colleen Amaro.  Her office is located in Room 230 in Rosenkranz Hall, 115 Prospect Street. She can be contacted by email at colleen.amaro@yale.edu .

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Graduate program.

Are you interested in joining the graduate program? Check out our  page for prospective graduate students , including a synopsis of relevant program details tailored for students applying to the program. The page below has a level of detail tailored for current graduate students in the EEB PhD program.

Yale Graduate Students Policies & Procedures

“Students are reminded that the policies of the Graduate School must be followed.  Any questions regarding these policies should be addressed to your assistant or associate dean.” Policies can be found at the GSAS Program Policies page and in the Graduate School handbook . You can find various GSAS forms here . 

Ph.D. Requirements

Each student develops a program of courses, seminars, and research tailored to the student’s interests, background and goals. Listed below are the basic requirements for students in EEB and a timetable of major events. You can find additional information beyond the requirements in the Grad Student Guide , which was written by EEB graduate students, for EEB graduate students.

[Fall] Entry Committee

Graduate Mentors

Research rotations

Department activities

Apply for fellowships (optional)

Coursework (as needed/desired)

Grad student department service

[Winter] Assemble your dissertation committee

[by March] Pre-prospectus

[Spring/Summer] Prospectus & Advancement to candidacy

Dissertation research & committee meeting(s)

Teaching (if required/desired)

5th (6th) year

Dissertation research & committee meeting (s)

Dissertation defense & submission

Other Resources

Entry Committee

Upon arrival in the fall, the entry committee will meet individually with and review the academic records of the new students, and make recommendations for course work, rotations and teaching. Course recommendations will include a) courses to be taken (and passed) to address gaps in your previous scientific education, and b) courses that will help student development in their chosen area of research.

Upon admission, each incoming student will be assigned a faculty mentor. In most cases, the mentor will be a prospective advisor. If the student’s prospective advisor is on leave, then another faculty member will be assigned to be the graduate mentor for that student. The graduate mentor is responsible for providing space and support for the first year, and supervising the academic recommendations of the entry committee.

Research Rotations

All students carry out two research rotations before advancing to candidacy. Each rotation lasts one semester. Both rotations are typically conducted in the first year, but when it is a better fit for the student’s research objectives one rotation may be completed in the second year.  The format of the rotation will be decided between each student and their rotation supervisor, but should involve a scientific project. Students should write a report on their rotation at the end of the rotation. While rotating in a lab, students typically meet regularly with their rotation advisor, participate in lab meetings, and have a desk in the lab office space. Students should contact faculty with whom they are interested in rotating as soon as they arrive in the fall.

The primary purpose of the rotations is to provide the student with opportunities to expand their conceptual and analytical toolkits, improving the student’s eventual dissertation research. One of the rotations should be in the lab(s) that you are thinking of joining for your dissertation research. Rotations serve to introduce students to new techniques, gain a broader background in EEB, and develop close connections with EEB faculty. If there is a good reason to do so, students may rotate outside the department following discussion with your main supervisor and/or the DGS.

When students begin a research rotation, they register for EEB 901 for their first rotation and EEB 902 for their second rotation. At the end of each rotation, the rotation supervisor grades the course Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory and submits the Lab Rotation Evaluation of the student’s progress to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).  This assists the DGS in evaluating each student’s progress and in identifying any student who may require special guidance.

Most students come into the department with an advisor (or two) with whom they want to work. However, students do not commit to working with an advisor for their dissertation research until (at the earliest) the end of their first year. During their first year, students complete research rotations in the lab(s) they are considering joining. At the end of a student’s first year, they choose one of the labs they completed a rotation project in to join for their dissertation research. If students do not wish to join one of the labs they rotated in, it is possible to do a 3rd (or even 4th) rotation during the summer. Note that, unlike other programs in the biological sciences, it is extremely rare for an advisor to be unable to accept a graduate student to join the lab, because funding for our graduate students is provided at the department level.

In rare cases, students can be co-advised by 2 PIs, although they should consider whether co-advising is necessary or if it would be sufficient to simply have one of the PIs as a committee member or close collaborator.

Once students join a lab, they should pursue a program of exploratory research and reading aimed at eventually identifying topic(s) and project(s) for dissertation research.

Course work requirements are kept to a minimum for graduate students in EEB so students can focus on research. The following are the minimum requirements for course work.

