A Message from the Dean

Welcome to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University, the first of its kind in North America. The Graduate School stands at the very heart of Yale’s mission as a university, and this publication, Programs and Policies, reveals the extraordinary breadth of opportunities for graduate study at Yale. As you peruse it, you likely will discover the intriguing ways in which graduate study differs from the undergraduate experience and the fulfillment brought by this intellectual progression. You have undertaken to explore a field in depth, master an area of inquiry, and learn to disseminate knowledge through classroom teaching. Graduate education culminates in a creative and original contribution in one’s field of study representing the ability to participate in the advancement of human knowledge.

Yale’s departments and programs constitute the center for most graduate student intellectual and social life at Yale. They comprise vital communities of faculty and students from around the world and with diverse backgrounds who share a common interest in advancing a particular discipline. Graduate students and faculty alike gain immeasurably from their intellectual and disciplinary collaborations. Yale’s excellent laboratory facilities, unique museum collections, and tremendous library holdings all enrich the experience of a Yale University graduate education.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has worked to extend and enrich the community life found within these disciplines. Interdisciplinary programs and institutes, as well as the events offered through the McDougal Graduate Student Center, the Office for Graduate Student Development and Diversity, the Office of Career Strategy, and the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, help graduate students prepare for their professional lives. The Graduate School enables students to connect with skilled experts with a shared commitment to careers in teaching, research, and an array of potential leadership opportunities.

Use Programs and Policies as a guide throughout your graduate study at Yale. It includes practical information about registration, financial aid, teaching experiences, University resources available to you, and the full range of assistance provided by the Graduate School. All of us in the Graduate School wish you good fortune as you pursue your advanced degree, and we want you to contact us if we can help you along the way. Graduate study is exhilarating and life changing. For well over a century Yale has prepared students for truly extraordinary careers across many old, new, and evolving disciplines.

Lynn Cooley, Ph.D.
Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Vice Provost for Postdoctoral Affairs

C.N.H. Long Professor of Genetics and Professor of Cell Biology and of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology