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Graduate students in the Yale Astronomy Department work closely with
faculty members in their chosen area of research. The 14 members of
our teaching faculty have international reputations in the fields of Astrometry, Extragalactic Astronomy & Cosmology, High-Energy Astrophysics, Local Galaxies & Stellar Systems, Solar & Stellar Astrophysics, and ISM & Star Formation.
While this is a wide range of subjects, there is much in common among
them. Collaborations between faculty members with different areas of
research are common. The Department of Astronomy also has close ties
with the Department of
Physics, the Center for Astronomy and
Astrophysics, and the
Universidad de Chile.
Such collaborations, and the resources that they bring, combine with
the small size to make the Department of Astronomy very unique among
graduate institutions.
With a student/faculty ratio of order unity, close collaboration
between faculty and students becomes the norm. The department is very
student-oriented, with a strong focus on graduate teaching and
research. Such qualities make Yale Astronomy an ideal place for
learning and research. Average time to a PhD is under six years,
roughly a year under the national average. We attribute this to the
close attention given to students, the early research experience, and
the excellent resources that Yale Astronomy has to offer.
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Students typically enroll in 3 courses during their first semester,
and 2-3 courses during the next 3 semesters. Most of these courses
are selected from those offered by the Astronomy Department
(see list),
but students have the option of taking courses in other
departments, such as Physics or
Mathematics.
Courses are designed to give students a good general knowledge of the
various branches of astronomy while covering the necessary background
material in mathematics and physics. Each course is offered every
other year, so first and second year students take classes together.
Students from other departments and advanced undergraduates may also
enroll. Students are encouraged to work together on homework and
projects. The typical class size is 5-10 students, which facilitates
active participation among students and individual attention from the
professor. In addition to courses, special seminars are frequently
offered which survey the latest research in the chosen field. These
seminars are meant to augment courses or to expose the participants to
fields that are not traditionally the subject of coursework.
Graduate students also engage in research within their first few
months at Yale. Students typically complete two research projects
prior to beginning dissertation research. One of these projects must be
observationally oriented, and another theoretically oriented. These
projects, which are conducted in close association with a faculty
member or research scientist, are vital in that they build the
research skills that will be needed during dissertation work. They also
introduce students to possible dissertation topics. Students often join a
faculty member's group to assist with one (or both) of these projects
during their first summer at Yale. Students also have the option of
leaving Yale to seek outside employment during the summer.
Teaching Fellowships are part of the financial packages offered by
Yale, and are considered an important part of the training of a
professional astronomer. The teaching load is relatively light
compared to many other universities. Students aid in teaching for
each of their first three semesters, and are given the fourth semester
off to prepare for the qualifying exams. One additional semester of
teaching is expected.
The PhD qualifying exams take place at the end of the second academic
year. The first exam is written; it consists of 10 problems, one from
each course offered by the department, and the student is expected to
successfully answer a given fraction of them in a given amount of
time. An oral exam is given a few weeks later in the field of the
student's chosen dissertation topic. The first-time success rate on
these exams is very high.
The next few years are spent in research. Dissertations are major pieces of
research, the results of which are often published as several
astronomical journal articles. Students work closely with a faculty
member, or possibly two, and have many resources available to them.
Recent graduates have been very successful in obtaining excellent
postdoctoral positions, prestigious fellowships, and faculty positions.
Look here for more information.
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