There are several EEB courses that all students take in their first year:

EEB 500 (fall) / EEB 501 (spring), Advanced Topics in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory).  This course introduces first-year students to the research programs of professors in the department, as well as other topics like science writing and proposal preparation.

EEB 545 (spring), Responsible Conduct of Research (graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory). This course provides first-year students with training in research ethics and professionalism.

• EEB 901 Research Rotation I / EEB 902 Research Rotation II (graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory). This is simply a course students register for while completing their research rotations. If rotations are conducted in a later year, these courses should also be enrolled in then.

EEB PhD students must take three additional graduate courses (level 500 and above) for a grade. Students must earn a grade of Honors (equivalent to an “A”) in at least two of those courses.

These requirements must be completed before students advance to candidacy. Students must maintain a High Pass (equivalent to a “B”) average.

Beyond those requirements, students may take as many courses as they would like to, both within and beyond the department. You can find all the courses on offer to graduate students (level 500 and above) on Yale Course Search . Students should check with their advisor, the DGS, or other students in the department to determine which classes are relevant to their research interests and useful to their training. Note that students can take thes non-required courses for a grade, or they may audit them. Auditors typically attend lectures and discussion sections, and have access to all course materials, but may not be able to have their assignments and exams graded.

Students must register for a class every term for the duration of their graduate studies. If a  student is not registered for another course (or are just auditing one or more courses) in a given semester,  they need to register for Preparing for Advance to Candidacy (CAND 999) (if they have not yet passed to candidacy), or Dissertation Research – in Residence (DISR 999) (if they have passed to candidacy). 

To drop or change a course after the deadline, contact the DGS and/or Registrar.

Teaching is a fundamental part of our professional training. Teaching also provides a common intellectual experience for our graduate students. Generally, there are two levels of graduate student teaching commitments at Yale: TF10, which is ~10 hours/week of effort, and TF20, which is ~20 hours/week of effort. Teaching Fellow responsibilities differ from class to class, but can include: attending lectures, setting up labs, preparing and running discussion sections, grading papers and assignments, writing exams, and grading exams. The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning also provides extensive support for graduate students who would like to learn how to teach.

Graduate students in EEB are expected to teach a minimum of three semesters while at Yale: all students teach BIOL 104, which is a TF10, and two other courses at a TF20 level.  Required teaching is typically done during their first two years of study, although this requirement can be spread out if needed (e.g. for fieldwork). If students are supported by a University Fellowship in their later years (fourth and fifth years) rather than on external grants, additional teaching will be required.

The DGS works with each student to provide a teaching experience that is both diverse and matches the academic goals of the student. Students are encouraged to teach a mixture of introductory and intermediate courses in ecology and evolution, organismal and biodiversity courses, and laboratory and lecture courses. 

In the late spring of each year, graduate students in EEB are sent a survey asking them a) if they expect to teach in the following year and, if they plan to teach, b) to rank by preference the courses they would like to teach. The DGS also talks to faculty teaching courses that require TFs with specialized background (e.g., Ornithology, Terrestrial Arthropods, and Field Ecology) about which students would be qualified to teach those courses. Then, the DGS matches student preferences and faculty needs across the entire department, also trying to balance opportunities for students to teach with their advisor and in high demand courses at least once. For example, there are typically more students requesting to teach General Ecology (EEB220) and Evolutionary Biology (EEB225) than there are TF slots available. Typically, 80-90% of students end up teaching their preferred course, and only very rarely have to teach anything beyond their 2nd choice.

Department Activities

In addition to formal academic requirements, students are expected to participate in the weekly department seminar and graduate student and postdoctoral colloquium (known as the Speakeasy), and annual department retreat.  

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department Seminar .  The Department Seminar is held weekly throughout the academic year.  These seminars cover a wide range of topics that reflect the breadth of research interests within the Department.  Invited speakers from other institutions give presentations suitable for a multi-disciplinary audience.  Graduate students must attend the Seminars throughout their years of graduate study to ensure that students maintain a broad perspective on contemporary biological sciences.

Invited Speaker Individual and Lunch Meetings . Invited speakers for the seminar series typically meet with members of the department on the day of or days surrounding the seminar. Graduate students often have the opportunity to meet individually or in small groups with visiting speakers. In addition, invited speakers typically have a large group lunch with all graduate students midday on the day of the seminar.

