The Graduate School requires the successful completion of a minimum of 12 graduate-level courses, usually completed in the first 2 years of the doctoral program.

• All students must complete RLST 5100, the required departmental seminar. This course may be taken at any time during a student’s time at Yale, but it is highly recommended that students take it in their first year of course work. The purpose of the course is to encourage rigorous conversation about religion and religious studies among students with a diverse set of disciplinary and documentary interests. 
• Many students take more than 12 courses, either because their subfield has additional requirements or because of their own interests. 
• No more than one course of the required 12 courses may be graded on a SAT/UNSAT basis.
• Students sometimes register for courses that are offered on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students should be sure to register for the graduate version of those courses, so that they count toward the graduate coursework requirement. If students have accidentally registered for the undergraduate version, they can submit a Course Schedule Change Form; this must be done before the last day of courses in the semester in which the course is being offered, as thereafter such a change cannot be made.
• If a student wishes to take an undergraduate class as a graduate level course, they should  request permission from the instructor and create additional assignments to bring the workload to the level expected of a graduate course (e.g., additional readings, a longer final assignment, etc.). The student should also confirm with the relevant ADGS and the DGS. Students then submit a Graduate Credit Request Form, which can be found on the Registrar’s Forms Page.
• Language courses taken to fulfill the language requirement (see below) do not count towards the student’s 12 required graduate-level courses (e.g., language reading courses or language courses taken through the intermediate level in fulfillment of the requirement). Additional graduate-level language courses may be counted towards the 12 required graduate-level courses, so long as a clear research need is demonstrated and approved by the relevant ADGS as well as the DGS. 
• If a student would like to change the grade mode for a course (e.g., Audit/Credit), they must use the Course Schedule Change Form.
• If, at the end of the term, a student finds that they are unable to fulfill the requirements of a course on time and their instructor has agreed to an extension, the student must submit a formal request for a Temporary Incomplete using the Graduate Credit Request Form (TI Grade), which can be found on the Registrar’s Forms Page. Only one TI in a single term is permitted.
• Course waivers can be obtained for previous graduate-level course work or language study. Such waivers reduce course or language requirements. Students should consult with the relevant ADGS as well as the DGS to determine whether they can waive any courses. Students usually submit all the necessary paperwork for a course waiver petition, including an official transcript, after concluding their first year of coursework and demonstrating good progress in the program. Students can obtain a maximum of three course waivers.  
• During the two years of coursework, the Yale Graduate School Honors requirement must be met: a student must receive at least one grade of Honors in one year-long graduate course or two one-semester graduate courses, earned after matriculation in the Graduate School and during the nine-month academic year.
• Students can read more about course registration on the registration website.

Proficiency in two scholarly languages must be demonstrated, one before the end of the first year, the other before the beginning of the third year.  Some subfields have additional language requirements.

There are five ways to fulfill a language requirement:

1. Passing a language exam;
2. Achieving intermediate competence in university language courses, according to the standard of the relevant language department, with grades of B or above;
3. Passing a “for reading” course with a minimum of a B+ grade;
4. A university diploma for a degree conducted in that language;
5. Demonstrated proficiency to be determined at the discretion of the ADGS or DGS.

Registration for Yale’s summer online reading courses in French, German, Italian, and Spanish closes at 1pm EST on May 1. Semester-long reading courses are offered in some languages as well.

Some language departments, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, offer translation exams at regular intervals and on fixed dates for students who need to fulfill their language requirements. Students can also arrange assessments for languages not offered at Yale through the Center for Language Study; to begin this process, students should submit a language assessment request using the Graduate Assessment Request form. In some cases, faculty members are willing to administer individual translation exams. Information about Placement Tests, Translation Tests, Proficiency Assessments, and Reading Courses can be found at the Center for Language Study.

The department has an academic requirement of three semesters of teaching. Students cannot graduate without completing three semesters (not 3 courses) of teaching at Yale while they are registered in the doctoral program.

• The university funding package provides four semesters of Teaching Fellowships, plus an additional two semesters (through the 6^th year Teaching Fellowship, if a student has not graduated after 5 years). 
• Some students secure outside funding, which enables them to forego a semester or more of Teaching Fellowship. Still, all students must teach for the minimum of three semesters to fulfill the department’s academic requirement. 

