Applying to the Combined Doctoral Degree Programs

Applying to the Combined PhD with New York Botanical Gardens

Individuals interested in applying to the joint program must complete and submit an application to Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by the first week in January. A separate application must be submitted to the New York Botanical Garden. For information on NYBG, contact:

Dr. Lawrence Kelly, Director of Graduate Studies
The New York Botanical Garden
Southern Boulevard & 200th Street
Bronx, NY 10458
Phone: 718 817-8171
Fax: 718 220-8799
E-mail: lkelly@nybg.org
URL: http://www.nybg.org

Applying to the Combined PhD with Yale Anthropology

Eligibility and Master’s Degrees

In general, eligibility for entry into the combined degree program will be the same as for entering either the YSE or the Anthropology doctoral program (which is detailed in their respective bulletins).  Prior award of a Master’s degree is generally preferred for entry into the YSE doctoral program but not the Anthropology doctoral program.  Therefore, the desirability of a prior master’s degree will be weighed on a case-by-case basis among applicants.  Combined degree students will receive (upon petition) an M. Phil. degree from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) after passing their comprehensive exams.

Application

Prospective combined degree students must initially apply either to Anthropology or to YSE but not to both at the same time.  They should, however, as per the current Yale Graduate School application process, indicate their interest in the combined degree by marking the application form appropriately. Once accepted in the initially chosen doctoral program, the student’s file will be considered in the second program and a recommendation made on the combined degree application that will be communicated by the Graduate School.  Admitted students will be allocated to the initially chosen program as their primary administrative home but will enter Yale as members of the combined degree program. Being turned down for entry into the combined degree program at this point does not preclude re-application after arriving at Yale in the following Fall Semester. 
 
It is possible for a student who has entered Yale through either Anthropology or YSE as a Ph.D. student to then submit a petition to enter the combined degree program. A student interested in the combined degree may apply to the second program, after first securing the support of his/her prospective principal advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for either YSE or Anthropology, as appropriate.  In order to meet the demands of the combined degree in a timely manner, it is best if this second application is made as soon as possible in the student’s doctoral program and ideally no later than the last week in October during the first semester of graduate study at Yale and in no case later than the end of the first semester.  To help make this possible, such applications to the combined program will be reviewed on an ad hoc basis as they are submitted, without being held to the normal annual calendar for doctoral applications.  However, applications to the combined program should in content and all other respects follow the norms of the regular doctoral application (the sole difference being that the applicant should specifically address in the statement-of-purpose why he/she is interested in the combined program). The YSE doctoral admissions committee and the Anthropology faculty would review the application. In the latter case, the Departmental Graduate Registrar must receive the application at least one week before a regularly scheduled faculty meeting.  If admitted, the applicant will then submit the proposal (counter-signed by both DGSs) to, and meet with, the Associate Dean of the Graduate School (currently Richard Sleight), who will make the final decision regarding admission.  A positive decision by the Dean will constitute formal admission into the combined degree program.