Yale University will begin providing a sixth year of funding for Ph.D. students in the humanities and social sciences who need it to finish their studies. Yale is the first university to make such a guarantee. Lynn Cooley, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said in a statement that the new arrangement “will enable students to pursue their doctoral research and gain valuable teaching experience without changing either goal.” Yale says the stipend will take the form of a guaranteed teaching position -- an experience it says makes students more competitive on the job market -- or other assignments tailored to students’ career goals.
Cooley also said many Yale graduate programs in the humanities and social sciences typically take six years, despite the fact that the current funding package covers only five years. She said she and her colleagues still “strongly encourage students to try to finish in five years, but we know from long experience that some programs take slightly longer, so we are delighted to be able to help students in this way.” The minimum annual stipend for Ph.D. students this at Yale this year is $28,400. Most students will be eligible for sixth-year funding, which starts in the fall.