GSAS has outlined Expectations for Faculty and Teaching Fellows, which students can consult.

The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning offers “Teaching at Yale Day,” a mandatory teaching orientation for first-time Teaching Fellows as well as workshops and resources related to the fundamentals of teaching, innovative pedagogical methods, tutoring, writing, classroom management, and more. Students are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities.

In place of serving as a Teaching Fellow, students can seek GSAS approval to pursue a Professional Development Opportunity at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale Center for British Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Peabody Museum, the Graduate Writing Lab, the Yale Review, and other institutions and units on campus.

The department’s advising model encourages students to take classes and comprehensive examinations with multiple faculty members and facilitates a team advising approach.

• Students are not assigned a dissertation adviser upon admission and are expected to take courses with various faculty members. 
• Prior to advancing to candidacy (years 1-3). The ADGS of the student’s subfield is listed as the primary advisor for administrative purposes. The ADGS of the student’s subfield serves as the student’s adviser and approves the student’s course schedule. The ADGS typically meets with the student and relevant faculty members at the beginning and end of each academic year to discuss course selection, exams, and plans for the dissertation prospectus. 
• The dissertation adviser is chosen by the student at the time of the dissertation prospectus colloquium. After the student advances to candidacy, the dissertation adviser is listed as the primary advisor for administrative purposes. 
• No faculty member can insist that a student must work with them or that a student may not work with someone else.
• Should problems arise between a student and the ADGS or the dissertation advisor at any stage in the doctoral program, that student is encouraged to reach out to the DGS (or, as needed, the Department Chair or GSAS Dean) right away.
• Students may read more about advising in this GSAS Advising Booklet and on the GSAS Advising Site.

The form and timing of qualifying exams vary considerably from field to field. Students are encouraged to consult the subfield-specific guidelines and their ADGS for details. 

After students finish their qualifying exams, they typically prepare a dissertation proposal. Approximately 15-25 double-spaced pages, the proposal outlines the dissertation topic, research plan, literature review, and tentative chapter outline. This document serves as the basis for the dissertation prospectus colloquium, which is attended by the student and 3-5 relevant faculty members who discuss the dissertation plan together. After passing the prospectus colloquium, the student prepares a 2-page double-spaced precis (~500-700 words, no footnotes) that is circulated to the graduate faculty members for final approval. This document should contain the name of the dissertation project and the name of the adviser.  Barring unforeseen difficulties, a student will advance to candidacy two weeks thereafter. Student should consult their AGDS and dissertation advisors for subfield-specific guidelines and expectations.

In most subfields, students are expected to advance to candidacy by the end of year 3 (i.e., after six semesters, officially before the close of the Add/Drop period in the 7^th semester). Students in language-intensive fields (Hebrew Bible, Early Mediterranean and West Asian Religions, Islamic Studies, and Asian Religions) are given an extra semester to advance to candidacy; they thus advance to candidacy at the end of 3.5 years (i.e., after seven semesters, officially before the end of the Add/Drop period in the 8^th semester).

Advancing to candidacy means completing FOUR things:

• all course requirements, 
• all language requirements, 
• all qualifying exams,
• dissertation prospectus, colloquium, précis.

A student and their advisor(s) determine together when a dissertation is ready for submission.

