Ph.D.

Doctoral Program at a Glance

Yale's Engineering Program offers students an interdisciplinary experience in a supportive and flexible environment.

Graduate students develop their own course of study and research in consultation with an advisory committee that includes three or more faculty members representing the research area of interest. The collegial nature of this faculty guidance ensures that students receive a well-balanced level of support.

Students who are accepted into our graduate program usually receive support (tuition and a stipend) for their entire period of study, provided their performance is satisfactory. A unique feature of our program is support from University Fellowships for the first year of study. This gives students financial independence to explore various research possibilities with different faculty members.

After their first year, students are expected to establish a research relationship with a faculty advisor.

Our program immerses the student rapidly in his or her chosen research area and provides each student with the necessary foundation to independently develop and apply his/her creativity.

Course requirements must be fulfilled in the first two years. If registered in the Applied Physics department, students take a minimum of 12 term courses. In Engineering departments, students take a minimum of 10 term courses of which two can be one-semester research projects, called Special Investigation. Please view available courses and descriptions here.

Students who come into our program with a graduate degree may be allowed to waive up to two courses, if registered in one of the Engineering disciplines and four courses, if registered in Applied Physics.

Each department/program has its specific core courses that must be taken in the first year. Mastery of mathematical topics is expected.

At the beginning of the third year, students must pass an area examination, after which they devote themselves to dissertation research.

At the completion of the program, which must result in an original research contribution, a final oral presentation of the dissertation research is required.

Doctoral work should be completed in no more than six years.

For detailed information about the Ph.D. program requirements, see Qualification Procedure for a Ph.D. Degree in Engineering & Applied Science.