Areas and Courses of Study

The courses listed on the following pages are expected to be offered by Yale Divinity School in 2023–2024. The letter “a” following the course number denotes the fall term, and the letter “b” following the course number denotes the spring term. Normally, courses numbered in the 500s carry Area I credit, with those in the 600s carrying Area II credit, those in the 700s carrying Area III credit, those in the 800s carrying Area IV credit, and those in the 900s carrying Area V credit. Courses with a four-digit number are eligible for elective credit only. Unless otherwise noted, all courses are for three hours of credit each term.

Listed near the end of this chapter, under Courses without Area Designations, are those courses that do not normally count toward fulfillment of the area distribution requirements described in the chapter Programs of Study: elementary biblical languages; denominational colloquia; YDS Internship practica; M.Div., M.A.R., and S.T.M. theses or projects; the ISM colloquium; the ministerial relationships workshop; and the weekend series of courses on leadership for church and society.

In addition to the curricular offerings specified below, students may arrange special reading courses with individual faculty members (see Reading Courses in the chapter Other Curricular Considerations). Courses on special topics of interest to a group of students may also be planned and approved for credit, to run for a period of weeks or for an entire term.

Students are encouraged by the faculty to take courses in other schools and departments of the University. (See also Interdepartmental Studies, under Interdisciplinary Study, in the chapter Other Curricular Considerations.) In each case, prior consent must be received from the instructor. For a complete listing of the offerings, consult the bulletins of the Graduate School and the professional schools, Yale College Programs of Study, or Yale Course Search at https://courses.yale.edu.

Courses with numbers lower than 500 are undergraduate courses. Additional work is normally required in undergraduate courses presented for YDS credit. For credit toward a Divinity degree, the student must secure the permission of the instructor and have the instructor communicate to the appropriate M.Div., M.A.R., or S.T.M. program director the graduate-level evaluative measures to which the student will be held. Normally, graduate-level parameters would involve an enhanced research component and/or a term paper significantly longer than the paper required of the undergraduates enrolled in the class.