• Exact submission dates for each academic semester can be found here. Please also consult the GSAS guidelines for advanced doctoral students.
• One month before submitting the dissertation, students must notify the Registrar and the DGS of their intention to submit the dissertation and provide the names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of the dissertation readers. The standard number of readers is three, of which two must be ladder or ladder-track Yale faculty. The department will provide readers with access to the dissertation and the dissertation report.
• The Dissertation Submission Checklist contains an outline of the steps involved in submitting a dissertation and lists the forms students need to submit at the time of Dissertation Submission, including the Dissertation Submission and Degree Petition Form. 
• There is no oral examination or defense at the completion of the dissertation. Instead, formal written reports are authored by readers. The reader reports are read by the department faculty, filed with the Graduate School, and shared with the student. No one else has access to these reports. The purpose of the report is (1) to indicate whether or not the dissertation meets the requirements for the Ph.D, and (2) to provide helpful feedback for the future revision of the dissertation for publication. Reports will likely contain suggestions for revision  to help a student in the publication of their dissertation and the continuation of their academic career. Students should not be surprised when the dissertation is not ranked excellent in all rubrics by all readers; this is typical.
• Filing a dissertation completes a student’s requirements for the Ph.D. and terminates their student status even if they have remaining semesters of funding and even if the degree will not be officially awarded until the next semester. If a student files their dissertation anytime in the fall semester – whether before or after the fall filing deadline – their student status, and therefore their stipend and their Yale Health Plan coverage, will end at the close of the fall semester. In other words, if a student files their dissertation in December, their student status ends at the close of the fall semester, even though the degree is not officially awarded until the next degree granting opportunity in May. If a student wishes to remain on the Yale Health Plan through the spring of their final year, they must wait to file their dissertation until after the close of registration in the spring semester (near the end of January). Students are encouraged to consult with the DGS and Department Registrar about the timing of dissertation submission.

• Extended Registration: The University provides a package of funding for 5-6 years. It is hoped that students will complete the Ph.D. in 5 years, but a 6^th year of Teaching Fellowship support is guaranteed for students who have not completed the dissertation and are making good progress in the program. Students who do not complete the dissertation within the allotted 6 years, may apply for an exceptional 7^th (and even 8^th) year of extended registration if the DGS confirms that they are on track to complete the dissertation in the extended period. Students in Extended Registration do not receive stipend support but do receive health care, campus and library access, and continued eligibility for the family support subsidy. 
• On occasion, teaching opportunities may be available for students on 7th year extended registration, but this is not guaranteed as students who hold Teaching Fellowships are prioritized. Students who serve as Teaching Fellows in their 7th year are paid at the non-stipend rate.
• Students on 8th year Extended Registration are not eligible to teach in the Teaching Fellow Program. 
• Students on Extended Registration must pay the Continuous Registration Fee each semester, unless they are teaching in the Teaching Fellow Program, in which case the fee is waived.
• No more than 4 semesters of Extended Registration is allowed. To apply for 7^th year Extended Registration use this form. To apply for 8^th year Extended Registration use this form.

Dissertation Completion Status is intended for students who are completing dissertations under the supervision of a member of the Graduate School faculty but who are not full-time students because they are employed more than 10 hours a week. Because students on DCS are not full-time, they receive no university funding or health care. They do have library access and retain their Yale email address. A student may request DCS for up to four semesters, but they may not be reinstated as a full-time student thereafter. Students in DCS are required to pay the Continuous Registration Free to cover library use and other university resources. To apply for Dissertation Completion Status, use this form. 

GSAS offers medical, personal, and parental leaves of absence for eligible students, in addition to parental relief.

• When students take parental relief, parental leave, medical leave (including for mental health), or personal leave, the schedule of requirements and deadlines is adjusted accordingly (the “clock stops” while a student is on leave). 
• If a student is not on leave, they remain registered, even if they waive their stipend for any reason, and will thus be required to show steady progress towards their degree and meet the program’s benchmarks. Therefore, some students  decide to take a leave of absence because they are not making sufficient progress towards their dissertation. 

Students are encouraged to communicate their intention to take a leave with the DGS in a timely fashion so that proper arrangements can be made, and so that students understand what is required of them to return to full-time student status. For more information, see the GSAS Programs and Policies. It is also helpful for students to share their plans in advance for the purpose of finding replacement Teaching Fellows, in cases when the student had planned on serving as a Teaching Fellow.

Students who have advanced to candidacy and wish to pursue dissertation research out of the area may register in absentia, receive their University Fellowship and health coverage, and work on their dissertation. Generally, students who have not advanced to candidacy cannot receive Yale funding if they register in absentia. Some pre-candidacy students take non-cumulative registration in order to study a language abroad, but such study is typically funded by an external fellowship. Students are encouraged to check with the DGS to make sure they understand the rules surrounding registration in absentia.