The Ph.D. Program

Students are subject to the combined Ph.D. supervision of the Early Modern Studies program and the relevant partner department. The student’s course of study will be decided in consultation with an adviser, the director of graduate studies (DGS) in Early Modern Studies, and the DGS in the partner department.

As detailed below, requirements for the combined degree vary slightly to accommodate the requirements of the individual partner departments, but all candidates for the combined degree are expected to meet the following requirements:

1.    Timing & Completion of Courses: The total number of courses for the combined degree in Early Modern Studies will remain the same as that of the partner department’s Ph.D. program. Students in the combined degree will have the option of taking some of their coursework in the third year of the program. Within that scope, students must incorporate the courses listed below:

a.     EMST 700: Workshop in Early Modern Studies: This core, year-long seminar to be taken as two half-credit courses, offers a historiographic, theoretical, and methodological introduction to key questions in the field through a dynamic engagement with a series of research presentations by scholars within and beyond Yale.

b.     EMST 800: Early Modern Colloquium: This year-long colloquium, taken as two half-credit courses, must be taken concurrently with EMST 700. Students will attend regular research presentations by scholars within and beyond Yale, which will complement EMST 700. This course will not typically count towards the total number of courses required for the Ph.D. 

c.     3 Elective courses in early modern studies, of which at least one course must be taken outside the student’s primary department. One of the courses may be an interdisciplinary course (i.e., a relevant course in the sciences or social sciences or other relevant topic outside the traditional humanities)

d.     EMST 900: Prospectus Workshop for Early Modern Studies: This course will typically be taken in the student’s third year of graduate study as a year-long, half-credit course designed to support the development of a dissertation project. In some cases, with the approval of both relevant DGSs, this course may replace (or be replaced by) the prospectus seminar in the student’s home department.

In general, it is expected that courses in early modern studies constitute about one-third of the student’s doctoral coursework. We expect that most students in the combined degree will take more courses in the field as relevant to their specific area of research specialization.

2.    Language Requirement: The language requirement will follow the student’s primary department requirements. However, students in the combined degree will have flexibility with regard to the completion of language requirements: At least one language may be completed by the time of the submission of the dissertation.

3.    Qualifying Exams: Qualifying exams will follow the student’s primary department; however, a significant portion of the student’s exam lists must be on early modern topics. See guidelines for individual partner departments below.

4.    Prospectus & Admission to Candidacy: Procedures for the submission and approval of prospectuses will follow the student’s primary department; at least one faculty member affiliated with the Program in Early Modern Studies must be on the committee. However, students must take EMST 900 (Prospectus Workshop for Early Modern Studies) as described in (1d) above. Upon completion of all predissertation requirements, including the prospectus, students are admitted to candidacy for the combined Ph.D. degree. Admission to candidacy must be completed by the beginning of the fourth year.

5.    Dissertation: The parameters for the dissertation will follow the student’s primary department. At least one faculty member affiliated with the Program must be on the committee. Students in the joint degree are also generally encouraged to have at least one faculty adviser outside their home department.

6.    Teaching: Student’s teaching assignments will primarily be determined by the home department. However, all students in the combined degree will be permitted additional flexibility in the completion of teaching requirements: students may complete their required 4 semesters of teaching in years 2, 3 or 4 of their graduate program. In addition, students will typically assist in the teaching of at least one course in early modern studies. Graduate Professional Development opportunity in a relevant area (museums, libraries, collections, etc.) may be substituted for this requirement.