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Speakeasy . The EEB Postdoc and Grad Student Speakeasy is held throughout the academic year. This colloquium occurs in an informal setting, and allows postdocs and graduate students to provide each other with feedback on their ongoing research projects. Typically, every student in the program presents on their research at least once a year.

Department Retreat .  Each fall the faculty, graduate students, post-docs, and staff participate in a retreat. It occurs away from the main campus in an informal setting that encourages a dynamic exchange of diverse scientific perspectives during a program of informal research presentations. Graduate student retreat coordinators and the Department Chair organize the retreat, and 1st year students typically plan some entertaining activity for the whole department (talk to senior grad students for examples of past activities).

Department Symposium . Each spring the faculty, students, and post-docs participate in a day-long department symposium which showcases student research over the previous year. Typically, pre-candidacy graduate students present their work as posters, and can present on research they completed prior to joining the program, research done during rotation projects, or ideas for research going forward. Their poster is not expected to be a ‘finished story’. Post-candidacy graduate students typically present talks on their ongoing dissertation research.  Additionally, invited speakers from outside the department or Yale present on a range of scientific topics.

Applying for Fellowships

All students are strongly encouraged to apply for graduate fellowships they may be eligible for. Notably, many students apply for the NSF GRFP, Ford Foundation fellowships, and Hertz Foundation fellowship. Many of these fellowships have deadlines in early- to mid-fall, so students should begin working on them over the summer.  Receiving fellowships like these allow the department to expand the number of graduate students we can accept, and individually reduce your teaching obligations in the later years of your graduate training.

For the NSF GRFP, students are eligible if they are a US citizen with less than two full years of graduate school (i.e. do not have a Masters). Students can apply the fall when they are applying to graduate school, and either their first or second year during graduate school. Requirements for other fellowships may differ somewhat from these.

Grad Student Department Service

Graduate students contribute to the department by organizing and running a number of activities and events. At the end of each year, all current students meet to delegate these responsibilities among the 2nd and 3rd year students-to-be. Roles include (but are not limited to): organizing speaker lunches, organizing speakeasy, organizing the graduate student symposium, maintaining snacks and drinks for department seminars and speakeasy, organizing prospective students’ interviews, inviting graduate student-nominated speakers, acting as graduate student admissions liaisons, serving as the EEB representative on the Graduate Student Assembly. These positions are often shared between more than one person.

Assembling Your Dissertation Committee

By the end of their 3rd semester, each student is expected to form a Dissertation Advisory Committee. This committee will serve on your pre-prospectus meeting and prospectus exam, meet with you regularly for dissertation committee meetings, oversee your dissertation research, act as a valuable resource for your research, and evaluate your progression to candidacy and eventual dissertation defense. Students should consult with their advisor to determine who to ask to serve on their committee.

The Dissertation Advisory Committee must consist of at least four members. These are (1) the thesis advisor, (2) a faculty member with a primary appointment in EEB, (3) a faculty member with a primary or secondary appointment in EEB, and (4) an outside member who does not have a primary or secondary appointment in EEB. Deviations from this composition are possible with permission from the DGS. 

Preprospectus Exam

The preprospectus is your first meeting with your dissertation committee, and should be completed by March of your second year. In preparation for this meeting, you should prepare a document (see length requirements below) and a presentation (15-20 slides) preliminarily outlining what you plan to do for your dissertation research. See Guidelines for Preprospectus and Prospectus . At the preprospectus meeting, you should give a presentation summarizing any preliminary results you have and outlining your proposed research. Your committee will assess the feasibility of what you are considering and provide suggestions and feedback. Immediately after the preprospectus meeting, the committee informs the student and the DGS, in writing, of the committee’s specific requirements in preparation for the prospectus exam. This includes a list of required readings, and may also include data to gather. We suggest setting up a Google Docs directly after the pre-prospectus where committee members can list their reading assignments for the student. You should also remind your advisor that the Student Committee Meeting Progress Report form  should be completed by your committee immediately following the meeting.

