Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies

Our PhD program takes a distinctively integrative and interdisciplinary approach in investigating the systems of knowledge that comprise our linguistic competence. Students are exposed to different methodological approaches, while receiving firm grounding in the traditional domains of linguistics.

Our faculty supports our graduate students in their pursuit of academic and non-academic positions. We regularly offer workshops on professional skills and the job market application process. Most of our PhD students graduate in 5 to 8 years, with an average of 6.5 years. As of March 2019, about two thirds of our graduates from the last 10 years have jobs in academia (66% of those have long-term appointments, and the remaining 33% have postdocs and temporary positions). Of the remaining one third who do not have a teaching or research academic position, half of the rest have industry jobs related to linguistics (at companies such as Google); others have a variety of jobs, including academic administration and educational outreach.

PhD students work closely with a faculty adviser to develop their dissertation project, but all faculty in the department provide mentorship to some degree. The Yale GSAS Guide to Advising Processes for Faculty and Students provides good guidelines for mentoring relationships from the student and faculty point of view. 

PhD students in the program are provided financial support for up to 6 years of study, consisting of full tuition, stipend support, and comprehensive health care coverage. The department and university also provide financial support for travel to conferences and workshops. Generous funding for fieldwork and other overseas research is available through Yale’s MacMillan Center.

Interested students can find more information on applying to the program on our website.

Director of Graduate Studies

Any questions about the graduate program can be directed to the DGS, Jim Wood, at jim.wood@yale.edu