The Department of Religious Studies encourages doctoral students to work with multiple faculty throughout their coursework, qualifying exams, and dissertation writing.
Pre-candidacy, the adviser of record is typically the ADGS of the student’s primary subfield. Formal advising meetings are held at least twice per year (once per semester). At those meetings, one of two options is available. Either the student, in consultation with the ADGS, selects one or more other faculty members to be present, or the advising meetings are held with the entire teaching faculty in the subfield present.
Post-candidacy, the adviser of record is the dissertation adviser (or advisers, when dissertations are co-advised). Selection of the dissertation adviser(s) is done by the student no later than at the defense of their dissertation prospectus. The committee that examines the dissertation prospectus is made up of 3-4 faculty (one, or in some cases two, of whom may be selected from outside Yale in consultation with the student’s primary adviser(s)). The dissertation committee consists of faculty who are committed to help guide the student through the dissertation completion progress, both in terms of substance and process.
Students are encouraged to work closely with committee members throughout the completion of the dissertation.