The preprospectus is your opportunity to get helpful feedback from your committee members before the prospectus exam. In particular, you should seek their feedback on: 1) your level of background knowledge in both your specific area of interest and the broader fields of ecology and evolutionary biology, 2) the specific research questions that you are proposing to answer, 3) the research plan you propose to follow to answer those questions. Most students propose at least three sets of experiments (‘chapters’), which are typically thematically linked (although that is not required). An eventual successful dissertation consists of at least three ‘publishable units’, although very frequently many of the chapters in the dissertation are different from those proposed in the preprospectus and prospectus. You do not need preliminary data for your preprospectus, but are welcome to include any you have.

Prospectus Exam

The prospectus is the exam that will allow you to advance to candidacy , meaning that you transition from being a PhD student to becoming a PhD candidate, and should be completed before beginning your third year, typically in May or June of your second year. At the prospectus exam, the student is examined regarding: 1) their broad understanding of general principles of ecology and evolution, 2) their deeper understanding of their chosen sub-disciplines, and 3) the scientific validity and feasibility of their proposed research. Prior to the exam, the student prepares a research proposal and presentation that: 1) articulates a research question and places it within the greater context of their field of study, 2) outlines their approach for data collection and analysis, 3) presents any preliminary data thus far gathered, and 4) demonstrates the feasibility of their plan to be executed successfully in a 3-year timeframe. See Guidelines for Preprospectus and Prospectus .

The exam itself consists of a two- to three-hour oral examination by Committee members. Always schedule for three hours so there is plenty of time. The format is as follows: the student first gives a 20-25 minute presentation describing their thesis proposal (with minimal interruption by faculty). Afterward there are two rounds of questioning by the faculty. During each round, each faculty is given 15 minutes to ask whatever questions they feel are relevant, though the rounds are distinguished broadly by their focus. In the first round, faculty should focus on more general questions relating to knowledge of the discipline(s) relevant to the student’s proposed work. These questions should mostly derive from the reading assignments each faculty assigned to the student after the pre-prospectus meeting. The second round of questions should pertain more specifically to the student’s research proposal. Faculty do not need to use up their 15 minutes during each round, but they may not exceed it. Faculty who are not the questioner at the time are encouraged to be quiet. After the rounds of questioning, there of course can be some additional discussion, etc – but the exam should typically last around two hours, and never go beyond three. 

You should also remind your advisor that the  Student Committee Meeting Progress Report form  should be completed by your committee immediately following the meeting.  After the meeting,  email your Prospectus  to the Registrar as soon as possible.  If a student’s performance at the Prospectus Exam is considered unsatisfactory, remedial action is taken. Depending on the nature and magnitude of the problem, the student may be required to write a paper on a specific topic, take additional courses, retake the prospectus exam, or (in extremely rare cases) leave the graduate program. The student provides a report to the department registrar that records when the meeting took place, who was in attendance, and the outcome.

Best practices for the prospectus:

When preparing for your prospectus, take into account the feedback you received from your committee members during the preprospectus meeting. If your committee was happy with your ideas in the Preprospectus, they do not need to change substantially for the Prospectus. If your committee suggested or required that you collect preliminary data or better cover particular points, you should make sure to do so. If your committee is unhappy with aspects of your performance during the Prospectus exam, you may be given a conditional pass. This is relatively common.

Guidelines for the Preprospectus and Prospectus Written Documents

Specified page limits do not include figures or references. Documents should be single spaced, with text no smaller than 11 point. The documents are to be provided to your committee at least a week before your preprospectus and prospectus meetings.

Preprospectus

The preprospectus document length is 4 to 5 pages. This document describes the student’s main research topic and questions to be studied for the thesis, their relevance within EEB, and the approaches (e.g., methods) used to address the topic/questions.  The preprospectus may contain similar elements as the prospectus, as described in detail below. However, the preprospectus is expected to be a less-detailed document, especially because no preliminary data may exist at the time a student writes the preprospectus. 

PROJECT SUMMARY:   A brief (half to one page) summary should describe the objectives, methods and significance of the proposed research. This may include a brief description of the general research topic and its importance, a statement regarding the novelty and general relevance of the study (i.e. the intellectual merits), the general methods or approach to be used and a list of the key objectives of the proposed study. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:  The description is 8 to 10 pages. The project description should address the following general issues:  What is the general topic and specific problem being addressed? Why is the problem important and interesting? How will you address the problem? If you complete the plan, how will that bring us closer to an answer to the problem? Is the proposed plan feasible and likely to be successful?  The following are suggestions for sections that may be included in your proposal, and possible issues you may want to address.  These are merely suggestions that should be adapted to the details of each individual project and the requirements of your dissertation advisor and thesis committee. Note: It is often useful to use headings and subheadings to create logical structure in your proposal. 

