Students begin thinking about future professional life early in their doctoral program, through professionalization workshops and other opportunities hosted by the department as well as by the Office of Career Strategy, the GSAS Assistant Dean for Professional Development, the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Graduate Writing Lab. The faculty in the Department are instrumental to students’ professionalization efforts, including developing pedagogical practices, publishing research, attending conferences, and preparing for the job market process. Students also consider the many departments, programs, and professional schools at Yale University as resources in their efforts to prepare themselves for careers inside and outside of the academy.
All doctoral students have an an academic requirement of three semesters of teaching at Yale, which they do while holding a Teaching Fellowship. Many students teach for additional semesters as well. Such experience working closely with faculty instructors provides important pedagogical training and teaching experience for students.
In addition to serving as Teaching Fellows within the Religious Studies Department and other related departments as well as in some of Yale’s professional schools, doctoral students at Yale have additional opportunities to teach at the university:
- Through the Associates in Teaching Program, students co-teach a course together with another faculty member.
- Students may propose and apply to teach courses that fulfill the Writing in the Disciplines requirement for undergraduates and feature writing in a specific discipline. The application deadline is January 12, 2026. For more information, please contact Dean Pamela Schirmeister.
- Students may apply to teach one of six independent sections of HUMS 411, “Life Worth Living.” The application the deadline is March 31, 2026.
- Student may apply directly to the English Department to teach English 1014.
With approval from the Graduate School, students may also pursue a Professional Development Opportunity in lieu of a standard teaching assignment. Students can see a full list of available professional development opportunities on the Graduate Student Teaching Opportunities page, where new opportunities are added regularly. They include:
- Beinecke Library Research Fellowships
- Center for British Art Assistantships and Funding
- Yale University Art Gallery Assistantships
Students interested in developing their pedagogy over the summer can also apply to serve as summer instructors for the Yale Young Global Scholars. The Priority Deadline to apply for these positions is Dec. 9th and the Regular Deadline is Jan. 7th.