The doctoral program in the Department of Italian Studies at Yale offers paths of study and research in all periods of Italophone literary and cultural studies, at the crossroads of disciplines and academic traditions. Our goal is to form Italianists able to critically understand the foundations of our field while challenging their limits through innovative, rigorous scholarship.
An Interdisciplinary Community
Supported by extraordinary resources in archives, libraries, galleries, and a number of institutional connections with other Departments and Programs, interdisciplinary work is encouraged.
We welcome candidates interested in exploring how Italian Studies interacts with fields such as Modern and Classical Literatures, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Art History, Musicology, Women and Gender Studies, Film and Media, and History.
We strive to foster community. Our graduate students fully participate in the Department’s life through initiatives such as graduate conferences, a Diversity in Italian Studies lecture series, an annual Italian Film Festival, and informal gatherings organized by the Italian Society at Yale.
Thank you, Department of Italian Studies at Yale, for these amazing Ph.D. years! It was quite a ride. As I am thrilled and excited to start my new life—after all, isn’t this the beginning of something even greater? Incipit vita nova!
Costanza Barchiesi
Combined Degree Programs
In addition to the Ph.D. in Italian Studies, the program offers two options for combined degrees: one in Italian & Early Modern Studies (in which students can enroll after being accepted in the program), and one in Italian & Film and Media Studies (to which prospective students can apply directly).
After admission, students can also enroll in numerous graduate certificates outside of the department, and sometimes apply for an ad hoc combined degree path with allied disciplines such as Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or Ethnicity, Race, and Migration.
Unique Resources for Research and Pedagogical Training
At Yale, graduate students have full access to world-class collections, including those hosted at the Beinecke Library (from Medieval and Early Modern manuscripts and prints to Futurist manifestoes, 1970s counter-culture documents, Queer Italian movements ephemera, and more) and the Yale Art Gallery.
From their third year on, our students get teaching experience through language teaching (at Yale and in our Summer Program in Siena) assistantships, and competitive fellowships to design and co-teach their own courses.
Funding and Exchange Programs
Our graduate students are fully funded for at least 5 years, with a 12-month stipend, a fellowship that covers tuition, and healthcare. They are also encouraged to apply for internal competitive funds to organize conferences and symposia, travel to speak at conferences or conduct research, and participating in workshops, language courses, and other professionalizing experiences during breaks.
On their 5th year, students who completed their coursework and passed their exams and prospectus defense get a University Dissertation Fellowship and funds to complete their research where they wish. Many take advantage of our exchange program with the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa or the IvyPlus network, which allows them to work at sister institutions in the US (Berkeley, Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, Penn, Princeton, Stanford).