Introduction 

Introduce the general topic

Explain why the topic is generally important and interesting (within the context of EEB) 

Establish why the proposed research is novel and of general relevance within EEB 

Briefly describe how you will address your question and state your hypotheses if appropriate.  

Statement of key research objectives: Describe the key research objectives as outlined in your proposal 

Background on the study system and methods to be used: Describe the necessary background information on your study system that is relevant to your proposed research.  In particular, review the theory and background knowledge relevant to the study, describe what is known on this topic about your species/system (and why it is a good choice), and describe how the general question can be addressed by the proposed study. In this section, be certain to connect the general relevance and objectives back to the specifics. If appropriate also detail the methods to be used in your proposed research. You may find some of this fits better within the section on proposed research.  

Description of proposed research and progress to date: This section should give detail on each of the proposed components, their connection to the listed research objectives, the methods to be used, the data that will be obtained and the possible specific and general inferences that can be made from possible outcomes.  It is often useful to give examples of how the data could be graphed or analyzed. Review progress and preliminary results accomplished to date on the proposed research.  Ideally show that the proposed research is feasible and likely to yield results based on what you (and others) have done so far. Explain possible outcomes and how you would interpret them both specifically and generally.  The description of proposed research should not only identify the specific questions to be addressed and the methods to be used, but it must also connect the proposed research and the possible outcomes back to the key objectives and how these will inform the general study topic. 

Timeline for the proposed work: Give a realistic timeline for its completion.  It is often useful to list possible papers/chapters that will arise from the proposed research. 

FIGURES and TABLES: It is often useful to use figures or tables to aid in conveying experimental design, characteristics of the study organisms, or possible experimental outcomes. 

REFERENCES 

Advancement to Candidacy

Students advance to candidacy after successfully passing their Prospectus Exam. Students are expected to advance to candidacy before the beginning of their third year. Extensions are possible with the written recommendation of the advisor to the DGS and with the written permission of the DGS. Students that fail to advance to candidacy, but meet all other requirements for a MS degree en route to a PhD, may petition the Graduate School for a terminal MS degree.

MS degree requirements

En route to a Ph.D., students will receive a MS degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. To do so, students must satisfy the course requirements specified above for the PhD. No Master’s thesis is required, and students do not need to advance to candidacy to receive the Master’s degree. 

Dissertation Research & Committee Meetings

After advancing to candidacy, a student is free to devote nearly full-time effort to dissertation research. Many students continue to take some courses.  All continue to participate in seminars, journal clubs and lab meetings. 

Each student is required to meet at least annually with their Dissertation Committee (before 1 April). The student or committee can request to meet more frequently than that. The Dissertation Advisory Committee must consist of at least four members. These are (1) the thesis advisor, (2) a faculty member with a primary appointment in EEB, (3) a faculty member with a primary or secondary appointment in EEB, and (4) an outside member who does not have a primary or secondary appointment in EEB. Deviations from this composition are possible with permission from the DGS. 

There is no formal structure for dissertation committee meetings (e.g. no written document like the prospectus). Instead, students typically present the progress they have made on dissertation chapters and research projects. Components of the dissertation nearly always evolve from the form proposed during the prospectus, and so the members of the committee may change if your research has taken new directions.  You should also remind your advisor that the  Student Committee Meeting Progress Report form  should be completed by your committee immediately following the meeting.

Each spring, students fill out a formal summary of their progress: the Dissertation Progress Report. This summary is then signed by the student, thesis advisor, and DGS. The EEB faculty also meet annually to assess the progress of all graduate students in the program (during the April faculty meeting), where the Dissertation Progress Report is used.

Dissertation Defense & Submission

As a student approaches the end of their dissertation work and prepares to submit and defend their dissertation, there are a number of steps that must be taken

The student emails the Department Registrar with their intent to submit and defend their dissertation. If they would like to have their degree awarded in the spring, this must be done by February 15th. If they would like to have their degree awarded in the fall, this must be done by September 1st.

