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History
of Science & Medicine | Graduate Requirements |
Fields of Study
All subjects and periods in the history of medicine
and history of science. Special fields represented
include American science and medicine; Asian science
and medicine; Arabic science and medicine; disease,
therapeutics, psychiatry, drug abuse, and public
health; physics; science and national security;
science and law, science and religion, life sciences,
human genetics, eugenics, molecular biology, biotechnology,
microbiology, intellectual property, gender, race,
and science/medicine; bioethics and medical research.
Special Admissions
Requirements
Applicants should have a strong undergraduate background
in history and in a science relevant to the direction
of their graduate interests. These requirements
will be applied with flexibility, and outstanding
performance in any field pertinent to the program
will be taken into consideration.
Special Requirements
for the Ph.D. Degree
Either French and German or two languages relevant to the student's research interests and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies of the Program. Students may fulfill the requirement either by passing an approved language course for credit or by passing a language test administered by the program faculty.
Students will ordinarily take twelve term courses
during the first two years. All students will normally
take the two-term core seminar sequence HSHM 701a/702b
or equivalents, HSHM 710b, four additional graduate seminars
in history of science or medicine, and at least
one graduate course in a field of history outside
of science or medicine. The remaining courses can
be taken in history of medicine or science, history,
science, or any other field of demonstrated special
relevance to the student's scholarly objectives.
Two of the twelve courses must be graduate research
seminars in the History of Medicine and Science.
Students who enter having previously completed graduate
work may obtain some credit toward the completion
of the total course requirement, the amount being
contingent on the extent and nature of the previous
work and its fit with their intended course of study
at Yale.
All students are expected, prior to entering on
their dissertation work, to develop a broad general
knowledge of the discipline. This knowledge may
be acquired through a combination of course work
taken at Yale or elsewhere, regular participation
in the Program colloquia and workshops, and preparation
for the qualifying oral examination. Students will
normally spend the summer following their second
year preparing for the oral Qualifying Examination,
which will be taken in the third year, preferably
during the first half of it.
The Qualifying Examination will cover four areas
of chosen concentration:
1. & 2. two fields in the history
of science and/or history of medicine;
3. a field in an area of history outside
of medicine and/or science;
4. a field of special interest, the content
and boundaries to be established with the adviser
for the field.
The student may elect to do a second field in history
outside of history of science or medicine; or a
field in one of the sciences; or a field in a subject
such as bioethics, health policy, public health,
medical anthropology, medical sociology, science
and law, science and national security, science
and religion, science and culture, biotechnology,
gender, science and medicine; race, science and
medicine, or cultural studies.
During their first year, all students will be advised
by the director of graduate studies. Students are
encouraged to discuss their interests and program
of study with other members of the faculty. At the
beginning of the second year, each student is to
obtain an adviser who will provide guidance in selecting
courses and preparing for the Qualifying Examination.
The adviser may also offer help with the development
of ideas for the dissertation, but students are
free to choose someone else as the dissertation
supervisor when the time comes to do so.
Students are encouraged to begin thinking about
their dissertation topics during the second year.
They are required to prepare a Dissertation Prospectus
as soon as possible following the Qualifying Examination
and to defend the Prospectus orally before being
admitted to full candidacy for the doctoral degree.
Teaching is an important part of the professional
preparation of graduate students in History of Medicine
and Science. Students will teach, usually in the
third and fourth years of study. Students are also
encouraged to participate in the programs to develop
teaching skills offered by the Graduate School.
M.D./Ph.D. and J.D./Ph.D. Joint Degree
Programs
Students may pursue a doctorate in History of Medicine
and Science jointly with a degree in Medicine or
Law. Standard graduate financial support is provided
for the doctoral phase of work toward such a joint
degree. Candidates for the joint degree in Law must
apply for admission to both the Law School and the
Graduate School. Information about the joint degree
program with Medicine can be obtained from the Web
site of the Yale Medical Scientist Training Program
Office in the School of Medicine (http://info.med.yale.edu/mdphd/phd/index.html)
and from the Web site of the History of Medicine
and Science (www.med.yale.edu/histmed).
Master's Degrees
M.Phil. and M.A. (en route to the Ph.D.).
See Graduate School requirements, pages 416-417.
Master's Degree Program
The terminal M.A. program is designed particularly
for those who plan to combine teaching or scholarship
in these fields with a professional career in medicine
or science. Students who enroll in the terminal
master's degree program leading to the M.A. are
expected to complete six term courses during two
terms of study and submit an acceptable master's
paper. Course work must include the graduate seminar
HSHM 701a/702b and one additional graduate seminar
in history of medicine or science. The remaining
courses are to be chosen in consultation with the
director of graduate studies.
For more information about the Program and admission
to the Graduate School, see www.med.yale.edu/histmed
and
www.yale.edu/graduateschool/admissions; or write
to Barbara McKay (barbara.mckay@yale.edu).
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