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We welcome your interest in applying to the Ph.D. Program in Economics at Yale
University. The Economics Department offers a challenging and rigorous academic program, a
distinguished faculty, and a supportive environment for study. You will find general
information on the Department, admission procedures, requirements for the Ph.D., course
information, faculty biographies and newsworthy notes on this Department web site.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Prospective applicants can apply to the Ph.D. Program in Economics using the following
options that can be found on the following web site www.yale.edu/graduateschool/admissions.
Please be aware the application deadline for the Economics Department Ph.D. program is
December 15, 2011.
1. On-line applications are accepted by the Yale Graduate School
2. 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 www.yale.edu/graduateschool/admissions
REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS
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.
The minimum quantitative GRE score required for admission is 760 on the old test and 160
per the new GRE test. There are no minima for other sections of the test.
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. 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.
For additional information and the latest updates on the TOEFL and TSE, please visit the
ETS website.
www.toefl.org.
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 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.
PROGRAMS OF STUDY
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 Art Degree may be earned by students in the course of their doctoral
studies, enroute to the Ph.D. 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. For more
information on this program see www.econ.yale/~egcenter/special.htm.
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, five-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 Web site: http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/
EARNING THE DEGREE
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.
TUITION AND LIVING COSTS
In the academic year 2011-12 tuition for full-time study is $34,500. 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. The CRF fee for
2011-12 is $390 per semester. We estimate that in 2011-12 a single student will need
$25,430 (twelve months), exclusive of tuition to meet academic-year living costs. Students
with dependents should plan on proportionately higher costs.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
The Graduate School provides full tuition, health insurance and stipend fellowship for
the first five 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.
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 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. |