With approval of their advisor and dissertation committee, the student chooses a date and time to hold their defense when their dissertation committee members are available. The student also reserves a location, if needed

The student supplies the Registrar with a poster for their dissertation defense, which the Registrar will distribute. A dissertation generally consists of at least 3 publishable units

A draft of the student’s written dissertation is made available to the committee 1-2 weeks prior to the defense.

The student defends their dissertation, giving a public seminar on their research, which is immediately followed by a private period of questioning by members of the defense committee.

The student and the advisor, in consultation with the Dissertation Committee, select Readers

Each dissertation must be formally read by at least three Readers, at least two of whom must be members of the Yale Graduate School Faculty (this includes all tenured or tenure track positions in the Faculty of Arts and Science and most, but not all, faculty in the professional schools). At least one of the readers must be from outside the EEB department.

Each reader must hold the Ph.D. degree as well as a faculty position or be considered otherwise qualified to evaluate the dissertation.

Readers are typically members of the Dissertation Committee but may not include the dissertation advisor. The readers will submit a formal Report judging the quality of the dissertation

Via the Dissertation Progress Report portal, the student fills out the Notification of Readers (NOR)

The DGS approves the Notification of Readers (NOR)

Once student is approved by their defense committee, including their outside Reader, the student submits their dissertation and required forms via the Dissertation Progress Report portal’s Degree Petition and Dissertation Submission. If they would like to have their degree awarded in the spring, this must be done by ~March 15th. If they would like to have their degree awarded in the fall, this must be done by ~October 1st. For specific deadlines, which vary by year, see the Yale Academic Calendar

The dissertation must be formatted following University guidelines

Note: there is no limit on the amount of time between the dissertation defense and submission, and students do not need to be actively registered students to submit

Note: graduate student funding end-date is determined by their PI, not by their dissertation submission date

The dissertation is sent to the Readers and DGS. Reader Reports are due within 30 days

If any minor changes are needed, the student submits them to the DGS, who approves them and submits them to the dissertation clerk

Once all Reader Reports are in, students can request a degree verification letter from the University Registrar’s Office. This letter is typically what is needed for students to begin work at a new position (e.g. post doc)

If submission and Reader Reports are completed by April 15th, students will be awarded their degree in May. If submission and Reader Reports are completed by November 1st, students will be awarded their degree in December. For specific deadlines, which vary by year, see the Yale Academic Calendar

In addition to the faculty with primary appointments in EEB , graduate students have access to a vast array of facilities and laboratories. Special resources include:

Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS)

Especially relevant for students are the research grants YIBS awards for graduate student research through the YIBS Small grants program

YIBS Center for Earth Observation 

YIBS Earth System Center for Stable Isotope Studies

YIBS Center for Genetic Analyses of Biodiversity

Peabody Museum of Natural History 

Yale Natural Lands

Marsh Botanical Gardens and Greenhouses 

Yale’s McDougal Graduate Student Center

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The reason I chose to come to YSPH for my PhD is due to the interdisciplinary nature of the school itself. We work very closely with the School of Medicine… Getting those varied perspectives can really make your research more holistic.

PhD in Environmental Health Sciences

PHD environmental health students will contribute new knowledge in understanding the impact of environmental stressors - physical, chemical, and biological - on human health and comfort. Students are skilled in research, assessment, and evaluation of the impact of environmental stressors; they identify potentially adverse environmental agents, assess their exposures, determine their impact on health, and estimate the consequent risk. Students can develop expertise and conduct independent research in a variety of environmental health-related areas including epidemiology, toxicology, occupational health, respiratory physiology, thermal physiology, exposure assessment, psychophysics, air quality, and risk assessment. Programs of study are planned on an individual basis to provide students with the specialized knowledge required for their selected research area as well as to provide breadth in related areas of epidemiology and public health. Courses are chosen from those available in the department and elsewhere in the University. Students entering the doctoral program typically have a strong background in undergraduate science and frequently have a master's degree in public health. (A master’s degree is not required to apply for this program.)

This program does not accept General GRE test scores.

Requirements

Two research rotations during the first academic year in EHS laboratories able to accommodate students are required for each student, one in the fall term and one in the second term. In consultation with the student’s advisor, an additional rotation may be offered during the summer between the first and second years. Research rotations will be available for both “dry” (i.e., statistical analysis) and “wet” (i.e., bench) laboratory research groups. The student will meet with the EHS graduate faculty member at the beginning of the rotation for an explanation of the goals and expectations of a student in the laboratory. The student will become familiar with the research models, approaches, and methods utilized by the research group through interactions with other laboratory/research personnel and from laboratory manuscripts. The student is expected to spend at least fifteen hours per week working in the laboratory or research group and to present a rotation seminar at the end of the rotation period.

Research projects in this department cover a broad range of environmental health research in areas of epidemiology, toxicology, occupational health, respiratory physiology, thermal physiology, exposure assessment, psychophysics, air quality and risk assessment.

Recent Dissertation Projects

• Evaluating Exposure to Unconventional Oil and Gas Development and Childhood Leukemia Risk
• The Effect of Phenols on Reproductive Function and the Urinary Metabolome
• Identifying the Role of Glutathione Biosynthesis in Pancreatic β Cell Function
• Interplay Between Oxidative Stress and Pax6 in the Development of Microphthalmia
• Ambient Temperature, Humidity, Air Pollution and Renal Disease Risk
• Molecular Mechanisms of Colon Cancer: Interaction Between Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1B1 and the Wnt Pathway
• Characterization of the Chemical Exposome using Fresh Air Samplers
• Ambient Air Pollution, Gestational Weight Gain and Fetal Growth Trajectories: A Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study

Learn more about the Department of Environmental Health Sciences

• Degree Requirements - PhD in Environmental Health Sciences
• Career Outcomes and the YSPH Career Management Center

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Department of Physics

You are here, graduate studies.

2024 Application Announcement

Submission of the General GRE and Physics GRE scores are Optional for PhD applications received by the December 15, 2023. For more information on applying to our program, please s ee here .

Prospective Student Page        Past Informational Webinars  

The study of physics has revealed a world remarkably united around a small set of fundamental laws and basic forces of nature. These laws govern phenomena as varied as the behavior of subatomic particles and the motion of galaxies, making the study of physics a basic foundation for all the physical and life sciences.

At Yale, theorists and experimentalists explore and test the physical laws of nature, searching for new phenomena that will provide evidence for more comprehensive and unified theories. Yale’s Department of Physics is recognized for its experimental and theoretical work on nuclear, atomic, solid state, and high-energy particle physics. We also work very closely with other departments to bridge the gaps between sciences.

Our PhD program helps students acquire a general foundational knowledge of physics, and learn to communicate and educate others on that knowledge. Our students are involved in a wide range of research , expanding the world’s understanding of the laws of physics. More information on the graduate program can be found on our Program Details page .

Research areas

Research areas include atomic physics and quantum optics; nuclear physics; particle physics; astrophysics and cosmology; condensed matter; quantum information physics; applied physics; and other areas in collaboration with the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Applied Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Geology and Geophysics, Astronomy, and Yale’s Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology (PEB). Please see our Research pages for further information.

Course Requirements

Over the course of the first and second years, students are required to complete six foundational courses, one advanced elective, two research seminars, and one special investigation. Our foundational courses cover classical mechanics, electromagnetic theory, mathematical methods, quantum mechanics, and statistical physics. Students may choose from a wide range of classes as their advanced elective(s). During the first year, students are given the option of taking pass-out exams for each of the foundational courses. Students who successfully pass an exam are exempt from taking the course and can choose an advanced elective to take in place of the foundation course. More information regarding course requirements, waivers, and pass-out exams can be found on our Academic Requirements page .

Prospective students

Prospective students interested in learning more about our PhD program, please see our prospective student pages . Application season is August to December for the following academic year. All students start in the fall.

Karsten Heeger , Department Chair , 203-432-3650, karsten.heeger@yale.edu Daisuke Nagai , Director of Graduate Studies , 203-909-4266, daisuke.nagai@yale.edu Helen Caines , Director of Graduate Admissions , 203-432-5831, helen.caines@yale.edu Rona Ramos , Graduate Program Coordinator , 203-432-3655, rona.ramos@yale.edu Stacey Watts , Graduate Registrar , 203-432-3605, stacey.watts@yale.edu

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Admitted MD & MD-PhD Students Visit YCHS

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Fifty individuals recently admitted to Yale School of Medicine’s (YSM) MD and MD-PhD Programs visited the Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation (YCHS) on April 4 and 5. Their visit was part of Second Look, where admitted students explore YSM, including learning about the significant role of YCHS in students’ medical training.

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